Timeline

Student Services staff mobilizes to offer students support and counseling services, as well as assistance getting information about loved ones. Special temporary counseling sites are set up in the Perkins Student and Trabant University centers. The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program offers help for employees.

Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress (DUSC) President Corinne Bria issues a letter to students offering sympathy and encouraging students to "help us help one another."

Hundreds of students line the halls of the Trabant University Center to donate blood for hospitals in New York City and Washington, D.C. The drive, organized by Sigma Chi fraternity and Alpha Chi Omega sorority and scheduled well before the terrorist attacks, brings an emotional response from Blood Bank workers who say they are overwhelmed at the response by UD students.

More than 4,000 students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members gather on the north Mall near Memorial Hall at twilight for a candlelight vigil to try to make sense of "the chaos of this September day." Representatives of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Baha'i faiths read from scripture, and the gathering opens with the singing of "America the Beautiful."

UD President David P. Roselle issues a letter to the campus community, which says in part: "The fallout resonates on our campus, especially since a significant portion of the student body hails from communities in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. The tragedy is thus a very personal one for many of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. We extend our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones, and it is our fervent hope that those not yet accounted for are found to be safe."

At noon, a Ribbon Garden begins on the South Mall near Memorial Hall. Members of the University community write messages of hope, support, love and remembrance on yellow ribbons and tie them in place. The field of yellow continues to grow until Monday, Sept. 24. Donations made are sent to the American Red Cross.

The campus gathers late Friday afternoon for an Interfaith Time of Remembrance dedicated to Sept. 11's devastating events. An overflow crowd fills the auditorium of Pearson Hall and hundreds more watch the ceremony as it is broadcast on the web and campus cable television system and shown on large-screen televisions in the Perkins Student Center and Trabant University Center.

The Review publishes its Friday edition with the banner headline, "UNTHINKABLE."

UD's football game against West Chester and all other weekend sporting events are canceled out of respect for those affected by the tragedy. Other events scheduled for Freshman Parents Weekend are held so that freshmen can be with their families during the emotional time.

President Roselle sends a letter to the University community urging respect for the rights of all. The letter says in part, "I call upon every member of the University of Delaware community to do their part in preserving the rights of others and in honoring the tradition of our institution as a warm and welcoming place for all people. We dare not and we will not tolerate any contrary behavior."

The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program begins a weekly support group for employees and their immediate family members who have been affected, directly or indirectly, by the crisis, to give them an opportunity to process the traumatic events, express their feelings and support each other.

Sept. 19

A special UD community forum to promote reflection and greater understanding of the events of Sept. 11 and their aftermath is held at the Bob Carpenter Center, followed by smaller discussion groups throughout the campus. Afternoon and early evening classes are canceled so students can attend the forum, which includes remarks by UD students and faculty and an address by U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and is a 1965 UD graduate. Nearly 3,000 persons attend the event, which also is broadcast live on the web, on the campus cable television system and on WVUD-fm, the campus radio station.

The carillon is reprogrammed to play the national anthem and patriotic songs, such as "My Country 'tis of Thee," "Hail to the Chief," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful."

Students and faculty at the English Language Institute wear red-white-and-blue bracelets to show their support for their American friends.

Sept. 19-20

Bartenders at McGlynn's restaurants at Peoples Plaza and the Polly Drummond Shopping Center--all of whom are UD students or alumni--donate their tips from each restaurant's busiest night to charities helping victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Shannon Johnson, a senior animal science major who tends bar at McGlynn's at Peoples Plaza, helps organize the events. McGlynn's restaurants are owned by UD alumni Bob and Sandy Ashby of Hockessin.

Sept. 21

A public poetry reading, held in memory of those who died in the terrorist attacks, is held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the south steps of Memorial Hall, facing the Ribbon Garden and Morris Library. More than 30 members of UD Department of English– students, faculty and staff–read from works by poets T.S. Eliot, Allen Ginsberg, John Donne and W.D. Snodgrass, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Creative Writing and Contemporary Poetry.

Members of UD's Cosmopolitan Club, an international student organization, gather for a discussion of the tragic events, led by British teaching assistant Lee Haddigan.

Sept. 24

A Night to Unite, sponsored by several UD registered student organizations and Newark merchants, is a large-scale effort to bring the campus and community together in remembrance of the Sept. 11 tragedy. Students and residents gather to share remembrances, eat and listen to live music. A concert for all ages is held at the Stone Balloon. Proceeds–totaling nearly $10,000–go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, in loving memory from the UD community.

A letter from Director of Athletics Edgar Johnson alerts football season ticketholders that the cost of their tickets
for the canceled West Chester game will be donated to charitable organizations supporting the relief efforts in New York City and near Washington, D.C., or Blue Hen fans may choose to receive a refund.

Through Sept. 28

Student groups across the campus organized fund drives and collections to help those affected by the terrorist attacks. Following is a sampling of what was done.

In Pencader Commons, individuals can buy a card for $2 and sign a sheet to show their support. Proceeds are sent to the American Red Cross, and the cards and sheet are sent to New York and Washington.

Members of the Black Nurses' Association collect donations for the American Red Cross each day at the Trabant University Center.

Student members of the Animal Science Club, Sigma Alpha Sorority, Agricultural College Council and the Ag Ambassadors sponsor a collection of funds to support the American Red Cross.

Members of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and other Greek groups collect supplies of clothing, canned goods and toiletries for rescue workers in New York City.

Oct. 3

President Roselle sends a letter to the University community expressing gratitude to and pride in "the many members of the University of Delaware family who have worked so diligently to help our community in the aftermath of the tragedies of Sept. 11.... The thoughtfulness, creativity, energy and collaborative spirit that went into designing and implementing these programs affirm the University of Delaware community in the most meaningful of ways."

Oct. 7

Students in Christiana Tower West use red-white-and-blue lights to display an American flag on the outside of the building.

Oct. 30-31

The Blood Bank of Delaware schedules another campus drive for Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 30-31.