The content of this site was generated automatically using Claude Code and Mnemotron-R, based on OCR data from Spectator (1947–2025) and other college archival materials hosted at the Internet Archive. It it intended as a proof of concept for the Mnemotron-R project, and has not been reviewed for completeness or accuracy by a human reviewer.

Contact Hamilton College Archives for authoratiative access to College history.

September 11 Campus Response

Overview

When the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks occurred, Hamilton College experienced an immediate and collective shock. The Spectator’s September 14, 2001 issue — the first published after the attacks — dedicated substantial coverage to both the national catastrophe and Hamilton’s specific community response. President Eugene Tobin addressed the campus at a candlelight vigil the same week; the faculty organized public panels on Islam and anti-Muslim stereotyping; the Hamilton Program in New York City scrambled to account for all students; and the Peace and Justice Action Group mounted a demonstration on Martin’s Way within ten days of the attacks. In the weeks that followed, the Spectator documented a sharp campus debate between those supporting military action and those calling for a peaceful response, tracked civil-liberties anxieties about the emerging USA PATRIOT Act, and reported on three Hamilton alumni confirmed killed in the attacks. 9/11-related content ran across at least eleven Spectator issues through December 2001. A first-anniversary observance in fall 2002 brought Rudolph Giuliani to campus and sparked new intellectual programming tied to the attacks.

Key Points

Immediate Campus Response (September 11–14)

Dean of Faculty David Paris issued a campus-wide email encouraging professors to use regular class time to discuss the unfolding events with students, though the college did not officially suspend classes. Televisions were brought to the dining halls, Beinecke, and Café Opus; students packed in shoulder to shoulder to watch the news. Jammed cell and telephone networks made contacting family nearly impossible for many students.

Community gatherings began almost immediately. Daily 4 p.m. prayer meetings on the map on Martin’s Way were organized within the first days. On Wednesday evening, September 12, several hundred community members gathered next to Beinecke for a candlelight vigil; the crowd walked in silence from the sandbox to the front of the library. President Eugene Tobin addressed those assembled, stressing “the importance and purity of education in the face of senselessness” and reminding attendees that “College life is a commitment to immortality.” The gathering sang “Amazing Grace” and spontaneous renditions of “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful” as candles were placed in the sandbox.

Professor of Rhetoric and Communication Catharine Kaha was quoted capturing the shared emotional atmosphere: “We want to say it’s a bad movie. I think what we’re all struggling with is the fear of the reality that this is not a bad movie.” (The Spectator, September 14, 2001)

Faculty Panel on Anti-Muslim and Anti-Arab Stereotyping (September 13)

A panel of five Hamilton faculty members addressed students in the chapel on Thursday night, September 13, two days after the attacks. The panel was organized to combat what faculty described as a growing “anti-Arab, anti-Muslim sentiment” in the United States by providing historical, religious, and political context. Panelists included:

• Tolga Koker (visiting professor of economics): “One billion people in the world are Muslim. Only 250 million of those people are Arab, and not all Arabs are Muslim.”
• Russell Blackwood (Professor of Philosophy Emeritus): explained the shared Abrahamic roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; debunked common misconceptions about the Islamic concept of jihad, noting that the “primary jihad” is the internal struggle within oneself.
• Shoshana Keller (professor of history): provided context on U.S.-Afghan history, noting that the U.S. had provided weapons and training to Afghani fighters against the Soviet invasion. “These are our own chickens coming home to roost,” she said.
• Wael Aronoff (instructor of government): spoke on multilateral sanctions and civil liberties concerns.
• Steven Orvis (associate professor of government): moderated and stressed that it was up to the American people to resist erosion of their rights.

Student Myra Hamid ‘02 also spoke at the panel, explaining different concepts of jihad and noting that “Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. That can’t all be done by swords.” (The Spectator, September 14, 2001)

The Hamilton Program in New York City

At the time of the attacks, Hamilton students in the college’s NYC program were at or en route to their internships. Three students were in the 1 West Street Building near Battery Park, which served as Hamilton housing. The college could not verify the whereabouts and safety of all NYC program students until after 5 p.m. on September 11. Student Rick Colon ‘03 described seeing the first tower burning from 2nd Street and 1st Avenue on his way to a HeadStart internship. The 1 West Street Building was evacuated that day; students were unable to return for their belongings. By the following Saturday, all NYC program students were scheduled to return to campus and temporarily housed in the Bristol guestrooms.

As of Thursday, September 13, Senior Associate Dean of Students Nancy Thompson confirmed the college did not know of any student whose parent was missing in the wreckage, though some students had extended family unaccounted for. Thompson said the college’s primary concern was the wellbeing of students who had experienced “significant trauma.” (The Spectator, September 14, 2001)

The Hamilton Program in France

The September 21 issue ran a full article titled “Students in France receive support from host country in wake of attacks,” written by Jacques P. Du Vernay ‘03 as International Correspondent. The 34 members of the Hamilton College Junior Year in France Program received word of the attacks in the late afternoon of September 11 (due to the six-hour time difference), just after finishing class. Transatlantic phone and internet networks quickly became overloaded. France observed three minutes of silence the following Friday; French President Chirac became the first Western head of state to visit the U.S. after the attacks.

Jean-Pierre Boulier, a retired history professor involved with Hamilton’s France program, was quoted: “I initially thought that the news was not possible, that the reports were exaggerating the severity of the attacks. After the shock, I felt enormous emotion, and I immediately thought of war. Europeans remember what it is like to have a war on your own soil.” Named Hamilton students in France included Carine Camara ‘03 (Manhattan resident), Alba Reyes ‘03 (Manhattan resident), and Cassandra Mikicic, a junior from Amherst College enrolled in Hamilton’s program. (The Spectator, September 21, 2001)

Peace Rally and the Campus Political Debate

On Thursday, September 20 — nine days after the attacks — over 100 students and faculty gathered on Martin’s Way at noon for a “national day of action for peaceful justice,” coordinated with similar gatherings at over 100 colleges and universities nationwide. The event was organized by the Hamilton College Peace and Justice Action Group. Speakers included:

• Myra Hamid ‘02, who voiced concerns for her home country of Pakistan and fears of racial backlash against Muslims.
• Professor Shelly Haley (Classics and Africana Studies), who warned how quickly the campus message against racial bigotry from previous years had been lost in “the flurry of nationalism and calls for revenge.”
• Nancy Rabinowitz (professor of comparative literature and director of the Kirkland Project), who cautioned against dividing the world into absolute good and evil.

Green armbands — the color representing peace and life in Muslim culture — were distributed to attendees. Organizers circulated a petition addressed to President Bush calling for protection of “innocent civilians of all nations,” maintenance of civil liberties for all U.S. residents, and “PEACE and JUSTICE, not revenge.”

The peace rally triggered a vigorous counter-response. Student Andrew Costello ‘02 published a letter in the September 21 Spectator arguing forcefully for military action against governments that harbor terrorists, specifically naming the Taliban and arguing that “in the case of extreme, fanatically ideological governments like the Taliban, who will not bow to economic or diplomatic pressures, military force must be used.” The Spectator’s editorial pages in subsequent weeks ran a range of views. A notable incident was reported in the October 12 letters: a student discovered that the President of the Class of 2003 had altered peace-message chalkings on Martin’s Way — changing “Americans are not the only ones with families” to “Americans are the only ones with families,” and “War does not equal Justice” to “War equals Justice.”

Hamilton also hosted the Regional Peace Studies Conference on September 29, at which scholars and students from Colgate, Cornell, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Oswego, Syracuse, and other area colleges gathered. The afternoon panel, titled “September 11, 2001: How did we get here? Where are we going? What should we do?”, was held in the Hamilton College Chapel and was organized with the help of Professor of Sociology Kirsten Paap. (The Spectator, September 21, 2001; The Spectator, September 28, 2001; The Spectator, October 12, 2001)

Hamilton Alumni Killed: The September 11 Scholarship Fund

The October 19 issue reported that three Hamilton alumni had lost their lives in the attacks:

• Sylvia San Pio Resta ‘95
• Adam J. Lewis ‘87
• Arthur J. Jones III ‘86

In response, the Office of Communications and Development announced the establishment of the September 11 Scholarship Fund. The fund set an initial fundraising goal of $1 million (projected to yield approximately $50,000 in annual scholarship support). First priority in awards was given to direct descendants of any victim of the September 11 attacks, with broader criteria written to allow the fund to continue “in perpetuity” for future national calamities. President Tobin also personally contacted the families of the three Hamilton alumni killed and offered full tuition, room, and board to their children regardless of financial need. William Brower, Executive Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Programs, coordinated the fund. (The Spectator, October 19, 2001)

Second Faculty Panel at Parents’ Weekend (October 2001)

A second faculty panel on September 11 issues was assembled during Parents’ Weekend in October, organized by Director of Alumni Programs Jennifer Potter Hayes and moderated by Professor of Government Stephen Orvis. Panelists included Instructor of Government Yael Aronoff, Associate Professor of Government Philip Klinkner, Assistant Professor of Sociology Kris Paap, and Associate Professor of Religious Studies Richard Seager. The panel was described as a “standing-room-only” event well-received by both parents and students. Seager spoke about the incorporation of Islam in American civil religion by President Bush; Paap addressed sociological concepts of “fundamental attribution error” in how the public assigned blame. The October 26 issue noted this was at least the second major faculty panel on the topic since September 13. (The Spectator, October 26, 2001)

Spectator Editorial Positions

The Spectator’s editorial board addressed 9/11 issues on multiple occasions through fall 2001:

• The September 21 editorial focused on student activities funding, and the editorial pages were given over to competing op-eds — notably a peace-movement letter from Peter Brunette ‘02 and the pro-military response from Andrew Costello ‘02 — reflecting the paper’s commitment to covering the campus political divide rather than taking a single institutional position.
• The October 12 issue covered the ACLU’s detailed objections to the Sensenbrenner-Conyers anti-terrorism bill (a precursor to the USA PATRIOT Act), including its surveillance, immigration detention, and overbroad terrorism-definition provisions. The article cited ACLU Washington Director Laura W. Murphy and Georgetown law professor David Cole, who called the bill “not in any way carefully calibrated to the threat that we are facing.”
• The October 26 editorial addressed the senior class gift debate: the Class of 2002 had voted to erect a Continental mascot statue and had subsequently announced it would also “serve as a memorial” to 9/11 victims. The Spectator objected that seniors had not been given a chance to vote on the memorial aspect, and argued that a 9/11 memorial “would more appropriately be financially and aesthetically supported by the entire school.” The senior gift committee subsequently announced a second vote to let seniors decide whether to acknowledge, memorialize, or not mention September 11 with their gift.

(The Spectator, September 21, 2001; The Spectator, October 12, 2001; The Spectator, October 26, 2001)

Economic and Career Effects

The November 9 issue reported that the September 11 attacks had compounded an already-slowing job market for the Class of 2002, particularly in finance. The Career Center reported a significant decline in participation in on-campus recruiting programs, advising appointments, and career seminars. Career Center staff urged seniors to “work harder and be flexible” while acknowledging the economic reality. (The Spectator, November 9, 2001)

First-Anniversary Observances (Fall 2002)

The first anniversary of the attacks shaped the opening of the 2002–03 academic year at Hamilton in several ways:

• Rudolph Giuliani spoke at Hamilton on September 23, 2002, less than two weeks after the first anniversary Ground Zero ceremony. His lecture was held in the Margaret Scott Bundy Field House as part of the Sacerdote Great Names Series. The September 20 issue described the then-former mayor as “America’s Mayor” and cited his Time magazine Man of the Year recognition. (The Spectator, September 20, 2002)
• Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad vs. McWorld, opened the sophomore seminar lecture series in September 2002 with a talk titled “Globalization one year after 9/11: Terrorism or Democracy,” addressing 250 students in the Chapel. (The Spectator, September 6, 2002)
• The Kirkland Project for the Study of Gender, Society and Culture announced its 2002–03 theme would be “Masculinities,” with coordinator Nancy Rabinowitz citing the September 11 attacks as a launching point: “After September 11th, the images were almost entirely of men.” (The Spectator, September 6, 2002)

Longer-Term Effects

The attacks appear to have had several lasting effects on Hamilton:

• Endowed scholarship: The September 11 Scholarship Fund added a 286th endowed scholarship to Hamilton’s portfolio, with criteria intentionally broad enough to remain relevant for future generations.
• Sustained faculty programming: The pattern of assembling faculty panels for public education established in the days after September 11 continued into Parents’ Weekend and shaped the Kirkland Project’s programming through at least 2003.
• Job market: The economic downturn tied to the attacks was cited as a specific challenge to the Class of 2002’s senior job search, particularly in finance.
• Security: The Spectator does not appear to have documented specific changes in Hamilton campus security policy as a direct response to 9/11 in the issues surveyed, though Director of Campus Safety Pat Ingalls was regularly quoted in fall 2001 coverage on related student conduct matters.

The Pre-9/11 Context: Hamilton in August–September 2001

Two issues immediately preceding September 11, 2001 illustrate the campus normalcy that was shattered that morning. The August 31, 2001 issue covered Hamilton’s 190th Convocation (Nobel laureate Paul Greengard ‘48 received an honorary degree), the largest Summer Open House in college history (504 attendees), and a major survey of high school seniors’ attitudes toward gay and lesbian issues — conducted by Hamilton students in partnership with Zogby International and released at a New York City press conference co-hosted with MTV News. The September 7, 2001 issue led with drunk driving arrests and a lecture by U.S. Representative Sherwood Boehlert on “scientifically literate political culture.” Neither issue contained any indication of heightened national security concern or foreboding. The contrast between this ordinary first-week-of-school normalcy and the front page of September 14 — “TERRORIST ATTACKS STUN WORLD” — is stark. (The Spectator, August 31, 2001; The Spectator, September 7, 2001)

One-Year Anniversary Candlelight Observance (September 11, 2002)

On the first anniversary of the attacks, Hamilton students and faculty came together in remembrance and reflection. At 10:29 a.m. on September 11, 2002 — the moment the second tower collapsed — the bells of Hamilton’s chapel rang out. Students and faculty were encouraged to observe one minute of silence; throughout campus, “whether in small groups or alone, people stopped and reflected.” The September 13, 2002 issue quoted a student asking: “What does this mean to us? Can we allow it to change us in a good way?” An evening candlelight vigil was also held as part of the anniversary observances. The issue ran on the same front page as reporting on 14 student arrests in Clinton the previous weekend and a town-gown meeting called for September 17 — the collision of solemn commemoration and ordinary campus life one year on. (The Spectator, September 13, 2002)

Giuliani Lecture Details (September 23, 2002)

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani spoke to a crowd of over 5,000 people in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Monday evening, September 23, 2002, as the 11th speaker in the Sacerdote Great Names Series. The event came less than two weeks after the first anniversary Ground Zero ceremony. President Tobin introduced Giuliani as having faced “a crisis without parallel,” referenced his contributions from crime reduction to post-9/11 leadership, and called the evening “an extraordinary occasion.” Giuliani himself stressed the need for Americans to “relax” and “be courageous” while moving forward. The evening was shadowed by tragedy: immediately after Giuliani’s speech, an automobile accident on Route 12B in Kirkland involving a bus and a car killed one student from another college and injured another. (The Spectator, September 27, 2002)

Adler Conference and War on Terrorism Discourse (January 2002)

The January 2002 Adler Conference, held on Martin Luther King Service Day with the theme “Trading Places: Evolving the Human Experience,” explicitly engaged with the post-9/11 situation. The first of six breakout discussion groups was titled “Ethnic Tensions and a Changing World” and focused specifically on the recent terrorist attacks and America’s War on Terrorism. Facilitated by Professor Todd Franklin, Sinan Misirli ‘03, and Matt Eng ‘02, the group examined “what it means to be the enemy and the victim” and wrestled with Americans’ “extreme sense of patriotism” and its consequences. This was among the first institutionalized campus discussions of the post-9/11 political situation outside the immediate fall 2001 response. (The Spectator, February 1, 2002)

United Way/Boy Scout Boycott as Post-9/11 Civil Liberties Context (Fall 2002)

In fall 2002, a significant faculty political action intersected with civil liberties concerns: over 75 Hamilton faculty and staff signed a petition boycotting the United Way’s employee giving campaign because the United Way continued to fund the local Land of the Oneidas Boy Scout chapter, which — in accordance with national Boy Scout policy backed by a Supreme Court ruling — would remove any openly gay member. The prior year, 40 employees had boycotted, causing the campaign to fall $13,000 short of its $43,000 goal. A motion was also filed for the faculty meeting to recommend that the college cease providing institutional support to the United Way. The episode illustrates how civil liberties questions — about inclusion and discrimination — continued to animate Hamilton faculty in the same year as 9/11 anniversary observances and the Giuliani lecture. (The Spectator, September 20, 2002)

Hate Incidents on Campus (December 2000)

The December 8, 2000 issue documented that “acts of hate” on campus had prompted students to display “images of peace and hopeful writings” in the windows of Babbitt Hall — though the specific nature of those hate incidents is not fully described in the visible portions of the issue. The image of peace writings in dorm windows was photographed and published, indicating the community’s response was visible and coordinated. This pre-9/11 incident is relevant context for understanding the campus environment in which the September 2001 anti-Muslim stereotyping panel would later occur. (The Spectator, December 8, 2000)

Open Questions

• Were any Hamilton students or staff directly injured (not alumni) in the attacks?
• Did Hamilton hold any formal, administration-organized campus-wide memorial service specifically for the three alumni killed, beyond the informal vigils and chapel gatherings documented in September 2001?
• Did the September 11 Scholarship Fund reach its $1 million initial goal? Were awards ever made to the children of the three alumni killed?
• Did Hamilton make any documented changes to campus security protocols, emergency communications, or international travel policies in direct response to 9/11?
• How did Hamilton’s 2001 peace movement compare in scale and organizational capacity to the Vietnam Moratorium movement the college participated in during 1969? (The September 21, 2001 “This Week in Hamilton History” sidebar noted a 1969 petition urging Vietnam withdrawal — a suggestive parallel that went unremarked editorially.)
• Was the Continental mascot statue ultimately dedicated as a 9/11 memorial? What inscription, if any, was chosen?
• What was the outcome of the September 11 Scholarship Fund vote among the Class of 2002?

Sources

Related Topics

• Student Activism and Social Movements
• Iraq War and Campus Response
• Study Abroad and Global Programs
• College Administration and Presidential Leadership
• Vietnam Moratorium 1969