| University community unites in the wake
of September 11 attacks |
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undreds of people crowded into the School of
Nursing building to give blood. Representatives from the Employee
Assistance Program counseled parents and teachers at the University
of Miami’s Canterbury Preschools. UMTV aired a special, one-hour-live
Town Hall Meeting. A candlelight vigil was held at the Rock. And
President Donna E. Shalala addressed students at the Whitten University
Center.
Such are just a few examples of how the University
of Miami community reacted in the wake of the September 11 terrorist
attacks. In some cases, the University’s response was almost
immediate. UM’s Crisis Decision Team, for example, met on
the morning of the attacks to gauge the possible impact the tragic
events would have on the University.
Other responses: the Rumor Control Hotline was
activated, classes were cancelled, all residential college faculty
and University chaplains were available, and President Shalala
spoke to about 600 students at the Whitten University Center,
where a team of UM psychologists also had gathered to provide
emotional support for students.
“Even the idea that we were available if
needed was very comforting to some students who may not have actually
availed themselves of our services,” says Counseling Center
Director Malcolm Kahn. His division remained open until 8 p.m.
on the night of the attacks and sent staff to other campus events,
such as vigils and memorial services, that were later staged in
response to the attacks.
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Meanwhile, the Division of Student Affairs responded by assisting
students who were directly affected by the events. “We became
aware of about four students who were either missing a parent
or relative as a result of the attacks,” says Vice President
for Student Affairs Patricia Whitely. “In one case, we made
arrangements for a student to get home on an airline ticket by
the Friday of that same week.”
Whitely commends the many UM students who responded
to the crisis by volunteering at the local Red Cross and donating
blood for victims of the attacks. “I’m very proud of
the way our students responded to this crisis,” she says.
“It shows that they’re not only students at this University,
but leaders in this community.”
International Student and Scholar Services sponsored
an open forum for Arab, Muslim, and other international students.
About 200 students attended the forum at the Whitten University
Ballroom, where a panel of Muslim students answered questions
about their religion and beliefs. President Shalala and Whitely
also attended. “When the discussion was over, everyone left
feeling reassured,” says Director Teresa de la Guardia. “We
wanted to reassure our students that the University wouldn’t
stand for backlash against our Muslim students in the aftermath
of the attacks.”
At the School of Nursing, more than 240 pints
of blood were collected during a two-day blood drive that drew
more than 500 people, many of them waiting as long as three hours
to give their gift of life.
A UM-sponsored job fair was held at the George
A. Smathers Student Wellness Center for American Airlines employees
who lost their jobs after the carrier was forced to cut back its
workforce because of declining passenger numbers.
At the School of Law, the Student Bar Association,
Cardozo Legal Society, and the Society of Bar and Gavel collected
cash donations on behalf of the American Red Cross and the United
Way of New York. The Department of Pharmacology at the School
of Medicine sold American flags, pins, buttons, earrings, and
a variety of other patriotic items with proceeds donated to the
United Way to fund relief efforts in New York City, Washington,
D.C., and Pennsylvania.
The Employee Assistance Program posted special
essays on coping with disaster on its Web site and sent representatives
to the UM Canterbury Preschools on the Coral Gables and medical
school campuses to counsel teachers and parents on how to talk
to children about the events.
And Alumni Relations established a special Web
site to learn of the safety and whereabouts of UM alumni who may
have been affected by the tragedies. So far, the site has generated
about 500 e-mails, according to Tracy Krulik, associate director
of Alumni Relations. At the 75th Anniversary Reception Introducing
Donna E. Shalala in New York City recently, Alumni Relations honored
the memory of Stephen Fogel, a 1989 School of Law graduate, who
perished in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center
towers.
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| Help a friend ‘quit cold turkey’ |
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ave a friend or family member who you wish would
stop smoking? “Adopt” them for a day and get a free
turkey feast to boot. The Great American Smoke-out is a nationwide
event designed to encourage smokers to kick the habit for one
day.
At the University of Miami, the event will be
conducted as an “Adopt a Smoker for a Day” program with
a “quit cold turkey” theme. UM affiliates who are nonsmokers
can adopt a friend, family member, or coworker who smokes and
treat them to a hot turkey lunch with all the trimmings. Along
with the feast, participants will receive information and education
that will help them prepare for the 24-hour smoking cessation
period scheduled to take place on November 15.
“The luncheons really serve as preparation
and educational opportunities to get participants ready for the
actual Great American Smoke-out day,” says Jennifer Pinto,
assistant director of wellness for employees in the Department
of Wellness and Recreation, who conducts the program. “I
give out quit kits loaded with substitutes like stress balls and
chewing gum, and I educate those people who adopt a smoker on
how to provide support for their friend without nagging them.”
This year, the event takes place on the Coral
Gables campus at the George A. Smathers Student Wellness Center
on November 13 from 12-1 p.m.; and at the medical campus Professional
Development and Training Office on November 14 from 12-1 p.m.
“It’s been a highly successful program,”
says Pinto, who also designed and facilitates UM’s five-week
Kick the Habit Smoking Cessation Program. “I’ve had
a number of people who, as a result of the success that they had
for that one day, go on to quit long term.” For more information
or to obtain an adoption form, call 243-3209.
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| Richter Library launches IBISWEB en Español
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| The Otto G. Richter
Library has implemented a Spanish-language version of IBISWEB, the
Web-based library catalog that contains the extensive holdings of
the Richter and other UM libraries. The Spanish version of IBISWEB
presents all menus, search screens, buttons, and system-generated
text in Spanish.
 Information
in the bibliographic records continues to display in its original
English-language format, therefore search terms should continue
to be entered in English.
To access the Spanish version of IBISWEB, click
on the “Change to Spanish” link underneath Quick Search
on the IBISWEB homepage. To change back to English, click on COMENZAR
de NUEVO from anywhere within IBISWEB, then click on “Change
to English” on the IBISWEB homepage. From the telnet-based
IBIS catalog, select the “L” Change Language menu option
from the IBIS main menu screen, or select “N,” NUEVA
Busqueda, from the telnet IBIS menus, then select “Change
Language.”
For assistance with IBISWEB, contact the Information
and Reference Desk at 284-4722.
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