To Jim Bell et al, from Chas Vest of MIT, re Martyr Airlines

Optimizzin Al-gorithm oa at acm.org
Thu Oct 4 17:14:12 PDT 2001


To the Alumnae and Alumni of MIT:

Our society has been shaken by events that had been beyond our
imagining. September 11, 2001 will stand as a generation-defining and
world-changing moment in our collective history and our personal lives.
For those of you who have been directly touched by this tragedy, I offer
my deepest sympathy.

Here on campus we have worked hard to ensure that our near-term response
is one of thoughtful discussion and reflection. Looking beyond the
campus, the Provost and I are in the process of establishing a process
to assess how MIT might contribute its expertise to the challenge of
protecting human life and the nation's infrastructure.

I would like to give you a sense of MITs campus life during this period
and how we have responded to the crisis. First, however, I want to
acknowledge that the funding appeal that most of you received recently
must have seemed like an inappropriate first communication after the
attack on our nation. These letters had been put into the mail system
before September 11.

As of October 2, the Alumni Association has received notice that seven
of your alumni friends and classmates have been confirmed as victims of
the terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, there are other alumni who are
still listed as missing, and our hearts go out to those families waiting
for word about their loved ones. If you are from one of the affected
areas and wish to let the MIT community know that you are safe, please
post a message on the Are You Okay? bulletin board at
http://alumweb.mit.edu/are-you-ok/.

It is during tragedies like this that we are reminded that our strength
lies in our sense of community. Please know that as MIT alumni, you are
part of a global network of support. It was heartening this past weekend
to see more than 300 alumni return to campus to participate in the
Alumni Leadership Conference, coming together to support each other and
the Institute at this difficult time. I am most grateful for your
commitment to and faith in all that is good about MIT.

The events of the past two weeks have tested us all. I believe that the
faculty, students, staff, and alumni of MIT have demonstrated a
wonderful sense of caring for each other and a resolve to sustain the
best values that define this university and our society. Immediately and
in the days that followed, faculty, students and staff developed many
programs and activities to help people understand and cope with the
crisis and its aftermath. These included keeping the chapel open and
attended at all hours; deans and counselors reaching out to students
across campus; vigils and prayer services; community gatherings and
discussion groups; creation of memorial spaces; blood drives and other
contributions to relief efforts; educational forums on campus and
online; and individual faculty and staff getting together with their
students, sometimes to discuss the crisis, sometimes to do something
entirely different, like a trip to the art museum.

To find out more about what has been happening on campus, please go to
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/www/. Or read some reflections from the
MIT community about the events of September 11 at
http://web.mit.edu/cms/reconstructions/.

The past two weeks have not been without their tensions. Anxiety and
anger have followed the shock and we face a time of great uncertainty.
In these times especially, members of our community who are Muslim or
from Middle Eastern or other backgrounds need our reassurance as a
community that this occasion will not undermine our commitment to
respect, learn from and support each other. Looking ahead, I am
confident that we will sustain our vibrant sense of community throughout
the weeks and months ahead.

With best wishes,

Sincerely yours,

Charles M. Vest





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