Second faculty teach-in on the Sept. 11 events is a walk-in-and-discuss affair

By Adrial Lobelo '02

To help continue the dialogue on issues surrounding the catastrophic events of Sept. 11, Isaac Kramnick, Cornell vice provost for undergraduate education, organized the university's second teach-in, held Monday, Oct. 15.

Tim Murray, left, professor of English and director of graduate studies in film and video, speaks with freshman Max Eisenburger at "The Media and the Crisis" table, during the faculty teach-in in Willard Straight Hall's Memorial Room, Oct. 15. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography

The teach-in was an all-day affair held in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall, chosen by Kramnick as an appropriate place for students to informally discuss issues with faculty members knowledgeable on a variety of subjects. Throughout the day, participating faculty were stationed at tables dedicated to preassigned topics, including: International Economic Implications; Buildings, Urban Disasters and the Cultural Meaning of Architecture; Islamic History, Culture and Religion; America and the World; The Crisis and American Politics; The Media and the Crisis; and Terrorism and Security. Students coming into the room were free to visit tables featuring topics they wanted to discuss.

Many of the discussions early in the day focused on the political implications of the conflict.

"President Bush has made threats of retribution, painting himself into a corner, and is now forced to take military action," said Sage Nagai, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. "If his campaign does not succeed, America's credibility is at stake."

Diane Rubenstein, a visiting associate professor in Romance studies and government, took a different tack in her discussion with students at another table. "The enemy is virtual and de-territorial. The new war is not taking into account the new technologies that are [being employed]," she said

The new war, however, has led the Bush administration to quickly re-evaluate its foreign policy goals, noted Terence Turner, professor of anthropology. "[National Security Adviser] Condoleezza Rice had wanted to avoid messy military actions and have the U.S. just relate to the rest of the world based on economic relationships. [The Bush administration] is not talking about this anymore," he said.

Most of the students who strolled into the Memorial Room throughout the day to partake in the discussions expressed enthusiasm with the event and its format. "Teach-ins, such as this one, remove us from isolation and fear," said Mike Brown, a senior in the College of Human Ecology.

Among the participating faculty members, including Rubenstein and Turner, were: Lee Adler, collective bargaining, ILR extension; David BenDaniel, management; Kenneth Birman, computer science; Ross Brann, Near Eastern studies; Alfred Center, chemical engineering; Brett de Bary, Asian studies; Gary Fields, labor economics; Ronald Herring, government; Thomas Hirschl, rural sociology; Lee C. Lee, human development; David Lee, applied economics and management; Risa Lieberwitz, collective bargaining, labor law and history; Theodore Lowi, government; Barbara Lynch, city and regional planning; Philip McMichael, rural sociology; Roberta Moudry, adult education; Tim Murray, English; Christian Otto, architecture; David Powers, Near Eastern studies; Jeremy Rabkin, government; Dietram Scheufele, communication; and Barry Strauss, history.