GU Reaction Day of Dialogue Fosters Discussion

By Yasmine Noujaim Special to The Hoya

During Wednesday’s Day of Dialogue, the university community continued conversation about the terrorist attacks on the U.S., placing special emphasis on how the events will shape the international community.

Speakers included professors of the College and the School of Foreign Service, including former United Nations Ambassador Donald cHenry.

“We have an unprecedented degree of military power, economic power and political power,” McHenry said. “This event gives us the opportunity to face what to do with that power.”

In his speech, McHenry cautioned against a premature reaction.

“Whatever we decide should not be fast, or unilateral,” he said. “It should be something that the international community believes strongly in.”

Supervised by Dean of the College Jane McAuliffe, the panel ran from 12:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the ICC Auditorium.

“This has been one of the most fruitful experiences that I have witnessed at Georgetown. We must now begin to digest and process,” McAuliffe said. “They hit real close to home, and this day of dialogue was everything we could do to come together as a community.”

Ten Georgetown professors rotated as panelists, raising the issues and opinions concerning students. Faculty who participated in the discussion included John Langan, S.J., James Walsh, S.J., Charles King, John Ikenberry, Herbert Howe, Victor Cha, Mark Lance, Robert Cumby, Marilyn McMorrow and Theodore Moran.

Audrey Cronan, an expert on terrorism in the security studies program, addressed the unavoidable changes America will face, expressing her fear of a backlash against Muslims.

Every hour, the dialogue stopped and the panel was refreshed with two new professors. McAuliffe said this gave students an opportunity to hear from different departments of the College.

“It’s all part of coming together as a community in times of crisis,” McAuliffe said.

“This event will be for me a very defining moment in terms of what I am to become,” one student said in an emotional address.

– Staff writer Liz McDonald contributed to this report.