By Jeff Snyder
On September 11, 2001, America changed forever. Some extremist maniacs decided to wage war on American civilians. The American people, with the exception of the government and emergency services, reacted with shock and confusion. A meeting of southern governors was adjourned. Municipal facilities in places like Bridgeport, Connecticut, were closed. Several local businesses, such as Humana, sent their employees home and many area colleges and universities canceled classes. The University of Louisville, however, remained open for business. Some UofL students were outraged at this. They felt that President Shumaker should have closed the school. These students were wrong and Shumaker was right.
There are only two good reasons for shutting down a business or college in this type of situation. One is out of concern for the safety of the employees or students. In this case, there was no credible threat to UofL. Buildings on campus are only a few stories tall and are dispersed over a wide area that would have severely reduced the effectiveness of an attack like those in New York and Washington. The terrorists were trying to kill as many people as they could and garner the most extensive media coverage possible. Neither demented mission would have been served by an attack on the University of Louisville. At any rate, the FAA had grounded all flights by the time the university could have been evacuated. Clearly, security was not a major concern at UofL on September 11. The other good reason for canceling classes is if the employees, students, or facilitiesare needed to deal with the crisis. I can say with almost one hundred percent surety that closing the University of Louisville would not have saved a single victim or assisted in the capture of even one terrorist.
Some people will surely complain that the closure of the university would have demonstrated our support for the victims, their families, and the rescue workers. That may be so, but it would have helped to give the terrorists exactly what they wanted. Acts of terrorism are undertaken to either force a political or social change in the target country or to provide legitimacy to and publicity for the terrorist’s cause. The vile criminals who planned and carried out the attacks on September 11 wanted very much to disrupt America socially, politically, and economically. Closing schools, businesses, and government offices creates a great deal of social disruption. We must also consider the economic impact of these closures on an already weakened economy.
The best way to demonstrate your solidarity is to keep the victims and their loved ones in your thoughts and prayers. Staying home from class when it does nothing to help is not a wise move. During World War II, Americans showed their patriotism by working harder than ever to strengthen this country and further the war effort. Union workers voluntarily worked extra hours and in dangerous conditions (which by contract they did not have to do) to repair ships in Pearl Harbor. They did not ask to stay home and watch television.
The cowards who orchestrated these attacks on America chose terrorism because of their own weakness. They are economically, politically, militarily, and morally inferior to America. In anything resembling a stand-up fight (including a battle of ideas) they would lose badly. We have just taken their best sucker punch and all it did is make us mad. The only way that these anachronistic fools can win is if we let them. President Shumaker, by not overreacting like many other civic and business leaders, demonstrated our defiance to terrorism. He made the right decision by keeping UofL open!
Jeff Snyder is a senior history major and a columnist for The Louisville Cardinal.
