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Have any of you college parents heard from your kids on campus this week? If so, what kinds of things are they saying about their reaction to the attacks and what are their schools doing to address the issue?

By Dadster on Monday, September 17, 2001 - 03:16 pm: Edit

Most campuses seem pretty calm from what I can tell, not much of a backlash.

I see a lot of memorial services, candlelight vigils, and the like. NYU apparently has some dorms that can't be occupied because of utility interruptions. Columbia is way north, of course, but has had a bunch of relief activities going on.

By Cindy on Wednesday, September 19, 2001 - 10:46 am: Edit

Barnard is on my list of schools. Do you think I should be worried about going to school in NYC? I'm not overly concerned, but my Mom is imagining terrorists behind every lamppost. :-)

By Roger (Roger) on Saturday, September 29, 2001 - 09:43 pm: Edit

Cindy, New York City is a pretty big place. Columbia and Barnard are in the 114th to 120th area, Upper West Side. This is isn't close to the financial district or the WTC. There aren't any skyskrapers at all in the CU/Barnard area. I think NYC is being pretty careful about security right now, and that area isn't heavily commercial.

Regardless of where we live, I think we are all hoping that our government can continue to make progress in eliminating these crazies at home and abroad.

By anonamom on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 04:17 pm: Edit

Everyone seems to be very jumpy about the anthrax scare. Do any of you have children in NYC? If so, what are you hearing from them about the locals' (and their) state of mind? Is spilled sugar on a lunch counter causing people to call 911? Personally, I think we're all freaking out about this too much.

By Roger (Roger) on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 10:15 pm: Edit

I have a kid in NYC - my impression is that in one sense, it is business as usual. In another sense, everything has changed. Many recent grads were directly affected by the loss of classmates or friends working in the WTC. New Yorkers seem to have a new sense of resolve, though, to tough it out.

By Dave Berry on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 09:18 pm: Edit

My son lives in Jersey City, NJ--the reputed "hotbed of terrorist residency in America." [Gulp!] So far, though, there have been no problems for my son there. Jersey City is just across the Hudson River from Manhattan.

My son sent me an e-mail the other day describing his day in NYC walking around and observing various protesters, some of which, he said, are pretty violent and disturbing. Then, at the end of his message--almost as a casual (but not really casual) afterthought--he asked me if I had had any experience with anthrax from my time in the military. That little inquiry surprised me because in all his 25 years, he's never once asked me about anything to do with my time in the service (Vietnam era).

I think that he's impressed (perhaps "concerned" may be a better word) with what has happened at NBC, ABC, etc. Things are different now in our (and his) world, and the events have caught his generation's attention.

By Ima Kay on Saturday, December 01, 2001 - 07:27 pm: Edit

Hey, Dave, here's a cool article that might help other parents understand what's happening with young people on the so-called "elite" campuses today. It's called The_Organization_Kid_Revisited.

By RBG on Friday, December 14, 2001 - 04:03 pm: Edit

Colleges seem to be on the horns of a dilemma now. They want to preserve easy access to campuses by foreign students (many of whom pay full tuition) at the same time that the federal government wants to get picky about visas and interview students who might have some knowledge of terrorists.

By Sam on Sunday, December 16, 2001 - 08:15 pm: Edit

Foreign students may be the gravy train for some colleges, but I think they have to put national interest ahead of cash. Realistically, how many students are going to actually leave or fail to enroll because of this? I have to imagine that most will just put up with any additional paperwork that is imposed. Colleges fought cracking down on visa violations for years, but now that we see the implications I don't think they'll resist.

By ITS BEEN 2 YRS on Sunday, January 05, 2003 - 05:46 pm: Edit

BUMP

By er5 on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 11:52 pm: Edit

and we've calmed down since

By Jajas2 (Jajas2) on Tuesday, May 04, 2004 - 12:40 am: Edit

bump. Too much time on my hands, lol