September 10, 2003 — While University of Utah classes will be in session-just like any other day, this Thursday, the U will offer events to remember the tragedies of Sept. 11th two years ago.
Counselors at the University of Utah Counseling Center will be available for support of students, faculty and staff. As needed emergency crisis service will be available. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 801-581-6826, or go to http://www.sa.utah.edu/counsel/.
The U’s Hinckley Institute of Politics will present “Lessons of 9/11 + 2 Years,” to be held Thursday, at 10:45 a.m., in the Hinckley Caucus Room, 255 Orson Spencer Hall. The speaker will be Omar Kader, president and CEO of PaL-Tech, Inc. and former executive director of the United Palestinian Appeal and Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Notes Jayne Nelson, assistant director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, “We are pleased to have Dr. Kader, an expert on foreign policy and international terrorism, lecture at the University. His presentation will shed light on what’s happening in the Middle East, what we should have learned from Sept. 11th and what we need to go forward.”
Also in remembrance of Sept. 11th, four Hill Air Force Base jets will fly over Rice-Eccles Stadium at about 5:30 p.m., 15 minutes prior to kickoff of the University of Utah football game against California, while the University of Utah Marching Band plays “God Bless America.” The seven-minute band performance during half-time will include music of George Gershwin and Samuel Augustus Ward’s “America,” arranged by Roland Barrett for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Spirit Band.
Marc Amicone, director of marketing for U athletics says, “A fly over before the game will help fans to remember the lives lost two years ago and adds to the patriotism many fans feel.”
Thursday evening, Caring Connections: A Hope and Comfort in Grief Program, will host its annual Grief Awareness Day, at 7 p.m., in the second-floor auditorium of the College of Nursing, located south of the University of Utah Hospital. The program will include music from Daniel Walker, composer of “We’ll Not Forget,” a tribute to the victims of Sept. 11th, 2001. Speaker Carol Knight will share her experiences as a parent who has lost a child.
Says Beth Vaughan Cole, founder and director of the program, “The purpose of the day is to recognize that grief is an ongoing process. Many people suffer at the same time, but everyone feels so alone when they are going through it. We present an opportunity for people who are grieving to come together and value each other’s experiences. They can learn how other people have managed grief and find ways to deal with difficult experiences. Sudden, unexpected deaths are sometimes some of the most difficult grieving experiences because there was no time to say good- bye.”
Caring Connections offers 11 ongoing support groups for those dealing with different kinds of grief. Groups are geared to children to adolescents to adults who are grieving, due to a loss because of suicide, homicide or the loss of a child, spouse, grandparent, sibling, or friend. For more information on Thursday’s event or on Caring Connections programs, call 801-585-9522.