The Southern community copes with tragedy
Members of Southern’s community attempted to deal with the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001. Bulletin boards were constructed in Schwartz Hall and North Campus. A healing and interfaith gathering was held on-campus and a flag was hung from North Campus. “It will be hard to return to being everyday people,” said Mike Peterson, a sophomore, “because a part of America went down along with those two towers.”
September
• Southern’s food service switched over to Chartwells Dining Services and said goodbye to a mandatory 19-meal plan for freshmen. Students could now use Hoot Loot to eat anywhere on campus.
• Baseball coach Joe Bandiera announced his retirement after 26 years and the university dedicated its new baseball complex in his name. To honor him, new coach Tim Shea and athletic director Darryl Rogers had Bandiera’s jersey retired.
October
• Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, president of Sierra Leone, a country in Africa, came to campus to speak to students. He received an honorary doctorate and spoke about the Amistad captives who were imprisoned, as well as about Sierra Leone’s mission for peace.
• Students slept in boxes to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. The Shak-a-thon raised an estimated $300.
November
• Southern held their first annual Mr. and Mrs. SCSU competition as part of homecoming. The title was taken by Chris Crampton and LaShante Kelley. “This is so great. I’m so happy,” said Kelley. “I just did my best. I had to see if that was what the judges wanted.”
• Construction on campus was a part of the $230 million renovation project that began in 1998. The construction began on the northern wing of Engleman Hall closing off the area from the rotunda to Morrill. The cost alone to Engleman was $50.9 million.
December
• Crescent Players set their premiere of Tenessee Williams 1947 Pulitzer Prize winning play, “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Streetcar is one the best American plays ever written,” said director Lila Wolff Wilkinson. ”
Compiled from the Southern News archives by Jessica Guerrucci, Managing Editor