A pair of local universities will mark the 12th anniversary of the attacks of September 11th in very public but very different ways.
Chatham University will gather Wednesday afternoon on the quad for a moment of silence, a short speech from the Dean of Student Affairs office, remarks from a representative of the Wounded Warrior Project and a performance of the National Anthem by the Chatham University Choir.
The goal of the event is not only to remember the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2011, but also to salute the growing number of students on campus who are also veterans.
The Office of Student Affairs says there are now 45 student veterans on the campus of 2,200 students, and it is quick to point out that Chatham University was named a “2013 Military Friendly School” by G.I. Jobs magazine.
“We started this initiative just last year of really starting to serve as a resource for both military families and student veterans coming onto campus,’ said Hallie Arena, assistant director of student affairs at Chatham University.
The school has also set out 1,498 flags on the quad. Each flag represents two lives lost during the terror attacks.
A bit closer to downtown, Duquesne University has launched what it is calling “11 Days of Peace” to mark Patriot Day. The school bills it as “a celebration that promotes awareness of unity, justice, forgiveness and peace in commemoration of 9/11 and in preparation of the International Day of Peace on Saturday, Sept. 21.”
The 11 days will begin Wednesday with a peace candle lighting at noon and then continue for the next 10 days, with events such as a “Peace Pledge” signing for students, and special masses in the university’s chapel each day.
A third school is taking a more low-key approach. In Moon Township, Robert Morris University has set up its annual flag display in honor of those who lost their lives. The RMU ROTC and RMU chapter of the College Republicans have planted one flag on the school’s main lawn for each victim of the attacks.
