Support

Ithaca College

As anthropology and/or Jewish studies faculty members, we strongly support the publication of the disparate views on reasons behind the events of September 11, 2001, and their aftermath. The views presented attempt to provide a cross section of perspectives on the causes of those terrible events. Given the variety of perspectives, it is inevitable that readers may find some contrary to their own. Even some of the undersigned would admit that they do not agree with all the issues or viewpoints presented.

Nevertheless, we strongly support the publication of the articles precisely because they do present a balanced view of the complex set of circumstances that led to the events of September 11. As educators, we expect to see all kinds of information about such a momentous event. To do otherwise would be to sacrifice basic principles of journalism and reporting. We applaud our colleagues for lending their expertise in providing different views, even at the risk of potential backlash by the magazine’s readers.

Ithaca College is an institution of higher education. Its goal is to illuminate issues and provide the bases for sound judgments about those issues. But such cannot happen if only a few viewpoints are heard. It is the responsibility of all of us to learn as much as we can about controversial issues and to make informed decisions about them. The IC Quarterly did a commendable job of presenting different perspectives. We hope the readers will think about that before reacting to particular views.

Faculty members Barbara Johnson,
Rebecca Lesses,
Michael A. Malpass,
Jack Rossen,
Joel Savishinsky,
Garry Thomas,
and Chris Turner