Students continue to cope
well in Sept. 11 aftermath
By Jenny Jones
Senior
Writer
One in four people say they've had trouble concentrating
on work since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, according to a survey conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner.
Purdue students, however, appear to continue to
be coping well.
Although the Purdue Counseling and Psychological
Services is busy, Barry Schreier Ph.D., licensed psychiatrist for CAPS,
said it's no busier than it was before the attacks.
And Cheryl Ubelhor, executive director for the
Lafayette Crisis Center, said, "This whole year has been busy."
Although anxieties about the attacks don't appear
to be a problem for students, Liz Grauerholz, associate professor of
sociology - who was teaching her class on Sept. 11 - said that initially
everyone in her class was distracted by the events.
"On that first day there were many questions,"
she said. "There was so much misinformation circulating that we spent
some time simply trying to piece together the puzzle."
But because of everyone's concerns about what was
going to happen next, Grauerholz dismissed her class early and postponed
an exam that was scheduled for the next class period.
When the exam was given, Grauerholz said the scores
were "pretty normal," which indicated that students were able to prepare
without much distraction.
"No one has come to talk to me in private about
their inability to study or focus in class," Grauerholz said.
Much like Grauerholz's decision to postpone her
class's exam, Melanie Morgan's COM 114, "Introduction to Communication"
class was supposed to give speeches the day of the attacks, but the
students didn't think their speech topics were important anymore so
they chose to give their speeches during the next class period.
"They were (just) in shock," said Morgan, assistant
professor of communication.
Schreier said students, who are still continuing
to have this feeling of horror and anxiety, should talk to someone.
"We always encourage folks not to get isolated,"
he said.
Students in the School of Nursing have stayed connected
with one another by making banners for New York City medical workers,
holding blood drives and finding information about anthrax.
"They've been pretty active," said Nancy Edwards,
assistant professor of nursing.
Although actively seeking information about the
attacks and the anthrax cases is important, Ubelhor said it is vital
that each person knows their own limit of how much news they receive.
"People should remember what they need to feel
safe," Schreier added.
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