The anniversary of September 11 is only seven days away and Brandeis, like many other Universities around the United States, is preparing for a day of remembrance. On Friday, Assistant Dean of Student Life Alwina Bennett held a meeting at which students had an opportunity to voice their opinions as to what memorial activities should be held at Brandeis during the day. At a meeting yesterday, Bennett and the group of students that show up are expected to finalize a plan for Sept. 11, 2002. Currently the plan includes a moment of dedicated silence at 8:46 at the library plaza. After that, there will be a reading of the victims' names. There will be three 24-hour candles lit. These candles will be at Usdan, the Shapiro Student Center, and the Library with a book besides them in which people can express their feelings and sign their name.

"My intention would at the end of that for those books to be exhibited at the library or in the art gallery here and when there is a memorial of victims of 9/11 in New York, we will forward those books to the memorial," said Bennett.

Students may also light candles at Volen. Other plans include a mosaic project, a tile project or a flower memorial. The annual Arts Festival is also scheduled for that day.

Some students at the meeting expressed concerns about a fair running concurrent with all of the remembrance activities, but ultimately decided there should be an alternative way for people to remember, even if it's a festive one.

"I understand the need to celebrate at times of loss; however, I think to have a barbecue at the same time is too much. I could never celebrate on that day," Rachel Bressler '04 said.

"I feel that the people that September 11th affected are not going to be interested in it and those are that are affected and are trying to escape it are going to go to this event. There is a possibility that other people will get mad if there are people enjoying themselves, I think its controversial without cause," Bressler said.

The committee decided that it was alright to have the barbecue as a festive alternative for students to express their feelings.

"I think it's impossible to do something that will meet everybody's needs, but it would be nice to have a diversity of activities so that people could make some choices about how people want to remember that day and how that impacted them," Bennett said about the festival.

Ari Stein '04 and Bressler both attended the meeting with Bennett.

"I think that some of the compromises that came out were very good. Certainly a moment of silence would be appropriate ... I don't think there should be official event where someone speaks, I think it would be too much," Stein said.

"I think that most of the people at the meeting had their hearts in the right place. The general direction of where its going is good. I think there are some people that are a little bit too apathetic about it, but I think for the most part it was a very understanding meeting," Bressler said.

At the meeting, some ideas of remembrance were compounded because of technical problems. Someone brought up the question as to what happens to the flowers after September 11th.

"Some people were concentrating more on logistical factors and the want to really make something of it instead of memorializing it, Bressler said.

Another concern that students addressed was a fear that some people with their own agendas would turn the day, and especially the activities at which everyone will be allowed to participate, into a political statement.

"I also got some very strong e-mails from students not wanting it to be on a panel of people telling them how they should feel or they didn't want it to be too political. They wanted really to honor the people who had suffered, had losses, or who were lost," Bennett said.

These concerns were especially emphasized during the discussion of the tile project, which will allow every student to create a tile in memory of the event. They feared some people producing some sharp politically-pointed statements.

"One of the e-mails I received over the summer was a very moving one for me from someone who had lost somebody (on September 11th) it said, 'painting something red, white, and blue won't bring that person back to me.' I agree with her," Bennett said.

"I do feel like we have to leave room for people to observe in a way that works for them," Bennett said.

Stein agreed that September 11th should be about remembering the victims. "I really think that it should be spent remembering the people who were victims and only doing that," Stein said.

"To go beyond that to express opinions about why it happened, what should happen would be too much. I think it would be a dishonor to the memory of the people who died," he said.

"I personally am against the tiles. I am afraid of what some people would write and there are a lot of people on campus that look at it from a political point of view. I think the day should be about the victims, not why it happened, what happened afterwards," Bressler said.

"I think when it comes to something like this, there are two emotional sides. One is political and one is a purely emotional sentiment. The emotional sentiment has to take precedent because politics are disconnected from what actually happened. You are offending emotions, and not offending politics," Bressler said.

"I don't think we are going to have a problem. I think we live in a community where people understand that," Bennett told the Justice.

Stein, Bressler and other attendees said they felt that there should not be a teach-in similar to the type that there was last year on September 11th because felt that the teach-in was too politicized. Stein felt that the people who ran the teach abused their power and had political petitions, and other political speech available instead of just allowing people to grieve.

"I was too upset and discombobulated. I walked out," said Bressler.

One idea which was debated was whether or not Brandeis should have a place for people to make paper cranes--originally used by the Japanese people after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"There is talk about how it might offend Japanese culture and I agree with that because this a different situation and they represent something very dear to them. To take it and use it for our own purpose, I don't think its right. Not to mention that this is a separate event and a different nations event. We should have our own memorial," Bressler said.

During the summer Bennett received an e-mail from Reuben Posner '05 asking her what the University is planning.

"It occurred to me that I haven't heard anything about what the University was planning. I did do a little bit of outreach and didn't get anything so I thought I'd e-mail students and see if some of them are interested in planning things . I got 80 e-mails from students wanting to do things," Bennett said.

These emails had suggestions ranging from art projects, making paper cranes, reading names, having a moment of silence, a religious service, and lighting candles.

"I made a commitment to pull people together when school began, in the hopes that we could find people that have some common purposes and as a student body do what felt good for students," Bennett said.

"I hope people concentrate on what is really important. It is important remembering people, and not to start preaching.people should take time to reflect," Bennett said.