Editor,
Tuesday, the UNM community was bound together in shock and sadness as the horrible events of the day unfolded. As we all begin a new day, I would hope that this sense of community endures and that we come together in support of each other as each of us tries to understand and cope with these tragic events.
Certainly part of our responsibility to each other and to the broader community is to resume our work and our studies and to help restore some sense of normalcy and stability on the campus. This is our intent and this is what we will strive to do in every way possible. We also know, however, that over the days to come, members of our community will experience a range of different emotions, because Tuesday's events have touched each of us in different ways. This reality confronts us with another responsibility we have to each other - the responsibility of understanding and acknowledging each other's feelings and reactions.
This is a time when, above all else, we need to be supportive of our colleagues and friends, and we need to treat each other with the civility and respect each of us deserves and needs. It is a time to remember that all of us on the campus, regardless of our political and social beliefs, have been deeply touched by the loss of so many innocent people and grieve together over that loss. It is a time to be patient with each other and to be sensitive to the feelings people are experiencing and the reactions they are having. In times of crisis it is our capacity for mutual understanding and our ability to act as a community that are our greatest strengths.
Obviously the University will continue to monitor national and local events and will continue to make the safety and well being of its faculty, staff, and students its highest priority. My encouragement to all of you is to support each other in making it through this period and in resuming the paths you were on prior to Tuesday's tragedies.
William C. Gordon,
UNM President
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