VCU news

The following is a list of events at VCU in connection with the 10^th anniversary of 9/11:

Sept. 6-23

VCU Libraries and its Friends of the Library present "9/11 Commemoration," a collection of installations and exhibits open from Tuesday, Sept. 6 through Friday, Sept. 23 at James Branch Cabell Library, 901 Park Ave. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Sept. 9 from 4 to 6 p.m. beginning with remarks from contributors.

These programs explore Sept. 11, 2001 before and after:

• Wall of Memories. Just inside the entryway of James Branch Cabell Library, patrons will find a blank wall where they may post brief reflections on September 11, 2001.

• World Trade Center Recordings: Winds After Hurricane Floyd. Stephen Vitiello, associate professor in the VCU Department of Kinetic Imaging, supplies an installation of sound recordings that he made from the 91st floor of the first World Trade Center tower in 1999. Vitiello's sound installation will be housed on the first floor of Cabell Library in an intimate gallery space where patrons can experience the recordings in small groups. Originally presented at the 2002 Whitney Biennial, the installation will also appear this year at MoMA PS1 as a part of the group exhibition "September 11."

• Construction Prints of the World Trade Center, 1967-1973. In the gallery space near the elevators on the first floor of Cabell Library will be detailed sketches commissioned to document the progress of construction of the World Trade Center from the foundation up to its significant position in the New York City skyline. These prints are on loan from VCU Friends of the Library members John Jay and Gail P. Schwartz and are by artists Nicholas Solovioff and Lili Réthi.

• Commemoration of the Tenth Anniversary of 9-11. Cabell Library Special Collections and Archives stages three exhibits: "Comic Artists Respond to September 11, 2001," "Artists' Books Commemorate September 11" and "Richmond and 9-11: 10 Years Ago." These exhibits draw on materials in three major collections (the Comic Arts Collection, the Book Art Collection, and university archives). The display is in the fourth floor gallery area.

This program, including the opening reception, is free and open to the public. Register online or by contacting Gregory G. Kimbrell at 804-828-0593 or kimbrellgg@vcu.edu . Please also contact him for special accommodations. Parking is available for a fee in the West Main Street and West Cary Street parking decks.

Sept. 10

“Into the Streets Service Plunge” is a morning of community service in which seven teams of VCU students will work on behalf of seven different nonprofit agencies. Times vary depending on the project, but each lasts about 3 to 4 hours between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Projects include restoring historic Evergreen Cemetery, working at the B.A.R.K. no-kill animal shelter, working with the Children's Museum of Richmond to prepare for the children's area at the Richmond Folk Festival, distributing information to the families of school age children in the Choice Campaign for Richmond Public Schools, and landscaping Bryan Park. A free continental breakfast will be provided. The event is sponsored by the University Student Commons and Activities Department.  For more information contact Beth Ward, 804-828-3648 or bhward@vcu.edu.

Sept. 11

The Monroe Park Campus Student Government Association, a coalition of student organizations, University Student Commons & Activities and the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services are sponsoring a Sept. 11 tribute to honor those who fell on that day ten years ago, those who have fallen in the line of duty since and those who will honor them by standing up and taking the pledge to serve.

The tribute takes place on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m. in the University Student Commons and is open to students, faculty, staff and members of the Richmond community.

In cooperation with the efforts of 911day.org, SGA officers and student organization representatives will offer tributes and lead the community in covering the windows of the Student Commons with the pledge “I Will.”

Anyone who wishes to make a pledge of service will be provided a 4” x 6” sticky note upon which to write their pledge. These pledges will be “stuck” to the windows inside the Student Commons to create a massive Tribute Wall. The notes will remain through Wednesday, Sept. 14, when they will be removed and transcribed by VCU students. The original notes will be archived and all the pledges will be sent to 911day.org.

For more information, contact Miracle Allums at allumslm@vcu.edu or (804) 828-7551 or Timothy A. Reed, Ph.D., at tareed@vcu.edu or (804) 828-6500. 

Sept. 13

The PBS documentary "Objects and Memory," produced by Jonathan Fein, will be shown Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 4 p.m. in the VCU Student Commons Theater. The film, which won the 2010 Award of Merit Winner American Association for State and Local History, shares the stories of those driven to collect and preserve transformed objects in the aftermath of 9/11, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the Vietnam War Memorial. The film is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Honors College, the College of Humanities and Sciences and the Department of History. For more information, contact John Kneebone at jtkneebone@vcu.edu or 804-828-9706.

VCU’s Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness program in the L. Douglas Wilder school of Government and Public Affairs is sponsoring a roundtable to discuss the September 11 attacks and examine how the attacks have influenced government policy. “The Impact of the September 11 Attacks on Homeland Security and National Security Policy: Ten Years After” takes place on Tuesday, Sept. 13 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. in the Student Commons Theater. VCU Faculty members John Aughenbaugh; Gurpreet Dhillon, Ph.D.; Jim Keck; Jason Levy, Ph.D.; Bill Newmann, Ph.D. and William Parrish will participate. For more information, contact William Newmann at wnewmann@vcu.edu or (804) 828-8038.

Sept. 14

“Reflections on the 10^th Anniversary of 9/11,” part of the Brown Bag Luncheon Series, takes place at the University Student Commons, Suite 215 (Office of Multicultural Student Affairs,) from noon until 1 p.m. Light refreshments will be served, but please feel free to bring your own lunch. This informal setting encourages dialogue on the historical September 11 event and its impact on the United States and the world. Conversations will be centered on how our society can move past the pain of such an experience to create an inclusive and welcoming environment. In addition, the impact of governmental legislation efforts such as Homeland Security and the Patriot Act and the cultural implications with reference to individual and group identity perceptions. For more information, contact the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at omsa@vcu.edu or 804-828-6672.

Sept. 15

Film producer Jonathan Fein will discuss his documentary "Objects and Memory" on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 4 p.m. in the VCU Student Commons Theater. Fein will raise questions about fundamental human responses and explore how otherwise ordinary things become transformed into precious conveyers of experience, emotion and identity. The discussion is sponsored by the Honors College, the College of Humanities and Sciences and the Department of History. A reception follows. For more information, contact John Kneebone at jtkneebone@vcu.edu or 804-828-9706.

Sept. 22

VCU's AMSA (Ahmadiyya Muslim Students Association) will sponsor a blood drive at the Larrick Student Center’s Court End Ballroom on the MCV campus on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The blood drive is part of a national month-long campaign by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of USA to collect blood in commemoration of the victims of 9/11. The campaign, known as “Muslims for Life,” reiterates the message that Islam values the sanctity of life and that the actions of terrorists do not represent Islam or Muslims. For further information about this blood drive, contact Ahmad Tariq at (703) 286-9962 or tariqna@vcu.edu.