As approaching clouds ended days of clear, sunny weather and tree branches and cattails blew back and forth in the wind, IU students, faculty and community members gathered together at Showalter Fountain Thursday afternoon for a vigil.\nFor an hour, about 1,000 people listened as students, faculty and administration reflected on the worst terrorist attack on the United States and came together to support healing and support for campus community members of all races, religions and beliefs.\nBeginning at about 5 p.m., people began to walk up Seventh Street for the vigil, sitting on the ledges of the fountain, on the grass, on the steps of the School of Fine Arts and Lilly Library buildings and standing on the street surrounding the Fine Arts Plaza. Professors in suits sat on the grass and small children dangled their legs in the fountain. Representatives from the many campus groups who helped bring the vigil together in less than 24 hours passed out orange ribbons attached to safety pins. Orange, explained Elizabeth Wood, a sophomore and programming vice president for Wright Quad, represents international peace and unity. \nWoods and other members of residence hall government held up banners of all colors bearing handprints and messages written by dorm residents. A table set up in front of the fountain held another banner, that people signed as they showed up for the event. \nSeveral student groups along with IU's administration took part in pulling the event together. They had less than 24 hours to plan the vigil for "sorrow and solidarity," said Erin Ransford, a junior and vice president of programming for the Residence Halls Association. Looking at the colored signature banners, which RHA hopes to sew together to form a quilt, Ransford said she was "ecstatic" about the turnout for the event.\n"I thought we'd only get 25 signatures per banner," she said. "But look at them ... they're packed."\nAround 5:30 p.m., the vigil began with a speech by Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm. She wrote it at 1 a.m. Thursday. Brehm quoted from "The Second Coming," a poem by William Butler Yeats, which included the lines:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre\nThe falcon cannot hear the falconer\nThings fall apart, the centre cannot hold\nMere anarchy is loosed upon the world\nThe blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere\nThe ceremony of innocence is drowned.
"We ask for a reverse of the disturbance described by Yeats," Brehm said.\nBrehm asked for a stop to verbal and physical violence against Muslim or Arab students on campus, a statement that caused the crowd to applaud.\n"Such hatred is not allowed to take place on this campus," she said.\nAfter the speech, Cherie Wardell, a senior, said letting Arab and Muslim students know the majority of the campus community is there for them, was a critical part of the vigil.\n"In dealing with the aftermath we need to eradicate hate and let those students know they have allies," Wardell said. \nEveryone stood up when combined ensembles from the School of Music began to sing 'America the Beautiful' and remained standing for the rest of the vigil. School of Music faculty members James Campbell and Charles Webb performed the second movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, followed by a speech from Scott Sanders, an English professor. \nAs Sanders said "the surest sign way to defeat hatred is to enlarge the spirit of love," a man walked around the fountain with a cardboard sign that had 'We are all God's--Allah's--Children' written in on it in green marker. Master's student Reyna Carguill sang 'He's got the Whole World in his Hands' as senior Carl Gales accompanied her on the piano. Jake Oakman, a senior and president of the IU Student Association, read a "Statement of Solidarity" written by several campus student leaders, which encourage the whole campus to unite as a community. Brehm then asked everyone to hold hands for a moment of silence. \nAfter the vigil, many students used copies of the statement that were handed out to write messages of peace and prayer, which they attached to white carnations passed out by organizers. The white carnations, an international symbol of mourning, lined the Showalter Fountain.\nFreshman Emily Giddings said attending the vigil was important to her because, like donating blood or money, the event was something she could do about what happened.\n"When everyone was holding hands I could feel every single person at the University moving to stand together," she said.\nIU President Myles Brand delivered closing remarks, following Brehm in condemning attacks against Muslin students, calling them "totally unacceptable."\n"I urge you to move out of your comfort zones and help each other now more than ever before," Brand said.\nWith President George Bush calling for a national day of mourning today, Brand announced all classes between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. would be canceled so students could attend a place of worship or reflect in any way they wished. \n"If you're like me you're hopeful for the future but frightened," Brand said. "And that's OK"
