University reacts to Columbia tragedy

After the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster Saturday, students and faculty across campus reacted in a similar fashion. Although the debris from the shuttle did not reach Indiana, the empathy and sorrow could be felt in the air.\nOn behalf of the University, spokesman Bill Stephan offered words of condolence to the families and friends of the astronauts aboard. \n"They will be in our thoughts and our prayers this week," he said. He went on to say that while programs and ceremonies are pending, flags around campus will be flown at half mast until Wednesday.\nWhile the images will remain in many people's heads, it will be business as usual this week on campus. Even though classes will be scheduled the same, Astronomy Professor Stuart Mufson said he feels obligated to talk about the disaster in class. \n"It's impossible not to," he said. "This is a terrible thing." \nAlso teaching when the Challenger exploded in 1986, Mufson said he felt some of the same responsibility to talk about it but in a different fashion. \n"NASA wasn't really sure what happened then," he said. "Now they have a fair idea." \nMufson also said he felt that even though grief should be felt for the astronauts, people have to realize that they knew the possibility of the disaster. \n"Statistics show that between 1 and 2 percent of these have a chance of going wrong," he said. "These people were professionals. They accepted the risks."\nOn campus, many students found out about the accident when they turned on the TV to watch the IU men's basketball game. All-day coverage of the accident replaced the game.\nJunior Michael Chandler said he was surprised when he tried to watch the game. \n"I didn't even realize what was going on at first," Chandler said. "Then I found out and I felt bad."\nWhile the feelings about the people that died seem to be similar, opinions about the legend that Columbia will leave seem to differ. Compared to the Challenger, Chandler thinks that the Columbia might leave a larger mark on history. \n"Because of the political climate, it might be more memorable," he said. "But if we go to war with Iraq, we'll probably forget about it."\nSenior Lauren Conley seemed to disagree with Chandler's opinion. \n"I think that the Challenger will be more remembered because of all the children watching the teacher aboard the shuttle," she said. "Plus we were able to see it. All we saw was a flash of light yesterday."\nNo matter how it's remembered in the future, the Columbia disaster will remain in the thoughts of IU students and faculty.\n"This is an opportunity to share in the grief that people feel around the world," Stephan said.