In an article tagging the nation”s college students as “Generation 9-11,” Newsweek Magazine”s Nov. 12 cover story focuses on the University community”s actions in the wake of the unprecedented events of the last two months. The issue goes on sale nationwide today.
- Paul Wong
- University students Paxton Williams, Brenda Abdelall and Ben Perry are featured on the cover of today”s issue of Newsweek.
Newsweek Senior Editor Barbara Kantrowitz said the University”s diverse environment was a major factor in her selection of the school for the article. The University”s students are ethnically diverse, and they are studying many different things, Kantrowitz said. She added that the University”s significant numbers of Jewish, Arab and Muslim students made it ideal.
“I”ve just always thought it was a great school,” she said. “I think there are a lot of smart students there, and I just wanted to know what they were thinking at a time when very few of us know what to think.”
LSA senior Brenda Abdelall, president of the University”s Arab Student Association, was interviewed for the article and appears on the magazine”s cover.
“I think the article did a pretty good job of depicting the way our lives have been shaped and changed by September 11,” she said. “I think it”s great that they came to the University of Michigan campus because we did have a lot of activism after September 11.”
Abdelall also noted the vigils, teach-ins and protests that have taken place on campus this semester.
Abdelall said she feels the article encompassed a wide variety of viewpoints, relating the experiences of many campus groups. The Greek system, the Michigan Marching Band, the Arab and Muslim communities and ROTC are among those represented in the article.
Rackham student Paxton Williams, who also appears on the Newsweek cover, said the University provided a unique perspective on the aftermath of Sept. 11.
“I think it is very important for the mass media to look at how Sept. 11 is affecting all aspects of society including students,” he said.
Kantrowitz said that at the University she found a generation of students who are handling themselves differently than their parents did during the Vietnam War.
“What made me feel good was the high level of thoughtfulness and commitment on the part of the students,” Kantrowitz said. “I feel the country will be in good hands.”