The United States was greeted yesterday morning with the frightening news that the World Trade Center and the Pentagon had been attacked. More news about casualties and hijacked planes surfaced, sending many members of the Penn State community to their telephones to check on the safety and well-being of friends and relatives.

It can only be expected that many of us will know people directly exposed to these acts of terrorism.

Some of us may even have lost friends and relatives in these disasters. Some may not know the whereabouts of our loved ones for days. As a community, the people of Penn State must express their sympathy and understanding to these individuals. We must be ready to offer support and provide help for teachers, students and acquaintances. The prayer sessions and vigils being offered on campus are excellent ways to make ourselves available for anyone who needs us.

For those who have lost, please remember that Penn State is offering counseling services and that the university has made a number of people and departments available to listen.

Whether we have lost someone, know someone who has been affected by this tragedy or have no more connection to it than what we've been watching on television, many of us may feel confused. This is certainly a time of fear for the citizens of our country.

But students and professors cannot let this fear destroy their ability to be vocal about this disaster. Students should gather, whether in the more formal situation of a vigil or in the informal atmosphere of an apartment or dorm room and talk about the events that have plagued our nation.

Professors, especially, have a responsibility to address this tragedy. In an e-mail sent out by Penn State President Graham Spanier yesterday, teachers were instructed to handle the situation as they saw fit. For some instructors, this may mean canceling classes. But those professors who don't cancel class should not continue lecturing as though nothing has happened. This tragedy deserves attention in the academic environment of this university.

Penn State students have already begun pulling together. They've gathered around the televisions in the HUB to watch and support each other. They've waited for hours to donate blood to those in the places devastated by these attacks.

We must continue to focus on helping each other in the coming months, no matter what the outcome of this disaster. We must not resort to hate or blame.

As a country we will seek justice, but as a community we should offer support.