AMY WINKLER

ASUA representative Kristi Lange, left, and Zahra Namazifard, a female representative of the Muslim community, sit on a panel discussion yesterday morning about the Walls of Expression on campus. The walls were taken down yesterday although a decision about what to do with them has yet to be made.

Thursday October 11, 2001

Mixed reaction to comments on walls leave officials questioning what to do with them

A panel of students gathered yesterday morning in Holsclaw Hall to discuss the effects they thought the Walls of Expression had on the campus community.

The walls, erected Sept. 11 after the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C., were taken down yesterday and put into temporary storage on campus. They served as a public diary on which students and community members could record their thoughts and feelings.

However, because the content of the walls was unregulated, many students had mixed reactions to the variety of comments written on the boards and addressed to students of Middle Eastern descent.

The panel, which was hosted by UA dean of students Melissa Vito, included students from several organizations on campus.

Zahra Namazifard, a panelist whom Vito said represented the Muslim women students on campus, said many harassing incidents that occurred against students of Middle Eastern descent were never reported because most students didn't want to create any more trouble than what had already been initiated.

"People of the community looked at us as foreigners when I consider myself as American as they are," she said.

She said she knows some Middle Eastern students bleached their hair blond in order to fit in with the rest of the students in their classes.

"It looked ridiculous, but they wanted to bring that sense of security back to themselves," she said.

Adeel Elahi, president of the Pakistani Student Association, said that even when the crimes were reported, police response was too late.

"Some students were threatened at a Wal-Mart, and it took police 20 minutes to arrive," he said.

The panel agreed that comments on the Walls of Expression often hinted at the misconception that the Middle Eastern community as a whole was the culprit of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Kristi Lange, a panel member representing the Associated Students of University of Arizona, said many members of her organization were very hurt by some of the comments that were placed on the boards.

"I personally would try my best to not walk by them at all," she said.

Katherine Ruiz, a student representative of the Self-Help Intervention Program, said the messages on the board seemed to turn to graffiti as weeks passed.

"It seemed to be more of a tagging post than a Wall of Expression," she said.

Jim Todd, a political science professor who also sat on the panel, explained that although some of the comments written on the board may have hurt others, the First Amendment allows students to speak their minds even if their opinions might be offensive.

Namazifard said that although comments on the board were mixed, the unity of the campus after the disasters was impressive.

Overall, both the audience and panel members said they felt the terrorist attacks were a chance for the community members to come to an understanding of Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent.

"Even 'W' has seemed to come to an understanding," Todd said about President Bush.