11 Days in September

An "identity crisis" that brought out Embry-Riddle's best

By Robert Ross

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001
Just before 9 a.m., someone came into the communications office on the Daytona Beach campus and said a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I pictured some unlucky pilot in a four-seat single-engine aircraft, but that image quickly vanished when we heard that a second plane had hit the twin towers. Lisa Ledewitz, vice president of communications and marketingr, and I rushed over to the John Paul Riddle Student Center, where a big-screen TV was showing CNN.

There, amid a gathering crowd of students, we watched orchestrated mass murder, each televised replay hitting us like a new body blow. The surreal, "out-there" attack on the world's mightiest nation echoed a very real inner assault on all of us who were trapped by its hideous spell. Before our eyes, jets - sleek symbols of freedom, objects of beauty, tools of productivity - were being twisted into instruments of death and destruction. Could they ever be beautiful again?

When I returned to my office, reporters were already calling for faculty experts, as they do for every major aviation news story. Did we have someone who can talk about airport security? Yes, we do. Could someone describe what it takes to learn to fly a 757? Yes, again. The first calls came from Orlando, then Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC.

While we took media calls, chancellors Tom Connolly in Daytona Beach and Dan Carrell in Prescott were meeting with their emergency teams, representatives from campus safety, flight operations, facilities management, student life, and academics. They voted to continue classes, reasoning "it's best to be with other people in times of trauma," according to Connolly. Counseling and health staffs went on 24-hour duty, volunteers were recruited to patrol residence halls, and plans were made to protect the campus' Arab and Muslim students.

Most of the university's Extended Campus teaching centers around the country scrambled to find alternate classrooms when the military bases where they were located went on high alert and were closed to civilians.

The communications office sent e-mail and voice-mail messages to faculty, staff, and students that expressed sadness about the day's events, noted that friends and loved ones may have perished in the attacks, appealed for sensitivity toward those too upset to go to class, and announced that counseling was available. Finally, they said updates would be sent by voice mail and the university's web site.

Another message informed students from Middle Eastern countries that the university was taking steps to ensure their security. They were advised to avoid large gatherings, refrain from discussing religion or politics in public, wear American-style clothes, and speak in English. If they felt unsafe, they were asked to call 911 or the campus safety office. Temporary living arrangements were offered. (See "Students React.")

That evening, students, faculty, and staff held a candlelight prayer vigil. Residence hall advisors in Daytona Beach and Prescott went door-to-door to see how students were holding up. Several counselors, staff members, and administrators stayed late to respond to students who needed help coping with the day's tragedy, including some students who feared loved ones had perished in the attacks.

At 9 p.m., Connolly called Ledewitz at home and told her to prepare for the worst. FBI agents, who had visited campus earlier to pick up a list of alumni, had matched one of the hijackers' names with a name from the database.

Wednesday, Sept. 12
By 7:30 a.m., 35 satellite TV news vehicles parked on both sides of South Clyde Morris Boulevard at the campus entrance had created a traffic jam and a car accident. Two bomb threats had been called in, and Daytona Beach police were out in force. TV and radio stations were telling the world that a former Embry-Riddle student's red Camaro had been found at Daytona Beach International Airport with a photo of Osama bin Laden inside. The next day came the facts: it was a picture of the United Arab Emirates' president, and the student was cleared.

Thus began a pattern that would be repeated in the following 10 days. Denied information by the FBI, which was conducting the largest investigation in its history, many news organizations were reporting rumors, speculations, and unconfirmed facts. We no longer were being asked to provide faculty experts for a news story "out there." The university itself had become part of the story.

Meanwhile, FBI agents, subpoenas in hand, were already in the office of campus security chief Bruce Hinckley, who became their point of contact. From there, they walked down the corridor to the records and registration office, where director Val Kruse awaited them. Agents also pored through files at the Prescott, Ariz., campus, assisted by records director Alice Sparrow, and the Extended Campus, where Pamela Thomas is director. During the next three weeks Kruse and her staff went through more than 200 records. "We had as many as nine agents in here at one time - wall-to-wall FBI and INS," she said.

The challenges they faced included misspellings that result when Arabic names are translated into English and the use of different family names, not always in the same order. For example, legal documents in Saudi Arabia require one's first name, father's name, grandfather's name, and family name.

By the time I entered my office, the phones were ringing with calls from Singapore to San Diego to Stockholm. Reporters spelled out the names of suspected hijackers and asked which of them we had educated. They wanted to know how many Arab students we had. Underlying their questions was the presumption that Embry-Riddle had educated terrorists and a suspicion about our international students, particularly those from the Middle East. I felt like we were on the witness stand in a court that had already reached a guilty verdict.

It quickly became clear this was one news story we were going to need help with. Within an hour, two consultants from the renowned crisis-management firm Hill & Knowlton were making the three-hour drive to Daytona Beach from their Tampa office.

At 9 a.m., Ledewitz crossed the street and briefed the assembled press at the fieldhouse. She told them Embry-Riddle mourned with the nation and that one or more of the commercial pilots on the hijacked flights may have been university alumni. She said Embry-Riddle was cooperating with the FBI and that questions about terrorists should be directed to that agency.

At noon, the consultants arrived. Meeting with university executives, they developed a communication plan. Administrators and friends of the university were charged with reaching out with facts and reassurance to executives in aviation, aerospace, banking, and insurance, elected officials, donors, news media, students and parents, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and community leaders.

Meanwhile, the barrage of phone calls from reporters continued. The ordeal taught me how cut-throat the news business can be. Although we knew little more than they did, reporters were skeptical and probed relentlessly. Often I sensed desperation in their voices. Most were under tremendous pressure from editors to get a fact or a quote their competitors didn't have.

We came to realize that the media's need for information was our opportunity to set the facts straight about Embry-Riddle and its capabilities. A tragedy had thrust the university onto the world stage; at least we could help write its script. As we did this, we began to see news stories referring to Embry-Riddle as the source of 25 percent of U.S. commercial pilots and "one of the nation's most respected aviation training grounds" (Washington Post, Sept. 24, 2001).

At 3 p.m., Ledewitz held a second press briefing. Again she conveyed the university's grief for the victims, one or more of whom may have been alumni pilots. She also repeated that the university would not provide information that might impede the FBI's investigation and hoped that Embry-Riddle had not been victimized by unknowingly educating a hijacker.

Thursday, Sept. 13
After getting confirmation that David Charlebois, the first officer on American Airlines flight 77, which was crashed into the Pentagon, was an Embry-Riddle alumnus, we released the news through the electronic news service PR Newswire, e-mail, an alumni listserv (www.db.erau.edu/campus/alumni/alumnioffice/ebulletin.html), and the university's web site.

The media continued to speculate about the FBI's list of hijackers, one of whom, Waleed Al-Shehri, had a name similar to that of a student who graduated from the Daytona Beach campus in 1997 with a B.S. in aeronautical science. The phones rang nonstop, and reporters waited in the hallway. Was this hijacker a graduate of Embry-Riddle, they asked. What had he studied? What kind of student had he been? Could they talk to his former professors? His former classmates? Would we provide a photo of him?

Without knowing the truth, which even the FBI was still trying to determine, we could only tell reporters the facts we knew. Yes, we had an alumnus with a similar name, but that didn't mean he was a hijacker. No, we wouldn't release grades, photos, or names of professors or former students.

Meanwhile, the outreach effort continued to internal audiences. President George Ebbs, Chief Academic Officer Barry Benedict, Carrell, Connolly, Extended Campus Chancellor Leon Flancher, Ledewitz, and other university officers met with staff department chairs, international student services staffs, student leaders, instructor pilots, several large classes, and the staffs of the student newspapers and radio station.

Their message combined news and inspiration: These were unusual times for the nation and the university, they said. We had suffered the loss of pilot Charlebois and others who died in the attacks. There was a possible Embry-Riddle link to one of the hijackers. Security has been increased to minimize disruption to campus life. Let's stand tall, stick together, and honor our community and diversity. Counseling is available. Check the web for further updates.

At 11:30 p.m., reports of smoke and a bomb in the Student Village forced 1,000 students living there into a driving rainstorm from approaching hurricane Gabrielle. While students huddled in the Student Center, the university's contract food service company, Sodexho, served free refreshments. The smoke was determined to be caused by a short circuit in the ventilation system's heating element, the "bomb" a case and a half of Coors Light in a duffle bag someone had ditched in an Adams Hall stairwell. Students returned to their beds well after midnight.

Friday, Sept. 14
The day began with Central Florida media reporting that Embry-Riddle had received a bomb threat and that our students were under attack. Worried parents called to see whether their children were safe. We spent the morning getting out the facts and reassuring parents their sons and daughters were safe and in class.

At 2 p.m., faculty, staff, and students across the university were asked by President Ebbs to observe two minutes of silence for Charlebois and the other victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The U.S. Department of Justice released the names of the 19 suspected hijackers, including Waleed Al-Shehri, identified as a Daytona Beach resident, who had trained as a pilot, and was aboard the first plane to strike the World Trade Center. The FBI faxed an advance copy to prepare us for the public scrutiny that would follow.

This development gave us a chance to take the initiative and report the news, instead of being forced to react to it, and establish that the university was a victim of the attacks, not a culprit. We issued a news release titled "Embry-Riddle Appalled by Reported Hijacker Link," which acknowledged that the university had a graduate with a similar name and that we were angry and heartbroken to think we might have unknowingly trained a terrorist. The statement also expressed grief for Charlebois and the other victims and thanked the public for its support of Embry-Riddle.

Saturday/Sunday, Sept. 15-16
On Saturday, despite the fact that Gabrielle's wind and rain had knocked out power in Daytona Beach, Kruse and two staffers were back in the records office. "The FBI agent gave me his flashlight," she said, "and there I was, on my hands and knees, with a flashlight, going through files."

A full-page statement by Embry-Riddle to the community appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal on Saturday and in the Prescott (Ariz.)Daily Courier on Sunday. It repeated key messages: Embry-Riddle also had suffered losses, an alumnus might have been a hijacker, and the university thanked the community for their prayers, support, and respect for its international students and alumni.

Monday, Sept. 17
With the media's focus shifting to other areas, including security, air traffic control, and the national air space system, the communications office asked faculty members to help reporters with queries unrelated to Embry-Riddle. Our faculty experts were back in business, positioning the university as a leader in aviation and aerospace. (See "Embry-Riddle's Growing Role in Security and Safety.")

An announcement that the David M. Charlebois Memorial Fund for Aviation Safety (see below) had been created was posted to the web and e-mailed to alumni. In Washington, D.C., President Ebbs represented Embry-Riddle at the funeral service for Charlebois.

Tuesday, Sept. 18
Reporters from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times called separately to say they were beginning to question that the hijacker named Al-Shehri was our alumnus. News stories appeared speculating that some of the hijackers had been mistakenly identified, or worse, had used stolen identities.

Wednesday/Thursday, Sept. 19-20
Doubts about the FBI's list of 19 suspected hijackers were growing, and some news organizations reported that Embry-Riddle alumnus Al-Shehri was alive in the Middle East and had contacted authorities there.

Friday, Sept. 21
As encouraging as the rumors and news stories were, the overall news focus had shifted away from the suspects. The window of opportunity to clear Embry-Riddle's reputation was closing. Ledewitz concluded that a news release breaking the link between Al-Shehri and the terrorist attacks had to be sent by the end of the day. By Monday it would be old news.

She spent the day on the phone working the FBI chain-of-command, seeking confirmation that Al-Shehri was alive. At 3:45 p.m., she got the go-ahead from Washington and, with the tap of a computer key, released the news to PR Newswire for instant distribution to tens of thousands of media organizations. We also posted the news to our web site, e-mailed it to employees and alumni, and faxed it to trustees.

In the release, the university said it had learned its alumnus was alive and had talked to U.S. officials in Morocco that week. President Ebbs was quoted, saying, "We are very pleased that our Al-Shehri turned up alive and well, and that the link between Al-Shehri and this despicable act has been proven to be nonexistent."

"When we finally got the word, you could hear the cheers in our office," said records director Kruse.

Eleven days after the attacks, Embry-Riddle emerged from the cloud of terrorism that had threatened its progress. For the aviation industry, the skies remain overcast. But past experience has taught Embry-Riddle that challenges create strength, resiliency, and new solutions.

During the weeks that followed, we sent messages to alumni, parents, and students that broke the link between the university and the attacks. We also reported that Embry-Riddle was working to develop solutions for aviation security and expressed gratitude for the many messages of support that had been sent to the university.

After Sept. 21, the nation's emotional wounds were still raw, people were staying home, and airlines were shedding flights and employees. Everything had to be seen in a new light. We held meetings to evaluate student recruiting messages that had seemed so right just weeks earlier. University experts consulted with elected officials and industry leaders on pending legislation, airport security, and new needs for research and education.

The communications department log records thousands of media calls between Sept. 11 and 21. But they only tell part of the story. Missing are the e-mail interviews, the reporters who called other offices of the university, and those who roamed both campuses, grilling students and professors. Overall, the national media reported the news accurately and treated Embry-Riddle with respect, even sympathy at times. Our strategy of using the Internet, e-mail, voice mail, and electronic wire services to get out our message was an effective use of technology.

Embry-Riddle is still recovering from the early damage caused when the world believed we had trained terrorists. We still run into people who never heard the later news that we didn't. The university depends on its alumni, students, and friends to help spread the word that there are no known links between their university and the tragedy of Sept. 11. We invite you to join the effort.

Charlebois Fund to Support Aviation Safety

Embry-Riddle has created an endowed fund in honor of David Charlebois, an alumnus who was a flight crewmember killed in the Sept. 11 terrorism attack on the United States. He graduated from Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach, Fla., campus in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical science.
Charlebois was first officer on American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon after being hijacked. There were no survivors among the 64 people on board.
"We mourn the loss of David Charlebois and the other thousands of American casualties," said George Ebbs, Embry-Riddle president. "We believe the most appropriate way to honor him and his dedication to aviation is in establishing the David M. Charlebois Memorial Fund for Aviation Safety."
The fund will provide scholarships for aeronautical science students at Embry-Riddle and support research in aviation safety and security. Examples of research projects are:

Evaluate new methods to improve performance and retention of airport baggage screeners.
Identify factors that screeners use in the decision-making process to search luggage.
Create a systems model to predict the potential for passenger disruptive behavior using elements of airport physical structure, passenger processing, organizational demands, and environmental stresses.
Designated contributions to the endowed fund may be made payable to: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3900. For more information, contact Harry Jennings, senior director of development, at (386) 226-6197 or jenningh@cts.db.erau.edu.