The U.S. Homeland Security Council raised the national alert level from "yellow" (elevated) to "orange" (high) immediately after the President sent the 48-hour ultimatum to Iraq on March 17, 2003. Early this morning the first attack occurred on targets in Baghdad and over the next several days, we will gain a better sense of how our local situation might be affected by the onset of military operations in the Middle East. Local and federal authorities are taking more visible security measures and we are monitoring these efforts.
I know that all of you (with the exception of the UC Berkeley semester students who are already in residence) will be traveling to Washington this weekend and you may have questions about the Center. Let me reassure you that while the days ahead will be very challenging ones, this is a time where we can also find strength in our community. The Washington Center intends to remain engaged in its education, research, and service missions.
We are all trying to maintain a high level of communication while adjusting to living and working with new types of terrorist threats. I can tell you that since 9-11 we have had a remarkable group of determined and spirited students. They have developed a commitment to finding ways of working together with a sense of purpose that often serves as it's own antidote to uncertainty.
The UC Washington Center has an evacuation plan and safety protocols for the building already in place. There is written information in your Handbook for Residential Life. You can also access information from the Center's Home Page at www.ucdc.edu. Many of you will be receiving important evacuation and safety information at your internships. All of this information should be studied because it involves YOUR safety.
We continue to assess the security needs of our building in response to the latest news articles and the current Code Orange status of the District. Our building has very few openings, as the windows don't open. We have a plan in place to secure front doors and all the perimeter doors and to meet other recommendations by civil authorities.
Most of us are going about our daily routines, cognizant of the heightened level of security alerts, but firm in our resolve. On a personal note, I have just purchased both of my children (ages 25 and 23) airline tickets to visit the week of April 14—to enjoy the cherry blossoms and tour our great city.
In doing so I recognize, as most of us do, the need to balance precautions (just as we all take precautions for earthquakes in California) with continuing activities in and around Washington, D.C. in order to make the most of your experience while here.
"Let there be light" are the words written upon the seal of the University of California. In the days following 9-11, I wrote to students that no terrorist act should be allowed to dim that light or our commitment to the future. I feel even stronger in that commitment today.
Should students or parents wish to discuss any issues associated with these matters, please do not hesitate to contact me or Associate Director Karen Akerson who also serves as the building's Safety Officer. Karen's office number is 202-974-6204 or karen.akerson@ucdc.edu; my office number is 202-974-6202 or larry.berman@ucdc.edu.
Larry Berman
Director,
University of California, Washington Center
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Community
