More Information KU home page Related topics  •KU News Resource Page: War on Terrorism Search KU News releases Subscribe now to receive KU News by email

Contact: Thad Holcomb, Ecumenical Christian Ministries, (785) 843-4933

Campus ministries to offer white ribbons symbols of suffering, healing, vision

LAWRENCE -- Members of the University of Kansas Religious Advisers association will distribute white ribbons on Wednesday as symbols of a campus united in support of the grief and shock reactions to the tragic destruction of lives in New York City, Washington, D.C., and near Pittsburgh.

Thad Holcomb, a member or KURA and director of the Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread, said today that the ribbons would be distributed in the lobby of the Kansas Union and at the Wellness Odessy health fair on the Strong Hall lawn from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Ribbons will also be distributed at Danforth Chapel on campus from 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday. At Danforth, students may light a candle in an expression of a faith tradition or as an expression of support of families who have suffered in this tragedy.

"The white ribbons are also symbolic of healing and a reminder of the vision needed to understand what has caused this to happen," Holcomb said. "We are all struggling to understand what has happened."

In addition, the ECM traditional noon forum for Wednesday, Sept. 19, is being rescheduled to address terrorism and today's events. The program originally scheduled for that date will be postponed until spring semester. The new program on terrorism will be announced later this week.

KURA includes representatives from protestant denominations, Roman Catholic, orthodox Christian and Jewish congregations in Lawrence.