R ed, white and blue are colors that many people reserve for the Fourth of July. But in response to the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks, students and employees are sporting the nation's independence palette as a sign of support. Flags are flying in windows, being handed out on the Bryan Center walkway and are draping everything from backpacks to the MyDuke.com website.
Opinions about what the American flag means to each person vary, but it is a symbol many students have rallied around. Andrew Card, president of Wilson dormitory's house council, led the move to paint a flag on the dorm's bench. "We all felt that we wanted to express our feelings in some way, so we went out and bought paint at 11:30 p.m. and stayed up until 1:30 painting it," he said.
Wilson is not the only dorm on East Campus sporting the American flag. Southgate has also hung one on its door.
"The flag we hung up was actually one that flew over the Pentagon a month ago," explained Area Coordinator Eric Sapp. The fourth-year divinity and public policy graduate student said he got the flag over the summer when working in Washington, D.C.
A flag also flies from senior Michael Bello's third-floor window in Wayne Manor dormitory. Bello said he tried to buy a flag the night of the attacks but found stores all sold out and had to wait until the following day.
"What happened was a serious challenge to America, and it's hard to respond to. There's no right answer so we might as well say, OGod, we
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