Dean of Students Ben Lieber anticipates that Homecoming will be better attended than in recent years. "One of the interesting things for me was to see in the couple of days after Sept. 11 that there were some alums who came back to the campus. They naturally gravitated back here," he said. "Homecoming will provide an opportunity for the College to recognize that in a more formal way."
"Amherst should be a continuity for [alumni] in a discontinuous world," said President Tom Gerety.
"We really looked at the entire Homecoming schedule and asked if it was appropriate in light of the current climate," said Director of Public Affairs Stacey Schmeidel.
"[It will be] more somber and more the nature of remembrance and a celebration of our sense of community," said Gerety.
A "Service of Remembrance and Community" will be held in Johnson Chapel at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning to recognize those lost in the attack. Athletic competitions will not begin until the service is over.
Protestant Religious Advisor Reverand Leon Burrows said that the service will be inter-faith, representing Judaism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. "It will be a service of hymns and prayers for the people that will have some connection to this tragedy," he said.
"It is not a service that was designed specifically to mark the loss of any particular individual or individuals, but rather to mark all of our losses as a community," said Chief Advancement Officer Michael Kiefer.
"The purpose of the service is to come together as a community, which is naturally the purpose of Homecoming," said Schmeidel. "And we wanted a time to reflect on those who are not with us because of September 11."
FEST, a yearly reception held after the football game, this year scheduled to celebrate the completion of the College's capital campaign, will be "toned down," said Kiefer.
FEST '01 will not be as celebratory as it would otherwise be. "The musical program and decorations will be more subdued than originally planned," said Kiefer.
"We are certainly underplaying our financial triumphs," said Gerety.