Experts on terrorism meet in small on-campus forum

  MIKE CHIEN Professor John Agnew
addresses program coordinator Chris Rivas and the audience at a
teach-in Thursday at the Northwest Campus Auditorium.

By Audrey Crummey
Daily Bruin Contributor

A small group of students heard from a panel of terrorism
experts ““ including professors from various departments, an
FBI agent and an editor of a terrorism journal, ““ at an
on-campus forum Thursday.

Chris Rivas, the coordinator of the event, expressed
disappointment in the attendance, but said he was “happy it
was a more intimate environment where everyone could get their
questions answered.”

The Northwest Campus Auditorium, which holds more than 300
people, seated less than 20 people Thursday night. Earlier in the
year, UCLA professors held a teach-in, with nearly 500 people
attending that event.

But students and professors alike said the small turnout at
Thursday’s event may not necessarily signify a drop in
student interest in terrorism.

Nicole Heyman, a first-year world arts and cultures student,
said people are into their everyday lives, but terrorism is still
pertinent to discuss.

English professor Robert Maniquis, a panelist who is teaching
one of the Sept. 11 seminars, called “Concepts of Terror in
Western Culture, from the French Revolution to the Present,”
said he was not concerned about students losing interest in the
subject and said attendance and participation in his class is
strong.

The event’s discussion delved into topics such as how
terror can be defined and when it originated.

Special Agent Matthew McLaughlin, a media coordinator for the
FBI in Los Angeles, answered questions regarding problems U.S.
intelligence agencies have with tracking terrorists. He assured the
audience that though he couldn’t reveal all information,
students should feel safe.

“There have been no real threats to California or the West
Coast so far,” McLaughlin said.

Panelist David Rapoport, a retired political science professor
and editor for a quarterly journal called “Terrorism and
Political Violence,” discussed why terrorism could happen in
a place like the United States.

“It’s like David and Goliath,” he said.
“All (the terrorists) needed was a slingshot.”

Another panelist, geography professor John Agnew, teaches one of
the Sept. 11 seminars called “Understanding the
Taliban.” He answered the final question about what America
has learned from the attack.

“It’s a wake-up call that we need to know about
others. We’re not alone in the world,” he said.

Rivas, a UCLA graduate and linguistics and anthropology student,
was hired as the program coordinator of Canyon Point activities. He
said the event was planned by the Office of Residential Life as a
part of Smarties Week, a program to “encourage academic
advancement and intellectual exchange on the Hill.”

The teach-in, advertised mainly on The Hill through posters and
flyers and in conjunction with the Smarties Week program, was
sponsored in part by the On-Campus Housing Council.

Rivas said he partly blames problems with publicizing the event
for the low attendance.

“There was a little hitch in advertising on campus …
I’ll have to follow up on that,” he said.