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September 13, 2001 Terrorist Attacks in New York, D.C. NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The following experts affiliated with Smith College are available to speak with reporters on a variety of topics related to the Tuesday, Sept. 11, devastation, including the power of the president to declare war, the federal government's preparedness for terrorism and the disaster's emotional impact on children, adults, families and communities. PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF VIOLENCE: Joshua Miller, associate professor, Smith College School for Social Work, is available to discuss the psychological effects of violence on children, adults and communities. A recognized leader in developing community mental health responses to trauma and disaster, including situations such as school shootings, suicides, urban violence, accidental deaths, natural disasters, and wartime violence, Miller is trained as a disaster relief mental health counselor by the American Red Cross . His focus includes helping not only the victims but also the helpers, who often suffer secondary trauma when working with trauma and disaster. Phone: (413) 585-7966 (office) Email: jlmiller@smith.edu. PRESIDENTIAL WAR POWERS: Donald L. Robinson, professor of government at Smith College, is available to discuss factors involved in making a formal declaration of war. Robinson is a prominent scholar on American government, politics and constitutional history, with special interest in presidential war powers-the power of the president to declare war without explicit permission from the Congress. Phone: (413) 585-3545. Email: drobinso@smith.edu. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S PREPAREDNESS FOR TERRORISM: Sally Katzen, a 1964 graduate of Smith College and currently a visiting professor of government at Smith, served as deputy director for management in the Office of Management and Budget during the last two years of the Clinton Administration. In that capacity, she served as an adviser to President Clinton on continuity of government in the event of a breach of national security. In speaking to the Smith community on Tuesday, Katzen noted that most rational attempts to understand terrorists' motivations will fail. "If you think a terrorist is like you and me and try to perceive them that way, you'll be wrong-dead wrong. If you think a terrorist is operating like you at all, they're not," she said. "They are moving to a beat of a completely different drum." To reach Katzen, contact at (413) 585-2190 or lfenlason@smith.edu. |