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American Morning
Yale Law School Explosion
Aired May 22, 2003 - 07:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on that bomb explosion on the Yale University campus. The blast occurred late yesterday afternoon inside an empty classroom at the law school. No one was injured.
Sari Boshi is a Yale law student. She was just down the hall from where that explosion occurred, and she is joining us now from New Haven to tell us what she saw and heard.
Sari, good morning to you. Wondering exactly that. What did you see and hear?
SARI BOSHI, YALE LAW SCHOOL STUDENT: Good morning. I was walking into an elevator, and I heard a loud boom and I felt a thud, as if something very heavy were being dropped next to me. And then I saw a lot of, like, dust and debris. So, I turned a corridor and then I saw that a classroom door had been blown out. And then I realized it was an explosion, and I went in the opposite direction.
COLLINS: Sari, can you tell us anything about the building? How do you get into it? Is there any sort of security as you go inside?
BOSHI: The main entrance has a person who stands at a sort of an information desk, but it's pretty much open to anybody. There are often lectures and public events there, so anybody can walk in, more or less.
COLLINS: What about the fact that there was really nobody inside that classroom at the time? Do you think that was a stroke of luck?
BOSHI: I do. Although I've got to say that it's exam period, and most exams take place in the morning. So, if you were going to try to hurt somebody, you wouldn't pick this particular room at 4:45 on this day. But thank god nobody was hurt.
COLLINS: I know that you have worked, Sari, in Israel as a journalist, where there were many bombings at the time. How did this compare? I mean, did you draw on that experience at all on this day?
BOSHI: It was very -- I mean, it was an odd experience, because as soon as I realized it was an explosion, lessons that I used to use when I was over there that I haven't -- didn't think I'd have to use here kicked in, namely being you don't walk toward the site of an explosion, because sometimes there are secondary explosions. And so, I sort of felt that kick in, and then I walked in the opposite direction. It's just not something I thought I'd have to use here.
COLLINS: I'm sure, surprising to you. What were you thinking when you were walking in the opposite direction out of the building?
BOSHI: I didn't know what it was, and I didn't know if there was anything else going on. I mean, thank goodness it seems like it was a localized incident, but at the time I didn't know. And so, I just wanted to get myself and my friend out of the building as soon as possible.
COLLINS: Sari, can you tell us anything about the mood on campus? I mean, surely people are talking about this quite a bit.
BOSHI: Yes, I think people are a little bit shocked. It's just not something we're used to, and it seems like an odd target. There is no reason why somebody would want to strike it. So, I think people are just confused and hoping that we can figure it out and hoping it will just be a localized incident that we can get over.
COLLINS: So, speaking of localized incidents and people talking about all of this, I know that graduation ceremonies are this weekend. You, in fact, will be graduating. Any talk of new procedures as far as security goes in lieu of all of this?
BOSHI: Everybody has been reassuring us that the campus is safe and that graduation will go on as planned. And I know they do step up always security for commencement. The only problem is the law school graduation was supposed to take place in the courtyard, and I'm not sure that's going to happen. I don't know when they are going to reopen the building.
COLLINS: We, of course, will be following this story throughout the weekend. Sari Boshi, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired May 22, 2003 - 07:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on that bomb explosion on the Yale University campus. The blast occurred late yesterday afternoon inside an empty classroom at the law school. No one was injured.
Sari Boshi is a Yale law student. She was just down the hall from where that explosion occurred, and she is joining us now from New Haven to tell us what she saw and heard.
Sari, good morning to you. Wondering exactly that. What did you see and hear?
SARI BOSHI, YALE LAW SCHOOL STUDENT: Good morning. I was walking into an elevator, and I heard a loud boom and I felt a thud, as if something very heavy were being dropped next to me. And then I saw a lot of, like, dust and debris. So, I turned a corridor and then I saw that a classroom door had been blown out. And then I realized it was an explosion, and I went in the opposite direction.
COLLINS: Sari, can you tell us anything about the building? How do you get into it? Is there any sort of security as you go inside?
BOSHI: The main entrance has a person who stands at a sort of an information desk, but it's pretty much open to anybody. There are often lectures and public events there, so anybody can walk in, more or less.
COLLINS: What about the fact that there was really nobody inside that classroom at the time? Do you think that was a stroke of luck?
BOSHI: I do. Although I've got to say that it's exam period, and most exams take place in the morning. So, if you were going to try to hurt somebody, you wouldn't pick this particular room at 4:45 on this day. But thank god nobody was hurt.
COLLINS: I know that you have worked, Sari, in Israel as a journalist, where there were many bombings at the time. How did this compare? I mean, did you draw on that experience at all on this day?
BOSHI: It was very -- I mean, it was an odd experience, because as soon as I realized it was an explosion, lessons that I used to use when I was over there that I haven't -- didn't think I'd have to use here kicked in, namely being you don't walk toward the site of an explosion, because sometimes there are secondary explosions. And so, I sort of felt that kick in, and then I walked in the opposite direction. It's just not something I thought I'd have to use here.
COLLINS: I'm sure, surprising to you. What were you thinking when you were walking in the opposite direction out of the building?
BOSHI: I didn't know what it was, and I didn't know if there was anything else going on. I mean, thank goodness it seems like it was a localized incident, but at the time I didn't know. And so, I just wanted to get myself and my friend out of the building as soon as possible.
COLLINS: Sari, can you tell us anything about the mood on campus? I mean, surely people are talking about this quite a bit.
BOSHI: Yes, I think people are a little bit shocked. It's just not something we're used to, and it seems like an odd target. There is no reason why somebody would want to strike it. So, I think people are just confused and hoping that we can figure it out and hoping it will just be a localized incident that we can get over.
COLLINS: So, speaking of localized incidents and people talking about all of this, I know that graduation ceremonies are this weekend. You, in fact, will be graduating. Any talk of new procedures as far as security goes in lieu of all of this?
BOSHI: Everybody has been reassuring us that the campus is safe and that graduation will go on as planned. And I know they do step up always security for commencement. The only problem is the law school graduation was supposed to take place in the courtyard, and I'm not sure that's going to happen. I don't know when they are going to reopen the building.
COLLINS: We, of course, will be following this story throughout the weekend. Sari Boshi, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
