Still stressed over Sept. 11? You're not alone, campus managers, faculty and staff learned at a seminar recently presented by the Staff and Faculty Counseling Center, the Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) and Campus Human Resources (CHR).

While many people are grappling with such issues as fear of flying and anxiety that UCLA could become a terrorist target, others have had quite enough of Sept. 11 and want to return to business as usual, said Nan Levine-Mann, counseling center co-director.

"Everybody responds to stress differently," she said. Increased irritability, depression, fear, anger and a sense of being overwhelmed are all common symptoms. So is denial, which might be manifested as throwing oneself into one's work, day and night.

"People have said to me, 'I seem to be terrified all the time, but my co-workers seem to be fine,' " Levine-Mann said. Variations in temperament -- some of us are optimists, other tend toward pessimism -- and our life history can account for the differences. "If we've had a lot of trauma in our lives, this is going to reactivate that old stuff," she said.

The quality of our lives overall can also be a factor, she said. "Some of us have lives where things are going okay -- our jobs, our partnerships, our physical health -- and so we're going to feel more secure. But for others, it's been a hard year, and 9/11 was the last straw."

The events of Sept. 11 have heightened everyone's sense of vulnerability, noted EH&S Director Rick Greenwood, whose staff has responded to some 100 calls campuswide reporting suspicious white powder and other possible threats. No incidence of anthrax or other dangers have been found.

In fact, Chancellor Albert Carnesale recently pointed out at a staff forum that, on Sept. 11, UCLA was better prepared than most universities; because of the need to prepare for earthquakes, the campus had an emergency-response plan in place. Since then, many improve-ments have been made to enable UCLA officials to communicate with the campus faster and in various ways.

Another advantage for UCLA: EH&S has extensive expertise in managing the chemical, radioactive and other hazardous materials regularly used by the 4,000 research labs on campus. More than 20 EH&S staff work with radioactive materials on a daily basis. "We probably have more expertise than the city of Los Angeles," Greenwood said.

Could UCLA be in the crosshairs of a terrorist? "Probably not," Greenwood said. "Terrorists apparently are more interested in targets that symbolize American capitalism." Nevertheless, he noted, a complete review of campus security was conducted after Sept. 11, and surveillance has increased at sites such as Pauley Pavilion. EH&S has also conducted emergency- response practice drills and is working with the Medical Center in developing appropriate measures.

To allay fears, "consider the probabilities rather than the possibilities," advised Robert Gibson, manager of CHR Training & Development. "Our fears generally are magnified by the thought of possibilities rather than probability."

If you need to, find someone to talk to. And try to listen to co-workers who need to talk. One of the best things you can do for yourself is admit you can't control everything. "Let it go," Levine-Mann said. "This is a healthy way of coping."

For assistance, call the Faculty and Counseling Center at (310) 794-0245.