Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. These countries are connected by, among other things, their lawless regions that are breeding grounds for terrorist organizations. Al Qaeda and other groups take advantage of the lack of any governmental presence to establish bases of operations and operate unhindered.

Last year, the entire campus came together to raise at least $9,000 for Haiti after an earthquake killed 300,000. These efforts stand in contrast to the student effort after devastating flooding in Pakistan since July.

As we mark the eighth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, our country is embarking on a high-stakes debate about whether and how to continue waging this war.

To my knowledge, never before in American history has such an important and long-lasting war received so little public attention. It is true that we have had many substantial distractions—the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, our energy problems, the economic crisis, the health care debate—that all deserve our attention; yet, we should not have let this war fall so deeply out of our public consciousness.