On the record

"Things are good ... we're not seeing panic. We're seeing a lot of calm, although some students expected to have job offers by now because their friends did in previous years. I've been through situations like this before. Economic downturns are common -- they're cyclical."

Bob Cramer, associate director of Vanderbilt's career center, on job market optimism for students about to enter the work force

"Common sense kind of tells you this will set everybody on edge, but only time will tell. To the extent other countries are suspicious of our motives, they will be more suspicious."

Kathleen Flake, assistant professor of American religious history, on how the actions of American aid workers Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry, who have admitted to preaching Christianity in Muslim Afghanistan, have affected foreign diplomacy

"Soft. It has our name in the dictionary, right next to the word ... Soft teams don't win on the road."

Jim Foster, Vanderbilt women's basketball coach, after the No. 6 Commodores were beaten 71-52 by No. 14 South Carolina

"I think I'm going to have some advantages that those other coaches didn't have. Todd Turner and Dr. Gee have done a great job, I think, of laying out a plan to make Vanderbilt University football successful, and I'm just glad to be in this position right now because I think this is the golden opportunity for Vanderbilt football."

Bobby Johnson, newly hired head football coach

"Now we have a kind of combination between a Cuban missile crisis and a prolonged period of murkiness. It could be something fairly drawn out, as opposed to something where the causes are fairly obvious and short-lived."

Peter Rousseau, assistant professor of economics, on how the War on Terrorism might affect the economy compared to conflicts in the past

Compiled by Kara Furlong

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