Lack of Sept. 11 events upset some

Lack of Sept. 11 events upset some

Collegian.psu.edu

Some students and community members are unhappy with the limited number of commemorative activities.

By Krystle Kopacz
Collegian Staff Writer

Meghan Ashley woke up yesterday morning and remembered a day she saw "a big hole" where the twin towers once stood.

A day she waited to hear from her dad, who was supposed to work in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.

A day she remembers and wonders why others don't.

"Normally when it's a big day you hear people talking about it ... I haven't seen anything," said Ashley (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies). "I'm not going to point fingers and say people should care -- but it's in my mind. I woke up [yesterday] and I was like wow ... it's just a somber, sad day."

As the years crawl by, campus buzz about the infamous date appears to be quieting. Compared to the organized discussions, plays, photograph galleries, speakers and movie showings advertised and attended in years past, few students and faculty seemed to know of any scheduled events this year.

Sharon Mortensen, director of Penn State's Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs, said one of the only commemorative campus events she knew about was a silent meditation, scheduled for a few hours yesterday at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center's Eisenhower Chapel.

Last year's Sept. 11 candle lighting ceremony at Pasquerilla drew barely 200 people -- a small slice of the crowds Mortensen said attended in previous years. A lack of interest led the spiritual center to scale down the activity this year.

"It still is a day to remember, so we're trying to do something and we thought this would be a nice idea," Mortensen said.

But at yesterday's silent prayer, the chapel was empty. No music played, no candles were lit and no students graced the seats. The chapel was vacant and looked plain, as if nothing had been scheduled at all.

"I think it's died off a lot," said Christina Nicastro (sophomore-business). "I think a lot of people forget about it."

Nicastro said she remembers standing on a hill in her hometown outside New York, staring at the smoking metropolis the day of the attacks.

She said organized events are important to help people come together to remember the 2001 tragedy.

"On an individual basis, people tend to forget about it," Nicastro said.
In an attempt to provide a visual memorial of the date, the Young Americans for Freedom's flags stand on the HUB-Robeson Center lawn today as a visual reminder of the fallen. Each flag represents five of the more than 3,000 victims, ten who were Penn State alumni.

"We were a little bit disappointed that there wasn't a memorial or anything that we heard about," Young Americans for Freedom President Shauna Moser said. "We just want people to see it and remember it and remember the victims."

As students walk by, perhaps they will remember Sept. 11 -- but since the HUB lawn was booked yesterday, it'll have to be one day later, on Sept. 12.

The Chabad Student Jewish Center also organized a 24-hour vigil last night at the Allen Street Gates that will end at 11:59 tonight to commemorate the terror attacks.

Ashley said that although Sept. 11 may seem years ago, the effects are reason enough to continue remembering. She remembers coming home from school with a sinking feeling four years ago: Was her dad OK? Had he made it out of the city?

Luckily, Ashley's father changed plans at the last minute and never ventured into Manhattan. Still, Ashley said, the effects showed in her family -- her brother-in-law was sent to Afghanistan after the attack.

For Ashley, Sept. 11 will resonate in her memory for the rest of her life.

"Although it was four years ago, it's not in the distance; it's not in the past," she said. "People are still dealing with it today, whether it's the loss of a person, someone overseas fighting, or even if you have to go into the city every day. It happened, it's over ... but it's not."