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On a day marked by contemplation of ones lost, the University of Maine community united for numerous gatherings to remember the events and victims of Sept. 11 as well to discuss peaceful solutions for the new problems facing America.
The Greek community began the day with a memorial gathering at 8:30 a.m. on the front lawn between Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Nu. The students stood in a circle and as Matthew Madore, a brother of Beta Theta Pi, led a prayer.
“Forgive, but don’t forget the harsh things that have happened to our country,” Madore said.
Kat Pazera of Alpha Omicron Pi provided down-to-the-minute accounts of the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Several students contributed by reading people’s accounts and poetry in remembrance of the terrorist attacks. One student added his own personal description of being from New York.
“The amount of pride here and back home [in New York] is overwhelming. It really touched me no matter where you are in the country and the amount of support,” Jared Himmelblau of Alpha Gamma Rho said.
Both Madore and Himmelblau expressed how the attacks touched them. Madore’s brother worked in tower one but had not arrived at work when the first plane hit. He was only a few blocks away when the intial attack occured. Himmelblau added that his uncle is a paramedic for the New York Fire Department.
The Carillon bells rang throughout the morning at 8:48, 9:03, 9:43 and 10:10, corresponding to the times when the planes crashed one year ago.
At noon President Hoff addressed students, faculty and staff on the mall in front of the library. He told the crowd what this day meant to him, the university and the country.
“Sept. 11, 2001 is one of those singular days that everyone of us will remember for the rest of our lives,” Hoff said with the flag behind him at half-mast.
Hoff also discussed the emotional impact on our country, noting that it will take time, but that people will recover form the emotional impact of the attacks.
“We lost a great deal of our innocence and that may be the biggest impact of them all,” Hoff said.
In Memorial Union, a wall where students could write messages and share their thoughts was available, while a video that was made shortly after the attacks played all day.
The Maine Peace Action Committee held a discussion group in the afternoon. They showed a video titled, “The Journey of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.”
The Peaceful Tomorrows organization was established by family members of victims who want to find peace in the aftermath. One woman in the video said, “I don’t want any other mother to feel the way I did.”
Eric Beal, a fourth-year business major, remembered when he was in a bar in New York City shortly after the attacks. Two fire fighters entered there was a standing ovation and cheer for the pair.
“Now that’s a hero!” Beal said. “No one can justify 9-11, this is terrorism. Innocent people died. The perpetrators do have to be brought to justice,” professor Doug Allen said.
Lacey Bennett, a fifth-year international affairs student, brought up the point of what terrorists must have endured to want to perform such acts. She then suggested that each person could try to improve society one individual at a time, by doing such things as volunteering or donating food to pantries.
“Why do terrorists terrorize, they may have been terrorized themselves?” Bennett asked.
Beal noted that many Americans have found a new appreciation for each other, including family.
“We took a lot for granted,” Beal said. “Wow, I am really lucky!”
Natig Ganiyev, a fourth-year business administration student who is also Muslim, thanked the crowd in attendance and expressed his surprise that people hadn’t treated him badly because of his background.
“I’m surprised that the anger expected wasn’t there,” Ganiyev said. “It could be felt, but not on the scale that I had expected.”
The activities concluded with a performance in Minsky Recital Hall with a reading of Mozart’s Requiem. The event was set up to encourage audience members to participate.
Other events included “A Conversation on Healing and Peace,” put on by the philosophy department from 4:30 to 6 p.m. An interfaith prayer was held on the mall in the evening. Phi Gamma Delta also held a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m. on its lawn.
The Jordan Planetarium played a 30-minute multi-media display of pictures with backgroud music performed by popular artists titled “Wounded America: Images of 9/11.”
Bangor Daily News