Campus remembers 9/11

Four years have passed.

Four classes of seniors have graduated and said their good-byes to the campus that was rocked on Sept. 11.

But four years later, the students at UNC - who were in high school when the U.S. was attacked by terrorists - continue to operate in the spirit of unity started by the students who have come and gone.

"That night on college campuses, millions and millions of students and faculty across the country came together in solidarity," said Margaret Jablonski, vice chancellor for student affairs, during a memorial event held Sunday.

About 100 students came together Sunday night on Polk Place for the memorial service, sponsored by Committee for a Better Carolina and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

Those attending the service sat in front of thousands of American flags, representing the almost 3,000 that died in the attacks.

"Just by having the representation of flags shows (students) still care about the individual lives that were lost," Jablonski said. "It does still touch us."

Many University community members chose to remember the day by gathering in Memorial Hall Sunday for "Carolina Performs," a student arts celebration during the building's grand opening weekend.

Bernadette Gray-Little, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the arts are one way for individuals to remember the tragedy.

"As we see, hear these acts, they are a wonderful reminder that arts have the capacity to help us grieve when we need to grieve, to heal when we need to heal and to look for hope for the future," she said.

The remembrance in the midst of renewal was present also at the site of the attacks in New York.

The New York Times reported Sunday that many New Yorkers are ready to begin rebuilding.

Now, ground zero consists of an open hole in the ground surrounded by temporary memorials. According to The New York Times, 61 percent of New York citizens said the time has come to begin development of ground zero.

Gwen Duyao, critical incident management coordinator for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said it is not surprising that people are ready to move on and rebuild.

"Instead of memorializing the tragedy out of it, they can find the positive things that are coming out of it," Duyao said. "For me, that's what I would prefer to do so that it's not so much of a tragedy anymore."

And Andrew Perrin, professor of sociology at UNC, said after four years, grieving is difficult.

"It's common that there's a lull period," Perrin said. "People remember it as an experience. We're not at the point yet where Sept. 11 can be remembered as history."

The events of Sept. 11 are being memorialized this year in the wake of another, more recent, national tragedy: the devastation of the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina.

"I hope it's a day of reflection on not only 9/11 but also on the other national catastrophe that happened last week," said Stephen Lassiter, co-president of the Campus Y.

Provost Robert Shelton said people have different ways of coping with traumatic events.

"I do think at some point each of us has to move on. After four years, it doesn't surprise me that some are refocusing their energy."

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.