Scenes of destruction and news of an earthshaking terrorist attack on American soil shattered a clear, warm September morning at University Park yesterday.
Hundreds of students gazed in shock at the big screen TV on the first floor of the HUB-Robeson Center yesterday, as word of plane crashes in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Somerset County came over CNN.
Some were holding hands, some were crying, some were just staring wide-eyed, jaws dropped. Students coming in from Pollock Road stood on their toes trying to see the broadcast and asked each other what was going on. Others knelt in circles of silent prayer.
"There are so many sad faces. It's weird how it affects everyone," said Erich Fritz (sophomore-electrical engineering). "How can someone have such disrespect for human life?"
The news sent students reaching for their cell phones, bowing their heads in prayer and pondering national security.
Watching the live footage struck Emily Basford (sophomore-human development and family studies) on a personal level. "My brother is an American in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan, a country that doesn't like America — a country that is surrounded by countries that don't like America.
"My other brother lives right across the street from the Pentagon in D.C. He can see the Pentagon from his apartment window," she said.
Kate McDannell (junior-hotel restaurant and institutional management) said her morning class sat in silence for five minutes and shared discussion in the wake of the national disaster.
"I'm stunned. I think there will be serious ramifications," she said. "I'm very concerned about what it means for retaliation. This could very well be a changing day in history."
The magnitude of the attack drew comparisons to Pearl Harbor. Sue Mayhue (senior-biobehavioral health) also thought immediately of the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, the Challenger explosion and the Oklahoma City bombing — "all of the times when the nation has come together and is horrified as one, not as individuals."
Elizabeth Carey (sophomore-photography) said some of the images she saw on CNN did not seem real.
"I am in disbelief," Carey said. "This looked like a scene out of a movie, and the whole thing doesn't seem possible. You think things like this don't happen in America. I am still wondering how anyone was able to pull it all off."
Callers checking in with family and friends clogged cellular services yesterday afternoon. Many were greeted with dead air, busy signals and error messages.
Letea Perry (junior-psychology) said some of her family lives in Washington, D.C.
"I'm a little scared. I have family who work in the federal buildings there," Perry said. "It's just a tragedy."
In a slice of sad irony, a few dozen students had planned to meet in the Peace Garden outside the HUB-Robeson Center yesterday to honor the International Day of Peace as declared by the United Nations. Despite the violence of the morning, they came together for a moment of silence.
"It's unsettling, but it's another call to compassion in the world," said Tim Dougherty (senior-English) who helped to organize the gathering. "We wanted to sow some seeds of peaceful community."
Inside the student union building, staff members rolled out extra televisions to project the continuing news coverage in Heritage Hall and the HUB Auditorium to ease the crowd near the information desk.
As the afternoon went on, student and community groups started to spread the word about a number of evening vigils.
"We are praying that America would trust in God and know He's a good God," said John Boggs (senior-film and video). "People should be praying."
Feelings of uncertainty still troubled some students as the details of the tragedy continued to surface.
"It's like something out of a nightmare," said Rachel Kelly (senior-Spanish). "To think that it could happen here makes me feel very vulnerable."
Collegian Staff Writers Mike Caggeso, Jeremy R. Cooke, Lynne Funk, Christina L. Parris and Laura Rudisill contributed to this report.
