The screen went dark, and the credits began to roll. Light flooded into the HUB Auditorium, but all 30 students at last night's showing of United 93 stayed glued to their seats, slowly seeping back into reality.

In an effort to help Penn State students remember the events of September 11, 2001, the College Republicans and the University Park Allocation Committee sponsored two showings of the film last night.

The movie followed the story of four hijackers who commandeered United Airlines Flight 93, intending to crash the commercial plane in Washington, D.C.

The hijackers apparently kept the passengers of the plane subdued until they collectively launched a desperate effort to retrieve control of the aircraft.

The plane ultimately crashed in Shanksville -- just two hours away from State College.

The viewers of the film were quiet as they emerged from the HUB Auditorium at the end of the film, which ran just under two hours.

Amy Wynne (freshman-business), who had just seen the film for the first time, clutched a tissue with both hands, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

For her, watching the passengers of United 93 call their families from the plane was the most difficult part of the movie to watch.

"I feel that not enough people realize what a terrible thing this was," she said. "It would be good if everybody could sit down and watch a movie like that."

One of Wynne's friends, Logan Fry (freshman-economics), echoed her sentiments.

"It's good to have a movie like this, so you don't forget," he said.

College Republicans President Seth Bender said he thought it was an important film for students to see.

"It's a good testament to the bravery of America on that day," he said after the film.