Students express shock, outrage over attack

The Compass, Sept. 14, 2001

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — New York City may be nearly 1,000 miles from Sault Ste. Marie, but the distance did not stop the tragedy from deeply affecting the students, faculty, and staff of LSSU.

The effect was immediate. All around campus, students and professors alike were in front of televisions, transfixed by the surreal images before them.

“Unbelievable,” was the word senior Darren Stark used to described the situation as he watched the television coverage in the Peacock Cove. “It’s like watching a movie,” Stark went on to say.

Amber Kardes, a transfer student to LSSU, was equally shocked.

“It is sad and depressing to see something like this happen in my lifetime,” Kardes commented.

The reaction was similar throughout LSSU. Although the campus was largely calm, many students appeared to be in a state of shock, not knowing how to comprehend the devastation unfolding before them.

Many students compared the attack to the attack on Pearl Harbor that occurred 60 years ago, but added that this attack was far worse in scale.

Student Government president Rob Trembinski urged that the students exercise restraint as the situation developed.

“Stay calm,” he advised, “and watch history develop.”

Other members of Student Government voiced their support. John Leech, Secretary of University Development and Community Affairs, expressed a desire for Student Government to contribute in any way they could.

Several Canadian students anxiously waited in the Peacock Cove and the Canadian Lounge, fearing that they may be trapped on the U.S. side of the border if the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge was closed. News reports were regularly stating that the borders were being sealed, but the International Bridge remained open.

University president Dr. Robert Arbuckle activated the Emergency Response Team at approximately 10:30 a.m. as a precaution in case the bridge was closed.

Kahler Schuemann, Director of Housing and Student Life, stated that any Canadian students that could not return would be put up in the Student Activities Center, as had been done the previous week for visiting Campus Connections students.

After an emergency meeting held early afternoon on Wednesday, the LSSU administration decided to cancel all classes after 2 p.m. However, before that, many professors had already cancelled their classes.

After the shutdown, many students continued to follow the coverage of the disaster. Some students, though, carried on as normal, despite what had happened, with some feeling grateful that classes had been let out.

Other students were aggravated by what they saw as a cavalier attitude toward the tragedy.

Junior John Kilponen, in particular, was disgusted by they way some students were reacting to the television coverage.

“This pisses me off . . . that people are so detached!” Kilponen exclaimed. “They’re watching it like it’s ‘Real TV.’”

The majority of the students, however, were deeply troubled by the events. Meghann Hodges, senior, was among them.

“This makes everything else, like classes, bills, and petty arguments, seem so trivial in comparison.”