September 11 was a day Americans will never forget. It was a day when we realized that we were not immune to terrorist attacks. Weeks later, it still lingers in the minds of students, who are trying to deal with the long-term effects of an uncertain future.

By Liz Pecek

Most college students were too young to understand the Gulf War, which began in 1991. Freshman Brittany Hardy was eight at the time; her only memory of the Gulf War was singing the national anthem in school every morning. Now, ten years later, America’s war against terrorism is very real—to Hardy and to everyone at BGSU.

A few weeks before the terrorist attacks, Hardy flew home from England, where she was visiting family members. "I always felt really safe while flying," she said. "But I’m not ready to do it again right now."

Friends and family are more important to Hardy than ever—she emails them as much as possible. Her initial feeling of disbelief is gone; now, she is afraid of what next month or even tomorrow will bring. When her professors bring the subject up in class, she doesn’t feel comfortable discussing it. "It’s hard to talk about it," Hardy said. "Something is obviously going to come out of this and it’s scary."

Tragedies remind us of what we can’t take for granted, such as one another, said Craig Vickio, director of the Counseling Center at the university. "It trivializes things and shifts our priorities," he said.

Weeks after the events, reality is starting to set in, Vickio said. "People feel more vulnerable," he said. "When faced with death, they realize there are no guarantees. There weren’t any before, but now we realize that it was an illusion."

With recent health threats and military action, it may be harder to gain closure, he said. “It adds to that uncertainty about the future and prevents us from seeing the events of September 11 as in the past,” Vickio said.

Everyone reacts differently to tragedies, he said. Some college students, such as Hardy, are in the process of accepting what happened. "The grief process can go on for months," Vickio said. "Even months later, memories can still be fresh."

Others, like John Kilmer IV, are trying to regain a sense of control over their lives, which is another step in the grief process. Kilmer, a graduate student, tries to do things the same way he did them before September 11. He doesn’t watch television new programs—he said he doesn’t trust what he sees—and he would still fly on an airplane if he needed to. "Being scared is self-defeating in my eyes," he said. "I can’t change the world around me, but I can control my actions."

Kilmer used the tragedies as a learning experience by going to work on September 14, the National Day of Mourning. As an administrative intern for the Genoa area local school district, Kilmer witnessed the memorial tributes at all of the Genoa schools. It was important to him to see how the Genoa school administrators reacted, he said.

"I wanted to know how to handle a tragedy," Kilmer said. "I wanted to get a look at how each situation was handled based on the ages of the students."

Here at the university, students are working to support relief efforts and remember the victims. This is another element in the grieving process. It is taking place both on campus and throughout the community. Students are donating money; they are hanging flags on their porches and in their windows; they are wearing red, white and blue ribbons.

These responses are normal, said Vickio. "People feel that they want to honor those who died in any way they can, whether it be by giving money or donating blood," he said.

On the morning of the homecoming football game, the spirit rock was painted to support our nation’s fight against terrorist acts. USG President Jon Bragg organized the event. He bought six gallons of paint and a dozen brushes with his own money. Bragg and one other student painted an American flag on one side of the rock and a message the message, “BGSU’s Thoughts and Prayers are with the U.S.A.” on the other.

"This rock has been used to show spirit at BGSU," Bragg said. "Now it shows that we will never forget what happened on September 11."

Bragg said students at the university are more unified since the September attacks. He remembered being surprised that thousands of students came to the campus memorial service the day classes were cancelled. "I though most [students] would go home to be with their loved ones," he said. "It was apparent that they found a family in Bowling Green."

Vickio says it’s natural for people to feel connected to each other in times of uncertainty. "Our attention is normally drawn to differences, but in times like this, we are able to put those aside and see what we have in common," he said.

The new bond between students—and all Americans—may be a sign of times to come, Vickio said. Our views about everything we thought we knew are changing.
Although our future is uncertain, we at least have each other. "On September 11, we all came together," Bragg said. "That’s stronger than any terrorist act."