F E ATU RE S
7
September 16, 2011
Ten years later: cemmunity reflectiens en September 11
By Charlotte Hudson
Staff Writer
Where were you on September 11, 2001?
Where were you when the first plane crashed
into the World Trade Center, with the second
plane soon to follow? Where were you when
the other planes crashed, one in Pennsylvania,
one into the Pentagon?
9/11 was one of those days that started out
as normal, but then became one that would
change people's lives forever, whether you
knew people who lost their lives in the attack
or not.
Whether you are young or old, live close
to or far away from the sites of the attacks,
had family members and friends who were
affected or not, everyone can agree that it was
a day like no other.
Senior Sarah-Jaana Nodell
"1 lived twelve miles outside of New York
... and you could see the towers right from
my middle school. One of my teachers was
screaming, pointing out the window. The
blinds were shut all over the school and the
alarm was blaring. They told us that a bomb
had gone off, and we had to go down in the
bomb shelter and stay there until our parents
came to pick us up that afternoon. My uncle
(who worked in the World Trade Center) left
ten minutes before the first plane crashed
to get coffee ... My mom's partner missed
a subway, which was right under where the
attacks happened, because she spilled her
coffee and dropped her keys. When I moved
down to the South, I felt disconnected. It was
the end of my innocence."
Georgieann Bogdan, associate dis-
ablilty services coordinator
"I was teaching at UNCG. I was just about
to walk in the classroom, to start class, when
the secretary started causing a commotion,
panicking. I went out to find out (why),
and that was when she told me. I panicked,
because my brother, who was stationed in
the Air Force, worked in the Pentagon, where
one of the planes crashed into. My mom calls
me, also panicking about my brother. It turns
out that he was not there at the time, and they
never told us where he was. I remember feel
ing a sense of numbness."
Sarah Dreier-Kasik, CCE student, via
email
"I lived in the Chicago area at the time. I
clearly remember that I was driving and in
the left turn lane, waiting in front of the local
community college on my way to class, and
the radio was announcing that a plane just
crashed into the first tower. I thought it was
some sort of commercial gimmick. I grew to
realize that it was really happening. Walking
through the college's halls, the TVs were on,
showing the video as it occurred. The first
class I had, we watched everything. My sec
ond class was a normal class, although you
could see everyone worried about anyone
they might know. My relatives live in the
New England area and my aunt had a friend
who did not make it.
"My birthday is on the fifteenth of
September, and in 2001, that was my 21st
birthday. Needless to say, I did not go out and
party that day. Nowadays, I appreciate that I
have another birthday to celebrate."
Senior Bennett Christian, via email
"I was living in Paris, France at the time.
Because of the time difference, when lire 9/11
events happened, I was in art class finishing
up what seemed like just another day of sev
enth grade.
"For some reason, I took a different route
home, so as my parents were trying to inter
cept me and take me to my dad's office as
opposed to me walking straight home as
usual. I'm sure they were stressing out about
what may have happened to me.
"We eventually raught up, so that the
whole family, including my sister, was
together. They told me about what had and
was happening in the U.S. and that we were
going to go to my dad's office away from our
home near the Eiffel Tower in the event that
9/11 was going to be a broader attack on the
world's, or at least the West's, landmarks
... I remember watching the news at my
dad's office. The next day, our school had a
moment of silence lasting about 10 minutes."
Mala Dery, visiting instructor of art
"When the planes were hitting the towers,
I was in a little log cabin in the woods where
I lived at the time. I was preparing to drive
into Guilford to teach Photo 1. I was in my
first month as a photo teacher. A friend called
me to tell me that planes had flown into the
World Trade Center.
"The change (brought by 9/11) was enor
mous. It was the first time in my life that an
overwhelming, confusing event took place
when I was the designated grown-up with a
bunch of young people. That day of being a
photo teacher raised questions about my role
I am still in the process of answering. As a
citizen, I don't think the attacks precipitated
a huge change. I was in college during the
1980s when the U.S. Government was sup
porting some very unsavory characters in
Latin America and I felt personally respon
sible then, and I still feel a degree of responsi
bility for the unintended consequences of our
decisive actions abroad.
"If anything, I feel a bit more optimistic
now than I did then. The events of the Arab
Spring are clearly complicated, and I have
neither time nor capacity to understand the
nuances, but I am an American, and it always
seems fundamentally hopeful when people
take more control over their own lives."
Students develop greater understanding during trip to Palestine
By Bryan Dooley
Staff Writer
ily religious. Not all Israelis that the group came in
"I am not religious, so I travelled to see contact with were opposed to peaceful coex-
where all the Western religions began," said istence with the Palestinians. The group
Seligman. "I wouldn't say I found it, but I recounts going into a checkpoint where
learned a lot." 18-to-21-year-old Israelis serve three years
As a whole, the group agreed that the of their lives securing the border.
Director of the Friends Center and
Campus Ministry Coordinator Max Carter
was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam
War because of his Quaker faith. As his alter- American people do not get a sense of the "It is kind of sad, because we actually
native service to military duty, he taught in culture in the West Bank region. To illustrate spoke with some of the soldiers, and most
Ramallah, Palestine. In 1997, Carter escorted this point, Willey asked the audience, "What of them told us stories about how terrible it
the first Guilford College work group to do you all know about what is going on over is," said Willey. "In fact, they gave us a book
Palestine.
In summer 2010, a group
travelled with Carter to
help at a school in Ramallah
where he taught math in the
early 1970s. Since the school
had been long established,
the group met prominent
political figures who were
associated with the school.
In exchange, they did vol
unteer work like painting
playground equipment and
landscaping.
Four members of the
group spoke at a reflections
panel on Sept. 7: sopho
mores Kelsey Worthy and
Stephanie Seligman, gradu
ate A.J. Willey '11, and
community member Zane
Kuseybi. Each reflected
on the immense misunderstandings they
brought to the trip
Students and community members travelled to Ramallah, Palestine, this summer
to work at a school.The group learned about Palestinian history and culture dur
ing their trip.
there (in Palestine)?" One member in the
audience hesitated and said, "A little bit."
I was reluctant to visit at first because, as The trip began with early experiences of
a Syrian family, we are prohibited to go into passing through security and border cross-
what we consider 'occupied territory,'" said ing in Israel.
Kuseybi. "The more I thought about it, the "As soon as we said we were going to
more I realized I needed to go there in order Ramallah, I noticed a difference in the securi- tion for the humanity on both sides," Carter
to understand the situation." ty guard's attitude," said Worthy. "They kept explained. "These aren't just numbers and
Each of the travelers had their own rea- asking, 'Where are you going?' and when we statistics; they are real people, and the stu-
sons for travelling to Palestine, not necessar- said Ramallah, they kept asldng, 'Why?'" dents start to fall in love with them."
filled with stories written
by soldiers, called 'Breaking
the Silence.'"
"We all went over there
with an image of Palestinian
women and men," said
Worthy. "A stereotypical
image of women with their
heads covered up and men
being very different from
n American men."
i They came back with a
5 totally different perspective,
o Contrary to previous beliefs,
S the Palestinian people were
ID, some of the nicest individu-
c als they had ever met.
^ "I had a perception of
what Islamic extremists
might be, but I knew that
those people were not all
the same as the Palestinian
population," said Worthy. "The Palestinians
we met were very gracious and well-man
nered."
Carter said he always notices a difference
in the group after they return.
'They come back with a deep apprecia-
Guilford
remembers Tim
LaFollette '01
Tim LaFollette, pictured above with a
friend, smiles during a visit to the zoo.
Tim LaFollette '01 passed away on
August 23 after a more than two-year
struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease.
After LaFollete's diagnosis in 2009, his
friends started the group Often Awesome
to raise support for LaFollette and aware
ness of ALS. Often Awesome will continue
its mission to raise awareness of ALS as a
non-profit organization through its web
site, Oftenawesome.org.
"(LaFollette) taught me so much about
giving things another shot," said Catie
Braly '01, a friend and early member of
Often Awesome. "He got hurt so many
times ... and the next chance he got, he was
right back up there."
A memorial service will be held on
Saturday, Sept. 24, at 5:30 p.m. at New
Garden Friends Meeting.