Ohio University students, staff and faculty gathered to watch live news footage and reflect on the events of Sept. 11, 2001
Amid the chaos of Sept. 11, 2001, Ohio University opened the doors of Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
OU students, faculty and staff filtered into to MemAud to watch the terrorist attacks in New York City and the aftermath unfold live on television.
People caught up on news footage during their lunch hour or breaks between classes.
“When I first heard about what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, it was in the morning and I was in my office, and my wife who also works on campus called me and said, ‘I think a plane just crashed into one of the World Trade towers in New York,’ and we just both thought at the time, ‘Well, these things happen sometimes,’" Bill Kimok, university archivist and records manager, said. “That’s all I thought of it, and then next thing I know I started getting phone calls and I literally saw people out the windows looking like they were rushing to places.”
For much of day, details of the attacks were unclear. Many tried to reach their family and friends in New York; others worried that Cleveland may be the next target of terrorists.
International students were urged to “be alert” in an email from Joe Rota, former associate provost for international programs, and Alan Boyd, former director of international student and faculty services.
“As you go about your day we advise that you avoid provocative discussions or other confrontations that could lead to conflicts,” the email read. “Some students or Athens residents may have strong feelings about these events and react without thought.”
The university remained open, and professors were allowed to decide whether or not to cancel their classes.
“Although it may be controversial, we decided to keep the university open to allow the opportunity for dialogue and to maintain a sense of orderliness and stability as we and the nation try to understand and respond to today’s tragedies,” Gary Schumacher, former interim provost, said during a candlelight vigil that night.
Kimok, who taught a freshman class, decided to continue with class as scheduled.
“I think routine was important,” Kimok said. “I think maintaining a routine was a way of feeling secure about it. Coming into work, going to classes, it was a way for people to carry on.”
The evening after the attacks and in the days that followed, various campus groups organized additional vigils and campus conversations.
Student Senate recruited blood donors, offered free long-distance phone calls and distributed white ribbons near the College Gate.
Nearby churches held interfaith prayer services and students and faculty shared poetry and performed readings.
“It wasn’t like people were running frantically around the campus, they were absorbing this quietly, talking to one another about it,” Kimok said.
Emails expressing sympathy and solidarity poured into former President Robert Glidden’s mailbox from universities in Thailand, Germany, France and other countries across the world.
“In this time of crisis I ask us all to remember that we are one community, a community that places high value on respect for every individual, that celebrates its diversity, and that upholds civility as a critical characteristic of the academy,” Glidden said two weeks after the attacks. “Let us not relinquish our role or fall short of our challenge.”
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