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Vigil stirs emotions
By Joseph Palmersheim
 Media Credit: Jessica Tonsfeldt Students and faculty join together to light candles and show their signs of tribute.A candlelight vigil is held at the Atwood Mall to remember those lost in the September 11th attacks.
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The vigil for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks took place Wednesday on the Atwood Mall.
The vigil drew an estimated 300 students, many of whom held candles in the early evening twilight to the strains of “Give Peace a Chance,” and “Imagine,” both by John Lennon.
The ceremony was short and somber, as representatives from various student groups brought up posters to show support and solidarity with the victims.
The vigil began at 7 pm. with an introduction about historical occurrences on Sept. 11, most of which had to do with American imperialism and culminating with the final date of the attacks.
The point of the speech was that nothing good comes from hate, as the attacks would attest to.
The audience was quiet and respectful throughout the vigil.
Many crowd members linked arms as a show of solidarity and support for one another. The crowd even swayed a bit as people sang during “Imagine.”
There were flags representing several countries, including Britain and Japan, hanging from the roof of Atwood Center. Notably absent was the American flag, which was nowhere to be seen at the vigil. The seeming lack of patriotism drew several complaints from those attending.
“There were no American flags, and they didn’t seem to say much about 9-11,” said freshman Shawn Nelson.
“I don’t think there were enough American flags at the vigil. That was a real shocker,” said freshman Missy Hall.
There was also another complaint that there wasn’t enough interaction with the people in the crowd.
“It could have been done in a more group oriented way. I think they could have people be more involved,” said freshman Victoria Stromme.
There was a small memorial on the steps with a large candle with a peace symbol and roses donated by random strangers.
Several other small candles, providing an impromptu barrier between the crowd and the large candle, encircled the memorial.
Sept. 11, 2001 was a horrific day in American history, and after the one-year anniversary many people still seek a sense of closure.
The horror and shock are still very real for some people, but vigils such as this provide people with an outlet for grieving and creating support systems.
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