A DECADE LATER, UNM REFLECTS

The UNM community, along with the rest of the nation, watched in shock 10 years ago as terrorists attacked the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

Classes were canceled and students crowded around television screens at the Frontier Restaurant and Saggios, according to the Sept. 12, 2001 issue of the Daily Lobo.

“It’s hard to offer the University’s reaction to Tuesday morning’s events, but I think everyone feels the same way — this is one of the most enormous human tragedies ever in our history,” said the former-UNM President Bill Gordon the day after the attacks.

Nearly 150 students attended a vigil outside the UNM Bookstore after the attacks.

That afternoon, UNM student Corey Mello, 21, told the Daily Lobo the event was a crisis, one that she’d never before experienced.

“This is all very upsetting and shocking,” she said. “It’s horrifying – I don’t know how else to put it.”

The week following the attacks, University groups offered art therapy, counseling at the Student Health Center, demonstrations and more vigils.

A candlelight vigil was held at the Duck Pond.

“Our goal is to form a human chain with candles around the Duck Pond to show our support for those suffering in New York City and Washington, D.C.,” said Steve Aguilar, then-ASUNM vice president.

The day after the attacks, the Daily Lobo published a special edition of the newspaper featuring student reactions, letters from students and University community members and nationwide news of the previous day’s attacks.

“It’s the student newspaper’s job to inform the community about events that affect the campus,” said former Daily Lobo editor-in-chief Iliana Limon. “We pooled our resources to achieve that goal in this edition of the Daily Lobo. It’s the newspaper’s job to be a strong voice on campus, but we have been hard-pressed to generate any pearls of wisdom that can make sense of Tuesday’s attacks.”