Ripples

Home

First Wave

Undertow

Reflections

Stepping Stones

Weblogs

Contributors

About Us

Archive

Freshmen Keep Their Cool in September
By Zack Winston

On the morning of September 11th, Jeff Day awoke to some very drastic news. Along with the rest of the world he watched on TV as our country was attacked by terrorists, but Day was just a few miles away. Day is a freshman, in his first semester at New York University. Two weeks prior to the attacks he was saying goodbye to his parents, on his own for the first time in his life. Day is from California, and when he applied to NYU he knew he wouldn't see his family until Christmas break. What he did not know was that two weeks into the school year New York City would become a war zone.

Being a freshman at NYU is a unique experience this year. When you are suddenly living in an area that is a known target to terrorists, it is only natural to second-guess your choice of university. A freshman may think, Maybe New York City isn't where I want to be right now. Maybe Happy Valley (Penn State) is looking a little better now that I think about it.

I asked a few freshmen how they were fazed by the tragic events that occurred. The answers were surprising. This is how it went:

"I went out to a bar all day." Day says with a smirk. "I wasn't worried. I'm still glad I chose NYU." The bar may be an unusual place to go during a national crisis, but apparently a lot of students did the same when they found out school was canceled. "I went there with five friends. There were other NYU kids there too." What about your mom? She must have been worried. "She freaked out! She told me to come home."

Freshman Jesse York responded much like Day. "I wasn't worried. I went outside and was in shock, but I wasn't concerned or anything. If I knew somebody in the building I would feel different, I suppose." York, who is from Florida admitted that his mother was rattled. "She was upset," he says. "She wanted me home."

Freshman Matt Cull was surprisingly unfazed by the horror. "My teacher actually continued with class because he was stuck in Manhattan anyway. I guess it took a couple of days to even realize the scope of things. The day of it seemed almost like a movie set, it was very surreal." One of his classmates, however, was upset. "There was a girl in my class that was going to have dinner with a friend that worked at the Trade Towers that day and she was really upset. I found out that the guy didn't make it out."

Not all students have taken these attacks so well. There have been dropouts since the incident. NYU won't say that the incident is the cause of the dropouts because the collapse happened right around the time where students decide if NYU is the right choice. They say that student dropout numbers usually increase at this time of the year.

NYU has offered extensive counseling for all students, but especially freshmen, to help them cope with the tragic events. Faculty from all of the schools also led discussion groups where students could vent their frustrations and get referrals to some of the other services that NYU has provided.

The freshmen interviewed here were very level-headed. They felt much like the rest of us do; if you knew somebody, you were a mess, but if not this was a voyeuristic event. It captured the interest because nothing like this ever occurred before. Compounding the problem for NYU students was the fact that it unfolded in their backyards, or the fact that they can smell burning plastic in the air. This is history and like everyone else, they wanted to see what the deal was.

Their parents on the other hand, had very different views. They saw footage of the planes crashing into skyscrapers every 15 seconds and wanted to know that their child was safe. The only way they were reassured is when their child was out of the city and back at home. "You don't know what they will attack next," York's mom warned him, and Cull's mom pleaded, "Don't go anywhere downtown." It is understandable for them to be concerned, but there is a feeling of safety here now because of the camaraderie that has developed.

The mayor, NYU, and the community at large have come together since the attacks to make sure that our way of life isn't drastically altered. They have helped get everyone get back normal. Day says, "NYU has done a great job during this time. The transition back into doing work has been smooth. I think a lot of people appreciated their efforts, especially the freshmen."

Have something to say? email the author

Contributors | About Us | Archive