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No turning back now
Imagine that you’ve been living in a small town and have decided, after much consideration, to enroll in New York University. Perhaps you’ve left your friends and family halfway across the country, knowing they would worry about the muggings and robberies that small town residents so often associate with big-city life. You’re just settling into your dorm, starting to make new friends, figuring out how to get to class when suddenly you find yourself a few blocks away from the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history. You may be tempted to re-think your decision to move here once again—and head back home. Or maybe not. So far, there’s no evidence that NYU’s new freshmen and first-year transfer students are leaving the city. "I know this isn’t going to be a typical semester," says Ben Heiss, who transferred this fall to NYU from Wheaton College in rural Norton, Massachusetts. "My impression of the school has been affected, and my feelings about the students aren’t normal. Professors haven’t even been approaching classes in the same way." Still, Heiss has no plans to leave. Feelings of uncertainty are common, but most new students are persevering. "There are outgoing people, and then there are the people who sit in the back of the class and try to be invisible," says Mary Phillips, a freshman from San Louis Obispo, California. "I think NYU attracts more those outgoing students that aren’t going to let this tragedy sway them from New York." Anecdotal reports suggest that others share Phillips’ sentiments. Only one student of NYU’s second largest dorm at 80 Lafayette has packed her bags and headed back to the West Coast. This dorm houses approximately 1,250 students and was evacuated for one night following the events on September 11. According to Lori Coveler, the dorm’s resident assistant, the student who withdrew was a senior from California. Most students, however, aren’t letting the terrorist attack change their lifestyle. Classes have returned to normal, with most professors tweaking class work to accommodate missed class time. If we let our lives be totally affected and changed by this tragedy, we’d be "giving the people who did this some sort of validation," says Phillips. Ben Glaser, a student from Minnetonka, Minnesota, says his attitude about life in the city hasn’t changed much since September 11th. "I’m going to continue to party," he says, "I partied the night after the attack and I am still partying." Indeed, flyers advertising "Drink for $5" still were slid under the doors of freshman dorm rooms by the Friday night after the tragedy. In some ways, the distance that many new students feel from the WTC events is understandable. Though many lived precariously close to Ground Zero, they were not likely to have known someone who died or to have deep connections with the city’s police or firefighters who lost their lives. In interviews, new students said the possibility of street crime remains a greater concern than another potential terrorist attack. Most students, however, seem more preoccupied with day-to-day —albeit with a new perspective. "My problems, probably typical of many college students, like being homesick or having a lot of work to catch up on, appear so trivial in comparison to what is going on," says Jennifer Krieger, a freshman who resides in a building on Broome Street. Many new students say they’ve been struck by an unanticipated friendliness among New Yorkers. The feeling of community has become almost as visible amongst NYU students as body piercing and tattoos. Several students reported making new friends, despite the cancellation of many orientation activities. They credit an increased sense of openness around dorms and in class. Meanwhile, new students—and returning students as well—are continuing to plow through their schoolwork and enjoy their free time, just like college students anywhere. Despite the tragic event that happened just blocks away, "I still think New York City is the greatest place to live," Phillips says.
Adam Gagliardo is a student at NYU. He can be reached by e-mail at ajg240@nyu.edu.
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