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4A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
9/11
Relatives remember victims of attacks
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2005
BY AMY WESTFELDT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — America mourned the victims of Sept. 11 on Sunday as the siblings of the deceased read their loved ones' names to a weeping crowd at the site where the World Trade Center once stood.
One by one, the names of the dead echoed across the site where the twin towers collapsed four years ago in a nightmarish cloud of dust and debris. The ceremony drew to a close after four hours, the time it took to read the 2,749 names.
"Mom and Dadache for you every minute," Linda Giammona-Julian said to her brother, Vincent Giammona, one of 343 firefighters killed. "We love you and we watch; ti me meet again."
Relatives in the crowd bowed their heads and sobbed as speakers uttered brief, personal messages to the brothers and sisters they lost, many voices breaking in sorrow.
"My big sister, my better half, life will never be the same without you," Rolando Moreno said to Yette Moreno, who worked for
a brokerage in the north tower.
As the names were read, weeping mourners filed down a ramp to a reflecting memorial pool at the floor of the site, which remains virtually empty four years after the attack killed 2,749 people and tore a hole in the New York skyline. Families filled the water with red, orange and yellow roses, some shaking as they inscribed dedications on the wooden edge of the pool.
The ceremony came as Hurricane Katrina left Americans once again struggling with a catastrophe that caught the nation unprepared and left citizens dead and grieving.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg opened with words of condolence for those devastated by Katrina and the terrorist bombings in the London Underground.
"To Americans suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, our deepest sympathies go out to you this day," Bloomberg said.
In New Orleans, New York firefighters helping with the relief effort gathered around a makeshift memorial for their fallen comrades, accepting the gift of a bell from a nearby
church_whose steeple was destroyed in the storm.
Rescue workers in Biloxi, Miss., took a break from searching for the storm's missing to remember those who died in the Sept. 11 attacks. At a special Mass, parishioners applauded and thanked two retired New York City firefighters for their efforts on the Gulf Coast.
For the local emergency workers, honoring their New York comrades while dealing with their own destruction was particularly important.
"Now we can relate," said Deputy Biloxi Fire Chief Kirk Noffsinger.
The ground zero ceremony paused for moments of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time at which a hijacked jelliner crashed into the north tower, at 9:03 a.m., the moment a second plane struck the south tower, at 9:59 a.m., when the south tower fell and at 10:29 a.m., when the second tower collapsed.
Many relatives looked to the clear, bright morning sky as they spoke to the brothers and sisters they lost. Several held up photos of their loved ones.
Sigma Nu officials would like to return to campus and re-establish the fraternity on campus "in the near future," Beacham said.
Charter
have the option of joining another fraternity and must find another place to live.
Sigma Nu has been a member of the University's greek community for 121 years.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
"Sigma Nu appreciates KU's long-standing commitment to building a vibrant and successful greek community and we look forward to being a part of that community again," Beacham said.
This marks the second time
in six months that a national organization has revoked the charter of a local chapter.
Last April, Phi Kappa Theta had its charter revoked after the fraternity hosted an unregistered party. The Interfraternity Council Board later expelled the chapter from campus.
— Edited by Jonathan Kealing
Discussion
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Diverse perspectives were represented, including four university students who were part of an international perspectives panel. Each of the four was from a different continent.
The need for security in their home countries and American perceptions of foreigners were popular topics.
Kengo Terada, Kashiwa Japan, senior, said after Sept. 11, Japan realized it may need to protect itself from another country or another group outside of Japan.
"I understand why, but I don't think it's the right thing." Burduli said. "It needs
"We kind of felt scared because we didn't have any experiences protecting ourselves." Terada said.
Giorgi Burduli, Tbilisi,
Georgia, sophomore, said he
he didn't think Americans felt
safe around people from the
Middle East since Sept. 11.
to be fixed."
Burduli told a story about was flying to New York City. When his plane landed, he turned on his cell phone to call a friend who was supposed to meet him there. When he spoke in his native language, everyone on the plane looked at him.
"They thought I was a terrorist," he said. "I could see their scared faces. It was too weird."
Julia Melim Coelho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, junior and University Daily Kansan columnist, said arriving in the United States as an international student after Sept. 11 made her feel vulnerable.
She said the first time she came after Sept.11,it took three hours to get through customs.
"The first impression you have is people asking all sorts of questions. It feels really invasive," Coelho said. "They get your fingerprints and your picture, just like getting arrested."
Ifeoluwa Omoniyi, Nige-
"We kind of felt scared because we didn't have any experiences protecting ourselves."
selves."
Kengo Terada Kashiwa, Japan, senior
na sophomore, said he is now against heightened security inside the United States because everyone wants to feel safe.
Portillo said last year only 50 people attended, a number matched this year by the end of the first panel.
She said she wants to expand the project for next year, and she is looking for volunteers to help with planning. To be a part of the committee, send and email to septpro@ku.edu.
Edited by Katie Lohrenz
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