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As the reality and gravity of the terrorist attacks on the United States began to sink in on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Syracuse University community members rallied to act.

• Thousands flocked to a Maxwell-sponsored blood drive the next day, eager to donate, and a collection of supplies for rescue workers was quickly organized.
• Administrators gave daily updates from Hendricks Chapel, and faculty members shared their expertise with members of the media and in public forums.
• The Office of Student Affairs offered support to students, and a fund was established to help students directly affected by the attacks.

At gatherings, the University and larger community came together to express their grief and resolve.

Nearly 2,000 people gathered outside of Hendricks Chapel to attend a vigil sponsored by the Student Association (SA). In the first football game following the attacks, members of the cheerleading squad placed American flags on each of the then-Carrier Dome’s 50,000 seats. Spectators waved the flags during a special pre-game show performed by the Pride of the Orange Marching Band.

In Their Own Words

Perhaps one of the most poignant tributes to those lost in and affected by the tragedy were the Sheets of Expression, an initiative also sponsored by SA. For several days following Sept. 11, large white sheets were spread out on the grass on the Quad in front of Hendricks Chapel, offering members of the community a blank canvas to share their messages.

“We felt it was important to allow students a chance to grieve,” SA President Ben Riemer ’02 told Syracuse University Magazine in 2001. “It turned out to be a great-community building event.”

The messages reflected the mood of members of the community in the early days following the attacks.

Among the messages:

• “Forget Superman. My dad and all NYC firefighters are real superheroes. I love you, Dad. I love you Steve, Father Mike and everyone else who has passed away because of this. Never will our lives be the same. Please pray for all those missing.”
• “If everyone believed in ‘an eye for an eye’ the world would be blind (Ghandi).”
• “There is something wrong with this world.”
• “I can’t count how many times I have gone past the Pentagon. Someone has attacked my home (D.C.). Never did I think that would ever happen. If there is anything positive from this, it is my hope that Americans and the world will come closer because of this tragedy.”
• “8:45 a.m.”
• “Hug someone today because you can.”
• “Forgive us.”
• “I’ll never understand how this problem began but I’ll do anything I can to help fix it.”
• “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved through understanding (Albert Einstein).”
• “Terrorism is nothing new to our campus. In 1988 we dealt with the loss of 35 of our own students as well as many other innocent victims when Pan Am 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. Again, we relive the pain with the attack on America in the past few days. When is it ever going to stop? Why do innocent lives need to be lost to make a point? Those who were lost will never be forgotten. We will always remember you and work towards the promise of a better tomorrow.”

University community members were also given opportunities to share their thoughts on sheets on the first anniversary in 2002 and the 10th anniversary in 2011. All of the sheets are kept in the as part of the .

Riemer, now an attorney in Dallas, still remembers the deep impact on the SU community.

“We didn’t know if there were more attacks coming, most people assumed there were, and it was just a very scary and sad time,” he says. “We came up with the Sheets of Expression as a way for students to have an outlet to express themselves.”

He also remembers the vigil that SA held in Hendricks Chapel.

“The entire chapel was filled, shoulder to shoulder, and there was hardly a dry eye in sight. It was good to be together,” he says. “I remember walking out on the Quad and reading some of the things people had written and being overcome. I can’t believe it’s been 25 years.”