Butch McCartney

A year ago the talk was of terrorism. Eyes were glued on the television sets throughout campus and nobody knew what to think.

Wednesday the campus quietly marked the first anniversary of the worst terrorist act on American soil with tributes, ceremonies and moments of silence.

“It’s been different than the usual day,” said junior Brian Krosschell, as he took a noon break on the campus mall.

Reminders of that Tuesday a year ago are abound; it’s more of a quiet, passive observance in this smaller, western Wisconsin college town – thousands of miles away from the attacks.

Eau Claire is peppered with reminders of Sept. 11. Rose petals hug parts of the shores of the Chippewa River from when they were dropped off the footbridge ceremoniously Wednesday morning. “Old Glory” lines Water Street and hangs at half-mast on all flagpoles throughout town. Some students wear red, white and blue bandanas, and T-shirts that read, “United We Stand” and “FDNY.”

To say the least, it’s eerie to turn on the television and hear the exact same broadcasts as a year ago. This time, they are just replays of one of the most remarkable days in American history.

“It’s weird seeing it all over again on TV,” freshman Katie Rynders said.

When people discuss the attacks, it’s more about the amazement of how quickly a year went by or reminiscing where they were when the World Trade Center towers came down.

Junior Kristi Hansen remembers getting ready for class last year and turning on the television to see it all unfold. She left for class just before the first tower fell.

“It’s sad to think that a year ago today so many people died,” said Hansen, a kinesiology major.

Annie Spychalla, a senior English/secondary education major, spent part of Wednesday speaking with an English 110 class that she mentors. The sentiment that everyone agreed upon was how much more appreciative everyone is of the freedoms that America provides.

“It isn’t until that freedom is threatened that you really realize that you need it,” Spychalla said.

But as one of the students in her class said, it’s unfortunate that it takes something of this magnitude to make everyone realize what is important to them.

Still, the fear is there. If they hit us once, what is there to stop them from doing it again? Government warnings of a “heightened terrorism alert” and a seemingly endless pursuit of a supposed mastermind behind it all only lead to uncertainty.

“I kind of am waiting for what’s going to happen,” Spychalla said. “I feel like I have a false sense of security.

“This was a shock for us,” she said. “People have had a hard time processing it.”

Processing the instant deaths of close to 3,000 people, an ambiguous “War on Terror,” sacrificing personal liberties for what a politician decides is in the interest of “national security” and worrying about what will happen next is more than most people can handle in one setting.

Hansen tries not to let it get the best of her. “I don’t think you can think about it on a daily basis,” she said. “Otherwise, you’ll go crazy.”

One thing remains true in the aftermath: Americans seem to be more aware that there is a world outside McDonald’s and MTV.

Did Sept. 11 change America? Maybe. Did it change Eau Claire? Maybe. Have the reactions of Americans made this country a better place to live? I’d like to think so.