outside of Tuesday and Thursday’s activity hours, the main event is planned for Thursday between 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Luis Barrera, president of Associated Students, will be the Master of Ceremonies as a number of guest speakers from the police and fire departments address students at the Clock Tower. The Student Trustee, the Dean of Student Life and English professor Wilfred Doucet will also say a few words, while Roni, of roniz Backstreet poetri, is expected to perform original works and SMC students sing the National Anthem.

Scott said the Associated Students felt it was important to do something to commemorate the event in order to remember and to heal.

“9/11 marked the largest amount of lives lost on American soil in a long time. It’s one of those things in our generation where no one will forget where they were when it happened,” she said.

Barrera agreed that the events of 9/11 came as a shock to everyone, leaving them feeling vulnerable and violated.

“I feel that most Americans don’t know that these types of things happen all over the world every day, and the attacks on Sept. 11 showed us that it can even happen here,” Barrera said. He felt that observing the day would give students a sense of “power to unite and overcome all of this.”

One year later it is clear that around the country, the wounds opened by the terror attacks have not yet healed. To that end, individuals, groups and the city have organized various Sept. 11 events involving the wider Santa Monica community.
At 7 p.m. on the south side of the Pier, the Santa Monica Interfaith Council is holding ceremonies with inspirational music, tributes to emergency responders by the police and fire departments, a tribute to the survivors, special readings by community members and a closing ceremony of remembrance and hope.

And throughout the day, Santa Monica CityTV Channel 16 is producing “Santa Monica Remembers Sept. 11,” where locals share their thoughts on the tragedy and how it has affected them, the community and the nation.

Scott felt that “people are working towards moving on, but it’s hard to work through things rationally when there is still so much anger.”

Asked whether the inevitable upsurge of emotions during the observances would give rise to discussions of race relations, Scott said, “It’s not about that. Wednesday’s observances are not about politics or a chance to point fingers or place blame. It’s just about remembering a tragic day in U.S. history and honoring those lost. You can’t move forward without acknowledging what happened.”

Both Barrera and Scott felt that students could improve race relations and intercultural understanding on campus in their everyday lives.

“We need to be open-minded, listen to what people have to say, be aware and search out the news, not just on TV but in all media to get knowledgeable about what’s going on,” Scott said.

Barrera agreed. “It was a great tragedy but as students we must remember that we hold the key to the future of our country and must know that the choices we make affect the whole world. We must keep studying and open out minds to new possibilities,” he said.

SMC Superintendent Piedad F. Robertson has encouraged all SMC professors to use the anniversary as a forum for discussion in their classrooms. In her e-mail to faculty, she echoed the sentiments of the Associated Students in organizing the observances.

She wrote, “I believe it’s important to remember the victims, to honor the men and women of the fire and police departments who sacrificed their lives, and to learn perhaps the most crucial lesson of 9/11: that we must reach out to each other and to the world to end violence.”

Scott hopes that the observance activities planned on campus, such as lighting candles around a memorial with flowers and a wreath, will help students to reach out, to reflect and to heal.