September 11 in two student newspapers -- CARLI Digital Collections Featured Image

Fourteen years ago terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and changed all of our lives. We don't greet friends at the airport gate, we don't toss toenail clippers into our carry-ons. Those of us who were over 21 at the time feel different kinds of anxiety when the topic of GTMO comes up, depending on our politics. We witnessed the death of irony and its rebirth into something that's the faintest bit softer. Today's post showcases two student editorials reporting on the September 11 attacks. Both were published on September 14, 2001.

North Park Press is the student newspaper of North Park University, a Christian liberal arts institution in Chicago. NPP's coverage of the attacks features three pages of stories from other news services. A professor of politics and government offers his analysis, and student reactions to the attacks fill up another page (featured image). Zach Danielson's editorial on page 6 concentrates on a message of non-hate: "The media (and our national leaders) have been quick to attribute these attacks to Palestinian terrorists ... [W]e must be vigilant about not lumping all Palestinians together with these terrorist groups."

The Encounter is the student newspaper of the University of St. Francis, a Catholic liberal arts institution in Joliet. The Encounter's front page is an emotional recounting of the how members of the St. Francis community received news of the attacks. Shannon McCarthy's editorial on page 6 is the only other content in the issue about the attacks. McCarthy contrasts her reaction of rage with the activities on campus: "Those that gathered in the grotto on September 12 prayed for peace. ... But now is not the time to forgive. An act of war was committed against the U.S., and the U.S. must respond in kind."

Written by Mary Rose, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville