UConn marks 16th anniversary of 9/11

The University of Connecticut marked the 16th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks yesterday with wreaths in the Student Union.

“Please take a moment to remember those we lost on September 11, 2001. We ask that you tie a ribbon on this wreath in their memory,” each wreath read. The wreaths were set up in various locations throughout the Student Union, including at a few of the main entrances and in the food court. They had red, white and blue ribbons attached to them and each had a basket of more ribbons that students could tie.

Shortly after the night of September 11, 2001, over 3,000 students, faculty and staff came together for a candlelight vigil on the Student Union Mall to remember the victims of the attack, according to a 2011 UConn Today article.

“Yesterday, we as a University, as a community, experienced horror, terror, fear and uncertainty. We will remember September 11, 2001 for the rest of our lives, and it may turn out to be the defining moment of our lives. Our grief, our sorrow, will stay with us, but we will move forward. Let us realize our common humanity and appreciate the compassion surrounding us this evening as we begin to heal,” then-Undergraduate Student Government president Chris Hattayer said to the crowd.

That spring, UConn’s 2002 graduating class started a scholarship fund titled the “Class of 2002 September 11 UConn Education Fund,” designed to provide scholarships for children of the victims of the attack.

Eight members of the UConn community are known to have died in the attacks: Richard “Rick” Blood, Jr. ‘97; Evan Gillette ‘83; Robert Higley ‘94; Joseph A Lenihan ‘82, ‘84 MBA; Scott J. O’Brien ‘83; Margaret Q. Orloske ‘73; Cheryl Monyak ‘79, ‘81 MBA and Sean Schielke ‘96.

Gabriella DeBenedictis is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at gabriella.debenedictis@uconn.edu.