Written by Scott Wilson and Terrell Parks<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people remember where they were on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Chris Valenti, who is currently the Assistant Director of Programming and Integrations at SUNY Cortland, was a student at SUNY Institute of Technology on that tragic morning. As a regular college student studying computer applications, the day had begun like any other. He attended his 8 a.m. class with no idea of the events that had taken place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was in class that morning. I didn\u2019t know anything was happening,\u201d Valenti said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After returning to his dorm, he took a nap and woke up to students in the hallway talking about classes being canceled. He went to see what was going on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI came out and asked, \u2018Hey, are classes canceled?\u2019 Someone said \u2018Yeah.\u2019 I asked, \u2018Why?\u2019 And they told me, \u2018The towers were hit,\u201d Valenti said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Valenti walked into the common room and joined a room full of stunned students. When he sat down, both towers of the World Trade Center had collapsed. He was shocked to see the images on screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe only thing I could compare it to would be how people must have felt during Pearl Harbor. Something completely unexpected and devastating,\u201d Valenti said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like many college campuses, SUNY Institute of Technology shifted from a regular weekday to a somber one. Students crowded around televisions, searching for updates and trying to contact family members and loved ones. Many couldn\u2019t reach their families because phone lines were overwhelmed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo one really knew what to say. Everyone was just stunned,\u201d Valenti said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That evening, President George W. Bush addressed the nation. Typically, students would spend time outside on campus in the quad areas. This time, it was different. The campus went silent as everyone gathered to watch the speech on television. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The impact of Sept. 11 changed the way people traveled. Valenti flew about a month after the attacks and experienced a new level of uncertainty and fear. Airport security increased, and travelers were required to remove shoes and have their bags inspected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A similar fear returned in 2003 during the Northeast blackout. With no explanation for the outage at first, many wondered if another attack was happening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor hours, nobody knew what caused it. Everyone immediately thought it might be another attack,\u201d Valenti said. \u201cThat fear never fully went away.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the shock and anxiety, Valenti also remembers a sense of unity that emerged following the attacks on 9\/11. Neighborhoods displayed flags, and communities organized blood drives as people supported one another regardless of political beliefs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat was one of the few positive things to come out of it. The country really united,\u201d said Valenti. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t buy an American flag anywhere; they were sold out everywhere because everyone wanted to display one.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even far from New York City, Americans showed compassion. When Valenti traveled in October that year, people noticed his New York identification and approached him with kind words and encouragement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I flew to Arizona that October, people saw \u2018New York\u2019 on my ID and would come up and say things like, \u2018We\u2019re with you. We\u2019re thinking of you,\u2019\u201d Valenti said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t matter that I wasn\u2019t from the city, people just wanted to connect, to show support.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 20 years later, the memory of watching the twin towers fall and thinking about the lives of first responders and civilians has stayed. \u201cThat\u2019s something I\u2019ll never forget,\u201d said Valenti. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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