Students across the nation react

The terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington have stunned U.S. citizens, including those currently attending colleges and universities, those who have not lived through world wars and major conflicts half a world away.\n"This is the Pearl Harbor of our generation," Emily Briley, a student at the University of Tennessee said online.\nMany other college students from across the nation echo her reaction.\nThe biggest incidents of the past 20 years have involved a space shuttle crash, small strikes on small nations and a homegrown terrorist attack in the southern Midwest. \nThere is nothing to compare with this most recent atrocity in the eyes of many students.\n"Oklahoma City was scary," said James O'Sullivan, who attends the University of Texas-Austin. "This was terrifying."\n"I was in complete shock," said Lock Haven University student Kelly Lewis. "I was always just kind of under the assumption that nothing of this magnitude would ever happen without any warning. This attack has taken everyone by surprise."\nNews of the morning's events spread quickly, both through media outlets and word of mouth.\n"I had a friend call me and tell me," said O'Sullivan, who had just woke up. "I was somewhat speechless."\n"A friend told me to put on CNN," Briley said. "When I saw what had happened, my heart started to race."\n"I was writing a memo that was due for a class when my roommate came back from the shower and turned on the cable," said Cody Mattson, who attends Colorado College of the Mines. "I was mad, sad and shocked all at the same time."\nBut for Mattson and other students, the classes went on. Many universities continued with a normal day's schedule, with the exception of a few schools. Opinions varied amongst students as to whether or not classes should have been held.\n"People like myself actually care about what's happening, and it's a state of emergency, but I know tons of people who don't care one bit and are using this time to party," June Hopkins said online, whose classes at Florida State were cancelled. "It's really disgraceful." \n"My classes were a productive discussion of the events," Mattson said, "so if that is representative of the classes in other colleges, then classes aren't a bad thing today."\nFranklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed Dec. 7, 1941 as "a date which will live in infamy." To that end, September 11, 2001 will most likely be remembered in the same context, students agree. \n Iowa State student Vince Stephans also looked back at U.S. history as guidance for the near future.\n"One of America's oldest mottos is 'Don't Tread On Me,'" he said. "We'll just see what happens now"