A head of state was captured Saturday afternoon, but many in Eastern’s community agreed with President George Bush’s recent words.

“The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq,” Bush said in a presidential address following Saddam’s placement in custody.

Students and faculty expressed initial excitement as news sources reported celebration in the streets of Iraq. The Eastern community questioned what comes next.

Saddam was captured just outside of Tikrit, ending efforts to detain him stretching back to 1990.

“It’s truly a historic day,” said associate political science professor Ryan Hendrickson.

Hendrickson said reconstruction in Iraq rests heavily on the Bush administration’s willingness to work with the United Nations and others, but was optimistic about what this means to U.S. soldiers.

“In the short term, I don’t think there’ll be any change in policies,” he said. “I do think this will give a great morale boost to American troops over there.”

The conflict between the two main Islamic sects, Shiites and Sunnis, is historic, stemming from Islam and the arguments over Mohammed’s successors. It is tension that could be heightened with Saddam’s capture since the Sunnis were his main supporters and might now feel even more threatened, said history professor Roger Beck.

“Most Americans don’t even know most of this. They just see it as this bad guy and now we’ve got him,” Beck said. “We’ve got to try to get these people to live together and that has never been done before.”

Those in the United States and overseas are understandably excited over the news, but Beck said he was unsure that would last.

He said Iraqi women are even concerned they will have less freedom now than under Saddam, depending on who lobbies for power.

“It is not just going to be a simple as the Bush administration tried to paint it,” he said.

Beck said the more students in his classes know, the more they are beginning to question the U.S.’ role in Iraq.

Political science graduate student Drew Weatherford said he was happy the United States caught someone known in the international community as dictator, but helping reconstruct the Iraqi government is a task still ahead.

“I think it could help with a war on terror if we get an ally over there,” he said. “I ‘d like to see us finish what we started.”

U.S. authorities have not yet determined whether to hand Saddam over to the Iraqis for trial, and he is being kept at an undisclosed location, an Associated Press story said Sunday.

Whether those excited over Saddam’s capture will stay that way will depend as more information is released and Iraq moves on from here, said senior speech major Hannah Goldberg.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to know why they’re happy. They’re just going to be happy,” she said.

Junior journalism major April McLaren said under 10 have already been deployed to Colorado from her National Guard unit based in Champaign.

The Bravo Company Forward Support Battalion of about 100 is being split up again, something that has not happened since Sept. 11, 2001, she said.

Recently, several of the maintenance unit were deployed to take over for others leaving Colorado to serve overseas. She said the rest of her unit is listed on a roster for possible deployment over the next three months.

McLaren has been in the Guard since April 2002. She said she was emotional over the news of Saddam’s capture.

“Just because we have him, I know that it’s not over,” she said. “He just seemed too calm. I still think he’s got something up his sleeve.”

News reports said Saddam seemed tired and defiant after his capture.

“Just because Saddam’s gone doesn’t mean everyone’s going to treat (each other) equally,” said senior speech communication major Jena Roark.

Roark is a member of McLaren’s guard unit. She agreed Sunday’s news is especially beneficial for U.S. forces.

“It will definitely be a morale boost for the troops,” Roark said. “They’re so down because all they’ve been doing is fighting.”

Saddam’s capture could also have an effect on the U.S. economy.

“The U.S. dollar will rise. It’s a real typical response,” said associate economics professor Noel Brodsky. “It’s a piece of news that will give the U.S. a stronger position in the world.”

He said strength from this event will likely be short lived, but it could be a different situation if the United States and others manage to rebuild the Iraqi government.

“There aren’t any long-term consequences for the economy,” Brodsky said. “Folks have generally accepted we have a very tough job to do there.”