It was a night of song and spirituality.

The Illinois 2002 Teacher of the Year and Eastern alumnus Robert Grimm will speak at 7 p.m. tonight in Buzzard Auditorium.

About 800 students, faculty and staff along with Charleston community members gathered Wednesday night in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union to memorialize the people who tragically lost their lives in last year's terrorist attacks.

A Weller Hall student pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of child pornography and will be sentenced Nov. 7.

Mary Anne Hanner, dean of the college of sciences, has asked the council on academic affairs to designate 13 biology courses as writing intensive.

The Apportionment Board will meet with the boards it funds at its first meeting at 7 p.m. at the Arcola-Tuscola Room today.

It is nearly impossible to find anyone who didn't look at the world differently after Sept. 11.

I recall sitting in my office hearing the secretaries in the front office talk about a horrific site on the television in the library. The first thought that went through my head was the possibility of another school shooting. Everyone was talking about what a terrible accident and there was not a thought at that time that terrorism was at hand. I sat there watching in amazement. I then traveled back and forth from my office to the library to watch. I was just coming back into the library when the second tower was hit. Amazement, disbelief, and fear were on the thoughts of everyone. Not much later, I was informed of the Pentagon's trouble. Now fear was at the forefront.

The tragic events of Sept. 11 have changed the way that I live now and it will for as long as I shall live. I live about 30 minutes away from the city of Chicago and I can remember all of the emotions I felt that day. However, I do remember fear being the most dominant emotion at that time. I was so concerned that my city was going to be next. I mean, if something like this could hapen in New York, then it could definitely happen in Chicago. Chicago to me is probably the next biggest city other than New York and is also a target to the terrorists. This led me to believe that we would be next.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001 hit hard in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. After shocks were felt not only across the United States, but around the world. The unthinkable acts of terrorism that occurred left me with feelings of shock, anger, sadness and fear. Even now, these feelings are still with me.

September 11, 2001, a day that will never be forgotten. Terror, confusion, rage, and loss were all emotions running through the hearts of every American. The once indestructible nation brought down by an act of hate that would forever change the security felt by everyone affected. As the twin towers began to crumble so did the perception of power that the U.S.A. once held. At 9:30 on that infamous day was a morning that would alter my ways of thinking forever.

The morning of September 11th, 2001 was horrible for me because I was late for my 9:00 am class and I had not listened to the radio or had seen the news. My friend could not stop talking about what she had seen on the news that morning and since I was late, I had to ask what happened. Everyone looked at me in dead silence. "Didn't you see the news?" asked the professor.