Come 9:45 a.m. today, Shafer Tower's bell will begin to chime. It won't be because of a strong gust of wind or to impress visiting alumni. It will be to remind everyone of what happened seven years ago.
It would be a lie to say Sept. 11 is beginning to fade from people's memories. Every time we turn the TV channel to political news coverage, someone is bringing it up.
What is easy to let slip into the backs of our minds is what it means for us today.
Many of us were only in high school, if not middle school, when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and one into a field in Pennsylvania. Although it's been the better part of a decade and Ground Zero is about 700 miles from Ball State University, we are still able to see the effects of the attack here on campus.
The attacks brought attention to a part of the world many of us genuinely ignored. After Sept. 11, the U.S. realized it wasn't as impenetrable or invulnerable as many of us pretended it was. Because of this, hate, anger and fear caused a lot of bigotry toward Islam, the Middle East and its people.
Things here were no different.
But instead of returning the anger, many Muslim students responded by educating the rest of the campus through speeches and programs such as Islamic Awareness Week, helping breed tolerance and acceptance.
Since then the tensions have lessened. You can see the university is becoming more interested in learning about that part of the world. Courses are beginning to study the Middle East more than they used to, offering all of us a chance to learn about a culture more than we would have been able to 10 years ago.
Beyond the latent effects, Ball State students will be remembering the day with University Democrats' and College Republicans' candlelight vigil, showing that - although Sept. 11's political implications abound - it's not who winds up in the White House that matters today.
Whether you know someone, or know someone who knows someone, who fell victim that day seven years ago, our country, our city and our school have changed. Just because you don't directly know someone involved in the attack, Sept. 11 has caused more changes than regulations forcing you to take your shoes off at the airport.
When you hear the bells ringing as you walk to class this morning, don't let it slip your mind. They are ringing for a reason.
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