The ASUNM Senate commemorated the Sept. 11 anniversary Wednesday during both its meeting and at the Duck Pond for a candlelight vigil held in honor of the memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks.
Associated Students of UNM Vice President Heather Gabel set the tone during the meeting when she told senators that they would break at 7:30 p.m. to attend the candle light vigil.
"This is not mandatory," Gabel said. "We realize people have to deal with this in their own way."
Senate pro-tempore Paul Campbell addressed the importance of the Sept. 11 anniversary.
"I agree that the deaths of 3,052 people on American soil is a deep tragedy and my heart goes out to the survivors and the surviving victims," Campbell said.
He urged the Senate not to consider this the greatest tragedy in the world in our current time, citing the thousands of lives lost yearly to alcohol-related deaths and pointing out that tragedies such as this are not limited to the United States.
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Campbell gave his view of what it meant to be a patriot.
"To me it is not a simple act of placing a flag in the windshield of my car, but it is the needful act of making sure that the American dream is accessible to everyone," he said. "Patriotism is fighting against the persecution of our fellow Muslim and Arab-Americans. Many Arab-Americans are told to 'go home,' even though they live on Main Street, America."
The special Senate committee for Sept. 11 then gave a presentation of images taken in New York City and the Pentagon one year ago, ending with the message "In memory of those lost September 11, 2001. God Bless America." The presentation was followed by a moment of silence and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Many senators were moved to tears.
Sen. Nicol†s Cabrera, co-chairman of the Sept. 11 committee, said that it was important for people to remember what happened on that day.
"The presentation was just a reminder of what happened that day although for some of us those images are still fresh in our mind," Cabrera said. "There are just raw emotions released when you see those images. It is a defining moment in our generation."
After passing several bills dealing with the rollover of funds by the finance committee, the Senate broke for the vigil, although not all the senators decided to go.
"I'm frustrated," Sen. Tim Serna said about why he did not attending the vigil. "The way things work here is everything is focused on us. People need to crack open a book and figure out why it happened. Look back on policies, look back on procedures and see how many countries the United States controls. If people would ask those questions, there would be a lot less people at that vigil and a lot more people seriously thinking about what they're doing."
Serna said he was glad to be an American, but he was not proud.
"It would make me proud to see this country function on what it was supposedly founded on," he said. "It was founded on equality and freedom but so far this country has been a system of oppression and robbery and thievery and corruption and it's just gotten worse and worse over the years. When I can be who I want to be and live with the civil liberties everybody talks about, that's when I'll be proud to be an American."
The vigil was sponsored by ASUNM and Student Special Events. SSE handed out candles and student Regent Eric Anaya thanked the crowd of about 300 for taking time to honor those who lost their lives.
ASUNM President Jennifer Onuska, GPSA President Lorena Olmos and Eliseo Torrez, the vice president of student affairs, also spoke to the crowd.
Students then circled around the Duck Pond as Craig Chamberlain played "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes. The students placed their candles around the circumference of the Duck Pond as they sang "America the Beautiful."
Sen. Chris Bitakis attended the vigil and said he was proud of the people that showed up.
"I'd be embarrassed right now if I looked around and saw an American not honoring this day in one way or another," Bitakis said. "I think that would be a total disgrace."
Co-chairman Brian Lucero said that the tragedy affected everyone, not just Americans.
"This day is to provide sympathy and empathy for humanity," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're an American or what nationality or ethnicity you are. When you look at what happened last year, that wasn't supposed to happen, it doesn't matter who it is. I can understand Sen. Serna's viewpoints, but I think this is a day to sympathize, not criticize. I am still proud to be an American."
The meeting reconvened when the vigil ended. The Senate passed a bloc of presidential appointees and addressed the progress of the recycling, marketing and book exchange committees before adjourning the meeting.
