September 11, 2001, will not only be a day that will live in infamy, but a day that will always be remembered for the sheer terror it caused. It was a day when the center of the universe, the city that never sleeps, was introduced to a reality so frightening, it seemed to be out of a nightmare.

The New York City skyline is taken for granted by many people - especially those who are in and out of the city every day of their lives. But when one sits back and admires the skyline for what is, one can recognize what it represents to so many people across the globe: hope, freedom and opportunity. Now that scene has been forever changed, and no one will ever be able to see New York the same way again.

Watching the Twin Towers crumble, on live television no-less, is something that words simply can not describe. It was too surreal to be true. Many of us must have had the idea that maybe, we would wake up the next morning and the whole thing would just be a dream. Instead, we woke to find the news-stations running the headlines "the day after."

There may not be a single person at Adelphi University who has not, in one way or another, been affected by this tragedy. As a University located in the backyard of the greatest city in the Universe, many of us were proud to admit that we were "New Yorkers." Now New York City looks like something out of sci-fi horror film. Dust, soot and debris cake the streets of Lower Manhattan. (In this issue, some professors share with us the horror they experienced when they were on the streets of New York as this heinous tragedy unfolded.)

But it is not merely the skyline that we have to consider; it is the loss of life. There still is no official death count, but the numbers will, without a doubt, climb into the thousands. Let us also not forget the hundred plus lives lost in the Pentagon crash, and the 266 lives lost in the planes that were used as the weapons of destruction. The sheer terror of such an astronomical number is something that most people can not even attempt to fathom. Almost everyone on campus has heard someone talk about someone they know who is missing- or presumed dead.

In times of tragedy there are often many questions that are asked. Many will find themselves thinking over the next few days "why did this happen," while others may question "how did it happen?" How could there have been such a major breach in security that enabled four planes to be hijacked with such precision? How could this whole plan have been so synchronized? As scary as this may sound, this plan was just utterly brilliant. It most likely took months, or even years to construct.

At this very moment it is also very easy to point fingers. The government already has their top suspect: Osama bin Laden. President Bush has gone as far as to call this attack an "act of war," and he plans to retaliate, but against whom? Even if the assumptions are correct and if this whole thing was bin Laden's doing, that still will not defeat an enemy that has no distinct nation to call its own; terrorism. Can the United States justify attacking entire nations because of the actions of an extreme and limited few? Only time will tell.

The day of this tragedy we were urged in a message from University President Robert A. Scott to do the best we can to continue the day "as normal," and the Delphian agrees. The purpose of terrorism is to stop us in our tracks through violence, fear and intimidation. By refusing to continue on with our lives, we are only letting those that have attacked us win. Yet many wonder how can we move on after such a tragedy? The world was a much different place on September 12 when we woke up in the morning than it was before 9 am September 11. How do we cope when our world has changed completely?

In this time of mourning and confusion, the Delphian would like to make a call for hope. As this story continues to unfold, we will all hear of acts of dignity and humanity. The world may be changed, but it has not been destroyed. The Delphian sends its condolences to all who are suffering right now. We all must hope that maybe there will be a day where 9-11-01 will not be thought of as the end, but as a new beginning.