Possible Burning Of Quran Topic Of Remembrance Event

Members of the Kutztown University community came together Thursday for the school's annual Remembrance Day event.

Organized to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and other national and campus tragedies, the event included a brief ceremony outside the McFarland Student Union building.

The speakers included university president Dr. F. Javier Cevallos, alumni relations director Glenn Godshall, and student government board president Samantha Dennis.

Their words paid tribute to the K.U.-related victims of the 9/11 attacks and to those lost to violence on college campuses across the country.

Those who attended the event then placed flowers around a tree dedicated to the memory of four former Kutztown University students who were killed in the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City nine years ago this Saturday.

"I had just turned 11," said junior Danielle Nacht, whose dad called and interrupted her sixth grade class to tell her the news.

Sophomore Jonathan Tompkins got a much different call.

"I remember getting that phone call and being ready to go do whatever I needed to do," said Tompkins.

The young Marine did.

"I was in Iraq for seven months, got hit by a sniper, spent two months in a coma," said Tompkins.

It didn't matter, however, if the significance of the day was experienced or learned.

Today's ceremony at K.U. was held two days ahead of the actual anniversary, but it gave students and faculty the chance to speak out about the now-canceled plans of a Florida church to burn the Quran on September 11.

"It doesn't make any sense except to insight and offend all Muslims," said Dr. Javier Cevallos, K.U.'s president.

Pastor Terry Jones has pledged to burn 200 copies of the religious text of Islam.

"I hope they don't do it," said Tompkins.

The former Marine shared the same sentiment as the current Commander in Chief, who, today on ABC News, said the church was going against the values of Americans.

"This is a recruitment bonanza for al Qaeda," said President Obama. "You could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan."

"I have a brother right now in Afghanistan," said Tompkins. "And it's just... it's a meaningless... by them doing it they're only going to cause more problems."

Solutions are harder to come by, but nine years later there's also a lesson to remember.

"We cannot give into hatred," said Cevallos. "As a nation, we did not give into hatred after the attacks of 9/11. We cannot give into hatred today."