Members of Kent State’s opposing political parties set aside their differences Tuesday evening to honor and remember the lives lost in the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Board members of Kent State College Republicans, Undergraduate Student Government and Kent State College Democrats gathered on the Student Green under overcast skies and flags flown at half mast for a moment of silence.

The event came together as a nod to bipartisanship — an element both parties prioritize.

“The political climate is in distress right now, and it’s really polarizing,” said Alexis Atwater, the College Democrats’ communications director. “It’s just important to work together.” 

Members from both parties mingled as they placed small flags around the flagpoles, before standing together silently to reflect on the tragic events.

“We (USG) saw the Democrats and Republicans working together on this, and we thought, ‘Wow, this is great,’” USG President Thomas Watral said. “It’s just important to engage with the entire student body on a commemorative day like Sept. 11.”

“It’s important, especially on a college campus, for students to remember and pay their respects because there’s freshmen coming and postsecondary students that weren’t necessarily around for this, so they don’t always know the impact of it,” Atwater said.

The average college freshman is 18 years old, making today’s incoming class only one year older than the events of Sept. 11.

“I had a teacher who said it won’t be long before I can no longer ask who remembers Sept. 11,”said Stevan Krainovich, a College Republicans officer. “I don’t think it’s going to leave the classroom anytime soon. “Yeah, we’re becoming almost desensitized to it, but I think it’s always going to be in the back of our minds.”

The events of Sept. 11 shaped laws and regulations over the past 17 years in the U.S., Krainovich said. The Patriot Act, an act put into place 45 days after the attack to combat terrorism, is one of the most notable. Noticeable regulations were also made to air travel, like the creation of the Transportation Security Administration.

“Ever since Sept. 11, 2001, the entire landscape of the world has changed,” Kranovich said. “There was a shift in the world on that day.”

 Lily Nickel is the student politics reporter. Contact her at [email protected].