“At something like this you always wish there was more people around,” Patton said. There was a lot of people who lost their lives and I’d like to see an equal number of people show up.

The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies sponsored the event. The ceremony included speeches by public safety officials, a presentation of plaques and two moments of silence for each tower.

“Unfortunately, students have forgotten,” said Sterling Raehtz, a criminal justice senior and foundation representative. “It’s really important to remember how we felt that day and take action on those feelings.”

The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies is a nonpartisan research institute based in Washington, D.C. Along with MSU, 36 other college campuses across the nation held a similar ceremony.

“I hope that this will remind people about the largest-scale disaster here in the United States as far as terrorists,” Raehtz said. “It really has defined our generation of students and what has gone on has totally shaped everything in our community and in our education.”

Mary Johnson, inspector from the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety, took the podium with a PowerPoint presentation that painted the walls bright red, white and blue.

The presentation showed a pledge made by East Lansing officials who promised to work together as a community in the efforts to protect our nation and remember the lives sacrificed by the first responders.

East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said it is important for the community to take the time to stop and recognize the terrorist attacks.

“If we don’t continue to do that then Sept. 11 will just be forgotten and (will become) just another paragraph in somebody’s history book,” Wibert said.