Michelle Schraudner
Life Editor
When Idaho State University political science professor Mark McBeth arrived at his American Government class, he noticed something unusual. His students, who normally arrived to class at the last minute, were all waiting for him 10 minutes before class was scheduled to begin.
It was Sept. 12, 2001, and his students didn’t understand why terrorists had attacked American buildings the day before.
“The biggest interest from the students was, ‘Why were there some celebrations in the Mid-East?’” said McBeth. “So we had discussion about politics and history and that perceptions of the United States are different in some countries. I tried to explain some of the history that led to this day. I tried to explain terrorism.”
When asked to describe the impact Sept. 11 had on their lives or the ISU community, most people began their answer by telling their own personal story of that morning.
Denim Millward, sports editor for “The Bengal,” was a high school senior during the Sept. 11 attacks. He was running late for school that day and got a note excusing his tardiness. Millward still has that note from his father, dated 9/11/01.
His recollection of the day focused on a sense of disbelief during the attacks.
“It took a good five minutes of watching TV before it really clicked what happened,” Millward said.
Jerry Miller, director of student media, said he was also unsure of what happened after the plane hit the first tower.
“Everybody thought the first plane was an accident. I was in the newsroom [in Blackfoot] with the TV monitor on and literally saw live the second plane fly into the tower, at which time I knew it wasn’t an accident,” said Miller.
Kevin Fernandez was the age of some of McBeth’s students that day. A high school senior in California at the time, Fernandez remembers the morning of Sept. 11 vividly.
“The world is collapsing. The sky is falling,” he thought when he heard the news of the attacks.
He was on his way to watch a play that morning and was worried the auditorium would be targeted because of its size.
In 2007, Fernandez joined the Army National Guard. Now, having completed a one-year tour of duty in Iraq, he wishes he would have enlisted soon after 9/11.
“Unfortunately, because I had not been raised around the military,
that was not my first choice,” Fernandez said. “Had I been, I would have gotten started on my military career a lot sooner.”
One of many veterans at ISU, Fernandez represents a group that was not a large presence at the school prior to 2001. McBeth said the number of veterans on campus is perhaps the largest lingering local effect from 9/11 he has noticed.
“At ISU, we now have a veteran culture. We now have war veterans,” he said. “That was not part of our classes in 2000. That generation did not know people who had gone to war, people who had died or who had lost limbs.”
Sensitivity to veterans’ experiences and service now plays a role in how McBeth teaches his political science classes. “Maturity” is the key word he said he’d use to describe their attitude as students.
The university has accommodated the increased number of student veterans by providing support in the Veterans Sanctuary.
“ISU’s been very good at having a veterans’ center and welcoming the veterans back,” McBeth said.
Another on-campus change spurred by 9/11 is the format and audience of KISU, ISU’s radio station.
“We had a very small listening audience at the time,” said Jerry Miller, KISU’s general manager.
The following spring, a radio market survey showed KISU had moved from “almost no listeners” to fourth place in station ratings in the Pocatello market.
“I attribute that directly to all of the emphasis and coverage and reporting that came from public radio,” said Miller. “It changed the nature of our radio station. It literally put us on the map.”
The events of 9/11 shaped the world. Though Pocatello can seem far removed from New York City, from veterans to political science, the effects of the infamous day can be seen all over ISU.
