At 11:49 a.m., Gerety sent a campus-wide e-mail addressing the attacks and the College's immediate plans to deal with the tragedy. All athletic practices were canceled, and Gerety asked that all College activities that day be structured to provide solace and support to those whom the tragedy had directly affected.
At 4 p.m. that day students, faculty and staff came together inside LeFrak Gymnasium. Gerety opened the meeting with a moment of silence. "This is a day that I suspect all of us will remember for the rest of our lives," he said as he spoke to the community.
Faculty members then addressed the school, speaking to the possible political and social ramifications of the attacks. Professor of Political Science Pavel Machala said of the attacks, "We are facing the first postmodern global war. ... I do realize that personal tragedy shapes our lives more than political tragedy," according to The Student. Other faculty members as well as students were also offered the chance to remark on the attacks. However, some students felt that several of the remarks resembled inappropriate political commentary. Students differed on whether they believed it was more important to talk about sympathy rather than foreign policy, or that a discussion of not only what had happened but why it happened was just as merited.
The College's reaction was empathetic, and students took part in related activities, such as College-organized trips to area blood drives later that week. Students also attended a discussion that night held in Johnson Chapel that was designed to foster conversation. Dean of Students Ben Lieber described the evening as a chance to "think and talk freely about these events," according to The Student. Members of the College community also expressed their sentiment through a candlelight vigil that drew together over 100 students, faculty and staff members on the Freshman Quad in silence, reflection and sympathy.