Sept. 11, 2005 came and went for most students at the College just like any other Sunday. We woke up late (possibly hung over), we ate brunch at Valentine, we did our homework, and if we had time, we watched some football or the Red Sox-Yankees game. It was possible to completely forget about the events that happened exactly four years ago.

Almost all of us were somewhere other than Amherst on Sept. 11, 2001; the class of 2005 had just arrived at the College, and the current seniors had not even sent in their college applications. Thus, we have no way to connect the College directly to September 11.

It seems remiss that neither the administration nor any student groups thought to hold an event to remember that date just four years later. The town of Amherst held a candlelight vigil; UMass tolled bells and held a moment of silence; Mount Holyoke College held both a panel and a memorial service.

By contrast, the College community, which has been so admirable in its response to Hurricane Katrina, failed to recognize the gravity of the date. We understand that no one knows exactly how to respond when immediate assistance and grief has dissipated and the date still lacks a definite historical meaning, but not to respond at all is unacceptable. Given the number of students from the New York City and Washington, D.C., areas, there are probably at least a few students directly affected by Sept. 11, and it is a disservice to them to ignore this date.

There were a variety of ways the College community could have commemorated the date, all of which would have been planned before the Katrina relief efforts and would have been easy to organize. The tolling of the bells, a non-denominational memorial service, some sort of discussion panel or even an optional, campus-wide moment of silence all would have been appropriate ways in which to recognize that Sunday was not just another beautiful September day in Amherst, Mass.

The burden to plan such activities doesn't rest on any one group, but the administration, the religious organizations on campus or even the political groups could have given extra meaning to the date and provided solace to those who needed it.

The Amherst community has proven its ability to think outside our bubble with the breadth of efforts that have gone into assisting the people of Louisiana. We commend these short-term efforts and encourage the College to continue them for the semester and the year, much like the tsunami relief efforts lasted throughout the spring. Let's not forget the victims of these disasters while they're still in need, but at the same time, we can take just a little time out of each year to remember the victims of a different kind of disaster.