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L q Frida,"', SePtember 9, 2011 1111 9/11 Special Commemorative Edition
OF 1968), YENENEH BETRU (1995), BRIAN PAUL DALE (1991), PAUL FRIEDMAN (1983), JAMES
STEPHEN POULOS (1977), TODD OUIDA (1998), LAURENCE "LARRY" POLATSCH (1990), GREGORY
Friday,September9,2011//9/11SpecialCommemorative Edition 3B
A Different Kind of Defense
Keeping the Wolverine faithful safe in an unpredictable era
By Joseph Lichterman
,:ineteen men. Four airplanes.
Two thousand nine hundred and
ninety-six casualties. After a day
when the unthinkable happened,
Americans woke up on Sept. 12,
2001 with the fear that anything
was possible.
What would be next?
Iconic buildings across the
country were immediately
deemed potential targets. With a
stadium where more than 110,000
individuals gather most fall Satur-
days, the University's Department
oftublic Safety took serious steps
to protect Michigan Stadium, and
the entire campus, from potential
terror attacks.
Days passed. Months went by.
The next attack never came.
Seventy football games and one
hockey game have been contested
in Michigan Stadium since Sept.
11, and with the 71st scheduled for
Saturday night, there has yet to be
a successful terrorist attack on the
Big House, Ann Arbor and even
the United States since that Tues-
day morninga decade ago.
Of course, nobody knew what'
was to come on the morning of
Sept. 11, 2001. DPS was quick to
respond that Tuesday afternoon,
said DPS Deputy Police Chief Joe
Piersante. DPS immediately sent
officers out on the streets, and off-
duty police officers were called in
so DPS would be more visible on
campus.
"There was speculation about
how widespread the attacks
were," Piersante recalled. "There
was speculation that the White
House may be attacked, and of
course we're a major university,
and we have a world-renowned
trademark and we would consider
ourselves a possible target, espe-
cially with the largest stadium in
the United States."
"And we were coming up on a
football Saturday," he added.
Michigan was scheduled to
play Western Michigan that Sat-
urday, but the game
was postponed out of
respect for the vic-
tims ofthe attacks and
security concerns.
"We are sensitive
... to the concerns we
have heard fromthose
who feel a strongneed
to signal our respect
in the most public
way we have available
to us," then-Athletic
Director Bill Martin
said at the time, refer-
E PHOTO/Daily ring to the decision to
Sept. 22, postpone the game.
9/11. On Sept. 22 - the
rescheduled game date - extra
DPS officers patrolled the stadium
gates, and people were screened
upon entry to the stadium. One
thousand-nine eight hundred and
thirty-seven fans watched Michi-
gan beat Western Michigan 38-21
as the image of the smoldering
World Trade Center was still fresh
in America's collective psyche.
Despite potential security
threats, players and fans alike
expressed a desire to move on and
* regain a sense of normalcy.
"I don't think security is that
big of an issue," then-defensive
tackle Dave Pearson told The
Michigan Daily before the 2001
game against Western Michigan.
"Sure, people wonder when you
get 110,000 people in the stadium
together. You know, I feel that if
you're going to cancel one game
you might as well cancel them all,
because the chances (of something
happening) each week are just as
likely."
In November 2001, all bags
were forbidden from Michigan
Stadium, but the restriction was
lifted during the 2002 season. In
the years since, infrastructure
improvements - including addi-
tional video cameras and vehi-
tle barricades - were added to
Michigan Stadium, according to
Piersante. There have even been
periods of time when the Fed-
eral Aviation Administration has
banned planes from flying overthe
Big House.
DPS now also works with the
Ann Arbor Fire Department, Ann
Arbor Police Department, Michi-
gan State Police Bomb Squad and
Eric Fretz
Student Veteran
By Sept. 11, 2001, Eric Fretz, a lieu- Detroit area would be a major target. where he served in the U.S. Army.
tenant commander in the U.S. Navy "I knew they would go for the high- Before he left for Bahrain, he and his
Reserve, had already been in the mili- profile government targets," Fretz said. wife had their third child, and Fretz
tary for more than 10 years, was two Inan attempt to process the tragedy, was forced to miss monumental mile-
years into earning his Ph.D. and was the Fretz went to a plot of land where he stones of his daughter's early life.
father of two young kids. Fretz - who and his wife were planning on building "She started to walk and figure out
was pursuing his Ph.D. in the Univer- a house and tried to make sense of the the world without me there," he said.
sity's Combined Program in Education attacks. In addition to his deployment put-
and Psychology - recalled gathering "I just went out there and sat in the ting stress on his family, Fretz said
information at a local middle school woods for the rest of the day ... I basi- his Ph.D. studies were put on hold as a
for his Ph.D. research project when the cally just sat there thinking and trying result.
attacks on 9/11 occurred. to absorb it," he said. "They completely disrupted and
"I was working in the science class- Fretz started his military career at delayed my graduate studies and had
room, and I just remember the initial the University's Naval Reserve Officers huge effects on family," said Fretz, who
reports coming over the speaker ... it Training Corps program in the 1980s. finally completed his Ph.D. last Decem-
was just the fact that the buildings After servinghis first active duty for the ber.
were on fire," Fretz said. Navy from 1989 to 1996, Fretz returned Despite the difficulties that arose
Upon hearing the news that several to the University in 1998 to start his from his deployment in the years fol-
planes were unaccounted for, Fretz Ph.D. program while still remaining in lowing 9/11, Fretz said he was doing the
said the children at the school became the Navy Reserve. job he signed up for.
afraid for their safety, a memory that It took four years after the attacks "In mymind I don't blame 9/11 or any
has since stuck with him. He recalled before Fretz was deployed first in 2005 political figure or anyone else," he said.
how he wasn't concerned that the to Bahrain and again in 2008 to Iraq, -ANNA ROZENBERG
Eric Fretz, a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserses,
served two tours of duty overseas.
A Department of Public Safety officer trains Jesse, a dog from the new canine unit,
to search for explosives.
other agencies on a regular basis
to ensure the Big House is secure.
In 2002, DPS created its canine
unit, with two dogs specifically
trained to search for and detect
explosives and other weapons.
"When we sat down and did
some brainstorming in the after-
math of 9/11, we looked at what
we needed to do as a department
to add some specialized units or
specialized functions," Piersante
said. "One of the first ones on the
agenda was adding a K-9 program,
specifically to add explosive detec-
tion dogs."
officers have also received
enhanced training for active
shooter or terrorist-like scenarios
and DPS created a tactical team
to quickly and efficiently handle
potential terrorist incidents,
according to Piersante.
Even now, 10 years after 9/11,
the University's security measures
continue to evolve. Since Sept. 26,
2009, fans have been prohibited
from bringing bags inside Michi-
gan Stadium. The ban came after
federal agents arrested a suspect-
ed terrorist who was believed to
have been plotting several attacks,
including ones against sports sta-
diums.
This Saturday, the 115,000 fans
expected to pack Michigan Sta-
dium for the first-ever night game
in Michigan history, will still feel
remnants of 9/11 as they leave
their bags behind.
Mary Sue Coleman
University President
It was a picture perfect fall day. ers about preparing their students marish," Coleman wrote. "My first
It was sunny in New York City, to attend Iowa. concern was our students, who
sunny in Washington D.C. and on "The teachers were very intent were distraught. It really felt like
Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, there were on talking to me and did not want the world as we knew it was end-
clear blue skies in eastern Iowa, to interrupt the session, so we kept ing."
too. working for about an hour," Coleman That evening, the University of
University President Mary Sue wrote. "Of course, at that time none Iowa held a vigil on the Pentacrest
Coleman, then the president of the of us knew what really had occurred. - Iowa's equivalent to the Diag -
University of Iowa, was behind As I left the building, the princi- and residence halls held meetings
the wheel of her car when she first pal stopped me and reported that so students could share their feel-
heard that a plane hit the World something terrible had happened. I ings about the day.
Trade Center in Manhattan. rushed to the car and listened to NPR "It gave students a shared place
In an e-mail to The Michigan all the way back to Iowa City, horri- to express their emotions and be
Daily, Coleman wrote that she was fied by what was unfolding." close to others," Coleman wrote. "A
driving to Fairfield, Iowa - about Coleman related how she knew sense of community was extremely
65 miles from the University of she needed to be with students to important. I will never forget that
Iowa's Iowa City campus - to meet reassure the university community. terrible day."
with a group of high school teach- "The rest of the day was night- -- JOESEPHLICHTEMAN
FIL
Michigan beat Western Michigan 38-21 on
2001- the first football game played after
University President Mary Sue Coleman was president of the University of Ia
when the Twin Towers fell.
In wake of attacks, Muslim students unify to educate 'U' community
BySuzanne Jacobs
Ten years ago, Muslim students
at the University did not feel at ease
walking by themselves. Some even
went home to their families to feel
safer after the 9/11 attacks and the
subsequent Islamophobic backlash.
Within 24 hours of the attacks,
some Muslimstudentshad received
threatening e-mails. A death threat
from "a Christian American," for
example, was sent to multiple Arab-
American students. Other e-mails the community and spread aware- vinist war hysteria in response to
included threats like "your life will ness of the religion of Islam. As a these attacks."
be a living hell" and "this is war," result, the association and campus Support for Muslim students
then-LSA junior Brenda Abdelall, as a whole grew and moved past the grew following a vigil held the
the external relations chair of the brief time of intolerance. day after the attacks, Asad Tarsin,
Arab Student Association, told The On Sept. 13, 2001, the Defend then-President of the Muslim Stu-
Michigan Daily at the time. Affirmative Action Party at the dents' Association, told the Daily
Becauseoftheperiodofwavering University and the University of at the time. Despite that support,
acceptance on campus, members of California at Berkeley issued a joint Muslim students still did not feel
the Muslim Students' Association statement calling for opposition to "comfortable or proud when walk-
took it upon themselves to educate "xenophobia and national-chau- ing down the street," he said.
Current Muslim Students' Asso-
ciation President Eman Abdelhadi
said she spoke with Tarsin about
what it was like for Muslim stu-
dents at the time and believes that
the attacks served as a catalyst for
the association to blossom into one
of the largest student groups at
the University. There are roughly
700 people on the association's
See PAGE 7B
FILE PHOTOS/Daily
FROM LEFT: A student watches news coverage of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Students at a candlelight vigil on the Diag honor the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Graham Baird prays in '
the Diag.