“My uncle flies the Boston-LaGuardia shuttle, and he flew it a couple of times last night. It’s shocking that people so close to me could have been killed,” said Teresa A. Lind ’03.

Most Houses and first-year dorm common rooms set up televisions where students and tutors gathered to watch the news, while others listened to radios or logged on to news sites to stay informed.

“We threw on our clothes, went over to Matthews, and watched it unfold,” said Joshua M. Mendelsohn ’05, who learned about the attacks from an aunt working for the State Department. “We watched [the news] for two hours before we finally came to our senses and went to Annenberg.”

Many students felt that their sense of safety was destroyed by yesterday morning’s events.

“Being an American, you have a feeling you’re invincible,” said Azhar N. Richmond ’05.

“This could mean a new wave of isolationism, which is sad but necessary,” Cromwell said.

International students, meanwhile, reassured parents about their immediate safety.

“My family called from Turkey and they were really worried about me. My dad told me to get money out of the bank,” said Zeynep D. Darendeliler ’05. “ We have this kind of stuff going on in Turkey all the time. Two days ago, there was a suicide bomber in a very public place where I always hang out [in Istanbul.] Every place I go seems to explode.”