Somewhere amongst the usual bustle of the Breezeway, there was a “Bring Peace Back” ceremony. Monday, September 9 the Student Government along with other campus associations attempted to have a ceremony to remember the events of September 11, 2001.

What happened instead was a baffling half hour of tragic hilarity.

The event started off promptly at 12:15 with Jenny Patterson and Ancel Pratt doing a great job of getting the crowd interested and setting the mood of the event. The Atlantic High School JROTC program presented the flags of both the United States and the State of Florida while FAU’s vocal jazz ensemble lead the crowd in singing the National Anthem.

The next event, however, was destined to die a grisly death; a candle light moment of silence in the Breezeway. Yes, silence in the Breezeway.

The solemnity of the event was often shattered by oblivious passers-by chatting on cell phones. Two quick-thinking individuals then stood ten feet away on either side of the event and shouted – I’ll repeat that – shouted, “Shut up we’re having a moment of silence.”

After the not-so-silent moment of silence, a series of readings were presented. One poem, read by Daniel Michel, seemed lost on the crowd with its constant mentioning of hell and images of suffering. Ebonye Huggins, however, gave a powerful and moving retelling of the tragedy of 9/11 in her poem, which silenced the gathered students.

After the poems were read, the event was cut short, citing technical difficulties, and the 10-minute intermission lingered to 45 minutes.

This left the final act, a mime performance by Denise Phillips and Frantz Pierre-Louis, hanging. I’m sorry, but I have to say it, “A mime is a terrible thing to waste.”

The arrival of free pizza drew, as expected, a huge crowd. While well-meaning, this presentation failed horribly; faulty equipment and a lack of planning left many students asking what the hell was this about, at least until the pizza arrived.