Restaurants were full and the streets filled with people on what seemed like an ordinary night in Paris. Starting at 9:00 p.m bomb and gun attacks reverberated throughout the city killing 128 people, in what is being called the deadliest night in Europe in the last decade according to BBC. Eighty of those people were killed at a concert hall only two miles away from Parsons Paris.
While all the Parsons students were found safe, the incident left them shaken and scared.
“You could feel the tension, it felt like the aftermath of a storm,” said fashion design student Ruben Zamora-Vargas. “The streets were empty…There was a little sense of paranoia.”
The emotional toll partly stems from pure horror; that going to an ordinary event like a concert or soccer game could end in dread. According to the New York Times, dozens of people were gunned down in the matter of minutes, while the survivors were left to wait in fear until police were able to raid the theater some two hours later.
What was particularly disturbing was the fact that the places hit seemed random; they were spread around the city and weren’t in very large tourist hubs. CNN reported that an U.S. counterterrorism official said the strikes resembled attacks that terrorist groups have used before.
Parisians are now no strangers to these sort of attacks as this is the second mass killing to happen there this year. In January, extremist attacked the office of satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. While this attack seemed more specific with their targets and had severely less casualties, the wounds have not healed. “I was here for the shooting at Charlie Hebdo, and at the beginning when everything was happening I already knew that it [the shooting at Bataclan] was going to be worse,” Zamora-Vargas said.
Like any ordinary Friday night Paris was bustling with people. Restaurants were filled, concerts were taking place and France was finally getting their world cup rematch with Germany. Then the first of the strikes began.
“I was near both the theater and the restaurant; same district only a couple avenues down.” Zamora-Vargas said. He recalled sitting with his friends and hearing the ambulances as they rushed to the scene. They watched on the TV as more headlines depicted the scene- their city was under attack.
Across town, the sounds of explosions cut through the roar of cheering soccer fans at Stade de France where Parsons professor Stephanie Nadalo’s family sat watching the game.
It took them hours to navigate through the chaotic city but all made it home. “I was very relieved when they returned home psychologically shaken but physically unharmed.” She said.
The school acted quickly once they realized the severity of what was going on. “Two counselors and faculty were calling everyone to check them off of their roster and offering aid to any students that weren’t home.” said Zamora-Vargas.
Another student was at the movies, but came out to a city in chaos without a clue about the night’s horror. “I had no idea what was happening until we left the theater, but as soon as we got service our school was already calling us, and later we noticed many missed calls,” said Dasha Ilina, art, media, and technology major at Parsons Paris.
Through a collaborative effort, teachers, administrators and the students created a web of contact using social media phone calls to ensure everyone’s safety. “I remember after talking to the counselor, checking Facebook and calling my friends to make sure that they were OK,” said Zamora-Vargas. “I was in constant contact with one of the counselors, and at around 3 a.m. we had gotten in contact with all 130 or so students.”
Vargas and Nadalo both agreed the deployment of the safety check-in feature on Facebook helped. “I immediately went on Facebook to try and get in contact with people,” he said. It made it that much easier to tell friends nearby and loved ones across the world that they were safe and out of harm’s way.
While most students attending school in Paris are legally adults, it was nice to have reassurance that they were all safe, especially because some students live far away from their families. “We don’t need to be watched after all of the time, but in extreme situations like this one, even if you’re safe you want someone to keep in contact with you and update you on the situation and Parsons Paris did a good job at that.” Ilina said.
Still some thought that the New School could’ve been even more communicative. Officials announced over Twitter at 10:10 a.m. EST that everyone at Parsons Paris was safe, but waited until 6:43 p.m. to send a university-wide email. “This news certainly seems worthy of an email,” Nadalo said.
Events like this often create strong bonds between people and Parsons students are no exception. “Just like many citizens our students are going to donate blood for those who have been wounded, and the lines to donate blood are crazy long which shows how much everyone cares and wants to help. “ Ilina said.
“I am very grateful for the family the New School has provided, especially since my family is so far away.” Zamora-Vargas said.
Counseling from a psychiatrist is being provided at the Paris campus for students who feel the need to talk to someone.
According to university President David Van Zandt, there are also outlets for both students and faculty in US here at the New York campus.
“I am proud of how our students, faculty and staff came together so quickly to support each other during these difficult days and am grateful that our community in Paris is safe.” Van Zandt said in a university-wide email.