UMaine students to bolster anti-war strike

ORONO - Students at the University of Maine plan to join theircounterparts at more than 200 colleges and some high schools acrossthe nation in a student strike against war with Iraq on Wednesday.

In addition, schools in Greece, Australia, Canada and Cuba areexpected to join the strike as a sign of solidarity, according toorganizers of the demonstration.

The message of the event is "to think about the reality of thisimpending war before assuming it is the right thing to do," UMainestudent and demonstration organizer Jennie Leland said Monday. "Thinkabout the fact that Iraq has nothing to do with September 11. Thiswar is a political war with its central theme being oil and notterrorism, and the loss of lives could be greater than in any warsince World War II."

On the national level, the National Youth and Student PeaceCoalition is organizing the strike, called "Books Not Bombs," overthe Internet. Momentum for the protest has increased because of theworldwide peace demonstrations held on Feb. 15, according to theNYSPC Web site.

UMaine student Elizabeth Anderson heard about the national studentstrike in early February and, along with some of her friends, decidedshe wanted the university to be part of the larger effort.

The Maine Peace Action Committee, under the direction of professorDoug Allen, became involved a week ago when student members BreeBlalock and Leland began planning a demonstration in front of FoglerLibrary to coincide with the strike.

The noon demonstration will feature students and professorsspeaking out against the war, as well as musical performances.Workshops and an open microphone will take place at Memorial Union'sBangor Lounge after the demonstration. The Student Women'sAssociation and Maine Masque also have been helpful in organizing thedemonstration and promoting the strike.

A booth was set up at Memorial Union on Friday and Monday to letstudents know about the strike and demonstration, and to solicitsignatures for an anti-war petition. The petition will be presentedto the Student Senate for approval in the near future, according tosophomore and Maine Peace Action Coalition member Stephanie Strong.

Leland hopes the event will raise awareness of the threat of war,and she also wants to tell President Bush directly, "No, we do notwant this war, and, no, we are not going to go away."

Leland recognizes that there are some members of the UMainecommunity who may not agree with the strike and demonstration, butsaid she would peacefully and politely ignore any pro-war presence.

MPAC members also were pleased at the response of professors thusfar. Many of the professors Leland has spoken to have chosen not topenalize students who miss class to strike and attend Wednesday'sdemonstration.

"I do understand the nervousness and the concern about missingclass," Leland said. "After all, I've heard people say it's theirmoney, their education, and they don't want to see it wasted."However, she sees the event as a way to send a message to PresidentBush and the University of Maine System and its administrators thatUMaine students and others nationwide do not support war with Iraq.