Students 'die-in' against Iraq

Media Credit: DAVE STONE / THE EAGLE PROTESTING AN ANNIVERSARY - Members of the Community Action and Social Justice Coalition participated in a "die-in" yesterday to protest the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.

Student activists staged a "die-in" last night in Mary Graydon Center, during which they laid on the floor of the lobby to protest the Iraq war.

Students from the Community Action and Social Justice Coalition wore all black clothing for the event, which was meant to draw attention to the lives lost in the Iraq war and raise student awareness about the situation, according to Jenna Robson, a freshman in the School of International Service.

The die-in was the first of a series of CASJ events in the coming weeks marking the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war, Robson said.

The die-in was an opportunity for remembrance, said Libby Smith, a sophomore in College of Arts and Sciences who was involved in the demonstration.

"The war is something that is going on every day, but it's not something we're always involved in," Smith said.

CASJ placed signs listing facts about the war and anti-war sentiments among the bodies to explain the purpose of the protest. Three people also answered questions and handed out flyers advertising the next CASJ-sponsored event - an Iraq Veterans Against the War speech on Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m.

Diana Mellitz, a graduate student in SIS, said she thought a speaker might better represent the activists' opinions, especially because the protest's purpose was not clear unless passersby walked right up to the bodies.

"It might have been more effective if they were in uniforms, but I don't think the signs are quite as effective," Mellitz said. "Protests sometimes end up changing people, but I think speakers are so much more effective."

During the hour-long demonstration, some students stopped to read the signs and collect a flier. Others walked by, some without a second glance at the jumble of bodies.

"This might work if it was a bunch of people on the main quad, but look, people just walk by and don't even care," said Michael Byc, a freshman in CAS.

Xiauyan Gao, an SIS graduate student from China, said the die-in was "quite interesting."

"We don't have this in China, especially students demonstrating," she said. "At the first second a lot of cops would show up."

Heather Broberg, a graduate student in SIS, said students from more conservative cities and universities could find the die-in startling.

"I did my undergraduate at Boston College, which is more conservative, and we never had demonstrations," Broberg said. "The only demonstrations we ever had was when Condoleezza Rice gave a speech and some professors turned their backs to her."

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