Coalition to propose resolution

IU students in the Coalition against the War in Iraq will be submitting a resolution protesting U.S. involvement in Iraq to the IU Student Association tonight.\nThe meeting will be held at 8 p.m. in Myers Hall Room 130. The group will be asking members of IUSA to pass the resolution and speak out on behalf of IU students. \nThe resolution outlines the dangers of going to war with Iraq but supports continued U.N.-sanctioned weapons inspections and urges Saddam Hussein to comply with weapons inspectors. The resolution also states that an attack on Iraq may have detrimental repercussions to American citizens as well as members of the international community.\nDaniel Mark and Doug Hanvey, two members of COWI, designed the resolution and said they hope it will pass tonight. At least 30 schools nationwide and 133 cities, one of which is the city of Bloomington, have passed similar resolutions speaking out against the war. \nIn addition, universities in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Iowa have all passed their own resolutions and expressed dissent with President Bush's call for war. \nMark and Hanvey, who based their proposal on previously-passed resolutions, said Bush has failed to provide a compelling reason to go to war with Iraq. \nThe resolution is designed to be a collective voice of the students of IU, demonstrating that students are taking responsibility and action against decisions made by the government, Mark said. \nMark, who joined COWI in early January, said he felt his involvement in the group came at a crucial time since the war with Iraq seems imminent. He said it is important for students to say no to the war. \nMark has been on campus asking students to sign a petition against the war and urging them to attend tonight's meeting with IUSA.\n"I went into this thinking it would be an uphill battle," Mark said. "But now I am more confident the resolution could pass."\nHanvey said he feels people need to respond on both a local and regional level. By going to war, the U.S. will be increasing its chances of future terrorist attacks and will also take away from educational programs, he said.\nHanvey is looking for IUSA to support the resolution. \n"IUSA, being a student government organization, realizes the value that the government has and the place they have in making a statement that has power," Hanvey said. "For any member in the IUSA that is undecided or uncomfortable with the idea of war, voting for this resolution is not anti-American. It's how democracy works." \nHanvey said he wishes he and other members of COWI had more time to campaign on campus and inform students about the consequences of going to war.\n"There is a sentiment in America that the administration is not being responsive to how people really feel about U.S. involvement in Iraq," Hanvey said.\nHanvey is counting on this sentiment to be represented tonight.\nAnother COWI member, Zach Richer, spent last Thursday night asking students to support the resolution in the Collins-Living Learning Center. Both Richer and Mark spent two hours handing out flyers and urging students to attend tonight's meeting. \nRicher has been actively participating in lectures and demonstrations on campus while working with COWI to promote activities that speak out against the war. \nRicher said he thinks it is unnecessary to rush against the wishes of the international community and believes the IUSA is the best group to represent student's disapproval of the war. \n"If IUSA does its job, they will represent those voices," Richer said.