Tomorrow, several clubs and organizations are sponsoring a Day of Dialogue in response to the potential war in Iraq. It will last from noon until 9 p.m. According to organizer Jocelyn Berger '04, its purpose is to promote open discussion between people holding a variety of views about the war. "We hope to create a space for open discourse and critical examination of the many dynamics related to the seemingly imminent war with Iraq," she said. Booths representing various clubs that are concerned about war with Iraq will assemble in the Usdan T.V. lounge. The Buddhism Club, Students for Environmental Action, Students for Peace in Israel and Palestine, Radical Student Alliance and the American Civil Liberties Union all plan to be present.

Hilary Barshay '03 said she hopes the event will provide an "open and safe space for people to express their ideas." "Although the event is organized mainly by the Antiwar Coalition, it is designed to welcome students of all opinions and levels of interest, in an effort to bring our whole community together to share and learn about the implications of war," she said.

Starting tomorrow and continuing throughout the rest of the semester, the Brandeis Antiwar Coalition will sponsor three peace initiatives that aim to oppose the potential war with Iraq. The most publicized measure is a petition that is being circulated around campus that will culminate in a undergraduate-wide referendum. The referendum will ascertain whether the Brandeis student body is opposed to any kind of military action against Iraq "in the current global climate." It is written in such a way as to allow all opponents of the war to participate, regardless of their individual reasons for opposition to military action.

North Quad Senator Daniel Mauer '06 is a drafter and official sponsor of the petition. He said he intends to present it to the Union government for the secretary's approval to be on the ballot once the 500 signatures that are required for such recognition are obtained. Many cities, including Chicago and Washington D.C., and colleges such as Ithaca and Swarthmore have already made such declarations, according to www.citiesforpeace.org.

Mauer said he hopes to obtain signatures from what he believes is a large number of students opposed to a potential war with Iraq. Koren Wake '06 said she is one such student. "There is no excuse for taking human life ... people should not be killed for any reason."

"We're well on our way to getting the requisite number of signatures and we feel confident that soon we will have that number. We don't have any formal polling, but we think that it should certainly have a reasonable shot of passing referendum. It is an important issue for this campus to vote on, even if it doesn't pass. It is something that will be able to show that the Brandeis students are informed," Mauer said. "We know there is divided opinion on campus. We don't know exactly which way the opinion is tilting, but we think we're right."

Complementing this referendum is a more localized one proposed by the Antiwar Coalition here at Brandeis. It states that those students who sign it agree to walk out of class the after the United States goes to war with Iraq. Over the past few weeks more than 400 students have signed this declaration affirming their support for this walkout, according to Barshay.

Barshay said the Antiwar Coalition has been engaged in recent communication with the administration so any mass walkout of students will not be perceived as recalcitrant.

In a show of solidarity with the students, the administration seems to generally support the walkout as being educational and as fostering awareness of what is going on in the world, according to Barshay.

Berger said the day after the United States declares war students who are participating in the walkout will leave class and make their way to downtown Boston, where they will join many other people from the area who are protesting the war as well.

-- Jeremy Hamburgh '04 contributed to this story.