On the lawn in front of Pattee Library lay an artistic rendition of the remains of five young Iraqi children, between age 10 and 15, each slain on a soccer field when cluster bombs exploded.

Although the children were not real, the message was. Since sanctions were imposed on Iraq in 1989, more than 500,000 children under the age of 5 have died, said Takkeem Morgan (junior-sociology and African and African American studies), who created the sculpture.

Majed Ardati (sophomore-industrial engineering), who grew up in Bahrain, read the five children's stories as snow fell on the exhibit early yesterday morning.

"It's right on target. This is what happens a lot," Ardati said. "It's kind of a shock ... but this is what war is."

The "This Means War" project was designed to teach people the realities of war, organizers said. The mission statement says that the campaign was created in response to the growing threat of war between the United States and Iraq, and that if there is a war there will likely be many deaths and many lives destroyed.

"We want to expose people to what the rest of the world is actually dealing with," Morgan said. "We are trying to show real information and not just propaganda."

This is an ongoing project that has already showcased three other exhibitions around campus.

The first exhibit told the story of five different people who died when a camp was bombed. Another exhibit demonstrated an American family that was celebrating a promotion in Bali when they were struck down by a terrorist explosion.

The third exhibit, which was in the HUB-Robeson Center, illustrated the average amount of food that an Iraqi person is rationed. A story and facts are presented at each exhibit.

Some passers-by stop to observe, while others only glance, each one seemingly forming his or her own opinion.

"It definitely stopped me as I was walking by," said Christopher Chelko (senior-journalism). "It's shocking. I didn't realize it wasn't real at first."

Aaron Rosenberg (graduate-comparative literature) said, "I like everything about it. It is a real eye-catching sculpture and an excellent exhibit."

While many observers agree with the exhibit, not all feel the same way.

"I'm pretty disgusted by it all," said John Gordon (junior-industrial engineering). "It shows a lack of understanding. People just don't seem to see the big picture."