As Secretary of State Colin Powell made his case against Iraq before the United Nations Security Council, the State College Peace Center held a protest at the Allen Street Gates.

Peace Center Secretary Carol Byrne estimated about 100 people, one of the group's largest turnouts ever, attended the peak of the protest at noon.

Since there are few active members of the Peace Center, many different faces participate in the monthly protests, from students to senior citizens, Byrne said.

Paterno Library assistant Elaine Hannon said the protesters wanted to be more vocal than usual, as she held up a "Honk for Peace" sign. She said about one-third of drivers seeing the sign honked their horns, including trucks and buses.

Others, of course, have different opinions. One passerby called her "scum," but Hannon said she was unaffected.

"At least we got his attention," she said. Peace Center co-chair Reed Smith, who has protested various wars since joining in a draft protest in 1940, said the Peace Center plans to protest through the war, if it happens.

"We're opposed to the war in all forms," he said.

Students are interested in the growing conflict and many are becoming skeptical, Bennett said.

"I think people are becoming a little less supportive [of a war] because they hear more opposition," he said.