As President Bush's deadline for Iraqi compliance drew near, many Penn State students and faculty members joined in a walkout against war.

About 60 demonstrators stood with signs and chanted in front of the Allen Street gates.

"Bush pull out, just like your father should've," members of the crowd chanted. "One, two, three, four -- we don't want your oil war."

As involvement grew louder, police officers stood nearby.

"We're here to make sure that their rights to voice their opinion are observed," Randy Hoffman, a Penn State Police Services officer, said. "For the most part, Penn State students are no problem -- they are willing to stay in the confines of the law. We're here to keep the peace and protect everybody as best as we can."

Some protesters demonstrated because of personal beliefs, others for religious beliefs, but all with peace in mind.

"I think the U.S. is a threat to world peace. By bombing, we're going against the U.N., and it would be foolish to think the rest of the world isn't going to remember this," Matt Halley (junior-sociology) said. "As long as the U.S. continues to consume as much as it does, we're putting global peace and all of humanity at risk."

A fellow demonstrator agreed.

"I don't feel this war is justified," Angeliki Vgontzas (sophomore-biology) said. "I also believe if we knew the facts then we'd all be anti-war."

One passer-by expressed opposing opinions.

"[The protesters] don't even realize that their grandfathers are the ones that gave them the freedom to speak out," Roy Bortmess, a military veteran from Pittsburgh, said. "What they don't understand is if we hadn't stopped Hitler he would have come over here. If they had someone from Iraq here to speak, they wouldn't want to hear how they wouldn't be able to [protest] there ... they would be tortured."

As dusk fell on State College last night, about 100 people carried candles and sang songs of peace at the Allen Street gates. The candlelight vigil was a final plea for peace before war officially began.

Despite angry shouts from passing cars, protesters continued to stand firm.

"I'm not certain that holding a candle in State College will stop bullets, bombs and tanks," David Barr (sophomore-liberal arts) said, "but it might enlighten our leader's perspective of our perceptions."

Casey Glennon (freshman-business) said he does not understand the reasoning behind this war.

"I feel like there are equal, if not greater, threats in North Korea and Iran. There will be a huge loss of life in Iraq, for the betterment of George Bush's political career."

Another student said the vigil should not have been about protesting.

"I don't think today is a time to protest," Dean Walker (junior-secondary education and physics) said. "It's a time for solidarity, and the vigil is an expression of our mourning over the situation."

A peace march is scheduled for noon tomorrow in front of Osmond Lab.

Sacha Brown (senior-English) has been protesting the war for months. Dressed completely in black and carrying a baby doll covered in fake blood, she stood out among the protestors.

"I still think [the war] is bad; I still think it's a slaughter. It's an unnecessary disposal of human life," she said. "Even now that we are on the brink of war, I will not sit back when the slaughter of millions of people happens in two days."