Amnesty International Penn State wants students to "get on the bus."

"Get on the bus to halt killing in Pennsylvania" is the name of the rally being held this weekend in Harrisburg by Amnesty International.

The rally, which will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, is being held in hopes of abolishing the death penalty in Pennsylvania.

Since 1977, there have been three death penalty executions carried out in Pennsylvania, according to information from the Death Penalty Information Center's (DPIC) Web site, www.deathpenaltyinfo.org.

For Loren Heinbach, Amnesty International Penn State's co-coordinator, that is three executions too many.

"Every year the state hosts its own Amnesty International state meeting, and this past spring it was held in State College," Heinbach said. "We decided to collaborate and focus on the issue of the death penalty."

"Get on the Bus" is a statewide event, and since 60 to 80 percent of Amnesty International's participation is youth-based, there are many collegiate chapters of the organization involved, Heinbach said.

"We are having buses from all over Pennsylvania come and converge in Harrisburg," she said.

There will be buses leaving from State College at 8 a.m. Saturday from parking lot 84. Amnesty International will have a table from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Allen Street gates with information about its cause and a transportation sign-up sheet for those interested in taking the bus to Harrisburg.

While killings in Pennsylvania are the main focus of "Get on the Bus," Heinbach said exoneration is also a major cause of concern.

"There have been more people exonerated from the death penalty than have actually been put to death due to new DNA evidence, tools and resources that police departments have," Heinbach said. "We want to see change so that the judicial system has time to review the current system so innocent lives are spared."

According to Amnesty International's Web site, more than 120 people have been released from death row due to wrongful convictions.

There has been a lot of progress made nationally on the issue of abolishing the death penalty, Richard Dieter, DPIC's executive director, said.

"The number of death sentences has dropped by 60 percent over the past five years," Dieter said. "There is a strong movement away from the death penalty, so this is a good time for Pennsylvania to consider a moratorium."

Ewelina Styczynska (senior-bioengineering), an Amnesty International member who is in charge of transportation for the group, said the group is expecting at least 45 people to travel to Harrisburg.

"We would love to see tons of people go, and if more than 45 people sign up, we will find transportation for them," Styczunska said.

There is a suggested $15 donation for the cost of the bus to Harrisburg, but those who cannot afford it are still welcome to participate, Styczunska said.

Amnesty International Penn State has about 300 members, and the group is also working on the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

"The purpose of our group is to get rid of ignorance by promoting awareness," Styczunska said. "We try to make public human rights violations, but we also try to show people how they can help."