Trying to prompt students to speak-out against the war in Iraq, SPEAK worked for two hours Oct. 19 drawing chalk outlines depicting dead bodies.

The illustrations, complete with writing such as “Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’ = Operation ‘Cheap Oil,'” were drawn on the sidewalks from Webster Hall around the circle to the Billingsly Student Center. Four club members of Students for Peace Education Action and Knowledge wrote out different statistics on the war so students could read them.

“The point was to prick people’s consciousness of what’s going on,” said Michelle Yipé, vice president of SPEAK.

Yipé said another reason SPEAK wrote the messages was to go along with a peace rally that is being held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. She said this is the time when many peace groups around the country are speaking out at campuses.

“When people are aware of what their government is doing, hopefully, they’ll stand up and say something,” Yipé said.

Linzey Lemons, junior secondary education major, said she was shocked when she first saw the chalk writing, but she thinks they are a “good thing.”

“What better place to create controversy than a university?” Lemons asked. “Why not cause people to think?”

SPEAK has also had some negative reactions to the drawings. Yipé said the club’s had a couple of complaints, including one from a military serviceman who said the statistics were all garbage.

Julie Blackford, director of student activities, was sent an e-mail from a veteran who also complained about the chalk writing.

“I would prefer them (students) not to use the sidewalk for that type of outlet,” Blackford said.

She asked SPEAK to tone down its messages next time. SPEAK did not seek approval from student activities before chalking the sidewalks.

Doug Carnahan, dean of students, said he probably wouldn’t have allowed the chalk writing, because they didn’t relate to any campus activities.

The policy in the student handbook doesn’t allow any chalk writing on Missouri Southern property, but Carnahan said student activities allows chalk writing anyway for club events as long as it is approved first.

Blackford said she’s not against chalk writing and students expressing their ideas.

“I don’t like stifling our student groups,” she said.

However, she said there were probably better avenues the club could have taken besides drawing on University property.

Yipé said SPEAK was under the impression that it could put anything on the sidewalks that pertains to the club as long as it wasn’t hateful, racist or obscene.

“We just wanted to bring out the statistics, put a face on the statistics,” she said.

Yipé said most people don’t know about how many millions of pounds of explosives have been dropped on Iraq and how many children have been killed by U.S. bombs.

“A lot of students either don’t care or don’t pay attention to it,” she said.

Katie Hargrove, freshman international studies major, said she liked the written chalk messages on campus, but wished group members of SPEAK would have put its name next to the chalk writings so the campus knew who drew them.

“I think it brings awareness of what’s really going on,” Hargrove said.