ORONO – Students at the University of Maine plan to join their counterparts at more than 200 colleges and some high schools across the nation in a student strike against war with Iraq on Wednesday.

In addition, schools in Greece, Australia, Canada and Cuba are expected to join the strike as a sign of solidarity, according to organizers of the demonstration.

The message of the event is “to think about the reality of this impending war before assuming it is the right thing to do,” UMaine student and demonstration organizer Jennie Leland said Monday. “Think about the fact that Iraq has nothing to do with September 11. This war is a political war with its central theme being oil and not terrorism, and the loss of lives could be greater than in any war since World War II.”

On the national level, the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition is organizing the strike, called “Books Not Bombs,” over the Internet. Momentum for the protest has increased because of the worldwide peace demonstrations held on Feb. 15, according to the NYSPC Web site.

UMaine student Elizabeth Anderson heard about the national student strike in early February and, along with some of her friends, decided she wanted the university to be part of the larger effort.

The Maine Peace Action Committee, under the direction of professor Doug Allen, became involved a week ago when student members Bree Blalock and Leland began planning a demonstration in front of Fogler Library to coincide with the strike.

The noon demonstration will feature students and professors speaking out against the war, as well as musical performances. Workshops and an open microphone will take place at Memorial Union’s Bangor Lounge after the demonstration. The Student Women’s Association and Maine Masque also have been helpful in organizing the demonstration and promoting the strike.

A booth was set up at Memorial Union on Friday and Monday to let students know about the strike and demonstration, and to solicit signatures for an anti-war petition. The petition will be presented to the Student Senate for approval in the near future, according to sophomore and Maine Peace Action Coalition member Stephanie Strong.

Leland hopes the event will raise awareness of the threat of war, and she also wants to tell President Bush directly, “No, we do not want this war, and, no, we are not going to go away.”

Leland recognizes that there are some members of the UMaine community who may not agree with the strike and demonstration, but said she would peacefully and politely ignore any pro-war presence.

MPAC members also were pleased at the response of professors thus far. Many of the professors Leland has spoken to have chosen not to penalize students who miss class to strike and attend Wednesday’s demonstration.

“I do understand the nervousness and the concern about missing class,” Leland said. “After all, I’ve heard people say it’s their money, their education, and they don’t want to see it wasted.” However, she sees the event as a way to send a message to President Bush and the University of Maine System and its administrators that UMaine students and others nationwide do not support war with Iraq.