Several students will be speaking at the rally as well. Rob Ruminski, a sophomore in history who is running for GSB vice president, will be talking about Mumia Abu-Jamal, a man in Philadelphia facing the death penalty for killing an officer who was beating his brother. Michelle Evermore, a senior in speech communication, will speak about inmates currently on death row that may, in fact, be innocent. Magnus Thernelius, president of the ISU chapter of Amnesty International, and Cynthia Tschampl, a senior in Spanish, will also be speaking. Wayne Osborn, a professor of history, will talk about some legal aspects of the death penalty controversy.
Governments kill more people than wars.
Interspersed throughout the rally will be solo music performed by Greg Frank, a songwriter who plays the guitar and harmonica, to add a musical dimension to the capital punishment debate. Background music will accompany the rally at other times. Joanna Corteau, a professor of foreign languages and literatures, organized the event. Even though the reinstatement of the death penalty failed last year, Corteau wants to raise awareness on the issue so it will not pass again this term. Corteau also urges people to contemplate and become aware of their personal responsibilities if the death penalty is reinstated.