The event is organized by SOA Watch, an organization seeking to close the school through protest and legislative efforts.,”Fifty-two Marquette students are set to leave this evening for Fort Benning, Ga., to participate in the annual protest and vigil at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas.

The event is organized by SOA Watch, an organization seeking to close the school through protest and legislative efforts. According to the organization's Web site, SOA graduates have been guilty of several hundred thousand human rights violations, among them the 1989 massacre of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter.

Since 1999, JUSTICE, a Marquette organization focused on social justice awareness and advancement, has sent a group of students to Fort Benning for the annual protest and vigil.

Katie Holihen, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, will be making her second trip to Fort Benning this weekend.

"I can't imagine anything more powerful," Holihen said. "You're with thousands of people deeply committed to a common cause."

Theresa Lauer, a College of Arts & Sciences sophomore and coordinator of the event for JUSTICE, said this year's protest is especially moving.

"There's been some encouraging legislative action recently and a few countries have stopped sending troops to WHINSEC," Lauer said. "It's an exciting time to be going to the protest."

Rep. James McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced a bill last spring calling for the suspension and investigation of WHINSEC. The bill has yet to be scheduled for debate.

In 2001, the School of the Americas was replaced by WHINSEC per order of the Defense Authorization Act. According to the Institute's Web site, the mission of WHINSEC is to "promote democratic values, respect for human rights and knowledge and understanding of United States customs and traditions."

Gerry Fischer, assistant director of University Ministry, said he is not impressed with the change, noting the SOA became WHINSEC in about a month's time.

"Even if changes have been made the school remains a symbol of oppression and should be closed," Fischer said.

Along with the protest and vigil, Marquette students will also participate in the Ignatian Family Teach-In. The Teach-In features a dialogue on U.S. foreign policy in Latin America and offers a vigil for the Jesuits killed in El Salvador.

Fischer said the event is the largest single gathering of Jesuit students in the country. He said he expects 3,000 to be in attendance this year.

"The event gives these students the opportunity to discuss how they can put their faith into action in commitment of social justice," Fischer said.

Although some participate in illegal civil disobedience at the protest, Fischer said no Marquette students will be doing so.

"I wouldn't encourage or discourage it, but it would require a large amount of planning ahead of time," he said. "People who trespass are guaranteed jail time."

Lauer agreed, calling such action a "deeply personal decision" and "not a spur of the moment type thing."

According to Fischer, students attending the event pay for about half the total cost, with the remainder coming from a Marquette Student Government grant, fundraising and a donation from the provincial Jesuits in Wisconsin. The total cost of the event is $8,300. MUSG is contribunting $3,084. The cost to students is $80.

“