Armed with a wizard suit, hat and a handful of candy, one ISU student’s goal Thursday was to inform passersby of the cost of the war in Iraq.

“Would you guys like some information on the scary cost of war?” asked Ramsey Tesdell, sophomore in technical communication.

Tesdell was joined by two witches, a clown and several other costumed students and members of Time for Peace who gathered by the Hub for a few hours Thursday to discuss the cost of the Iraq war and its financial effects on Iowa State.

“Our tuition has gone up 60 percent with the war in Iraq,” Tesdell said to a passerby.

“Maybe our priorities need to be re-examined.”

He handed out Hershey bars with messages on the back reading “Eighty-seven billion is more than double the total amount the government spends on homeland security.”

While many greeted the group with smiles, others ignored them.

Two students, who were brothers, stopped by the Time for Peace booth and began bantering about the war with Kathleen Spees, senior in mechanical engineering.

“I’m not going to attack Bush today,” said Spees, who was dressed in a witch costume.

“Indirectly, you exactly are,” countered Shawn Thomas, freshman in animal ecology.

Shawn Thomas’ brother, Shane, listened as Spees, a Time for Peace member, painted a peace sign on his hand.

“It’s all bullshit,” Shawn Thomas added while Spees added the finishing touches to his brother’s hand.

Still, some greeted the political spooks with hugs and smiles.

“Were getting some people to at least think about [the war] again,” Tesdell said.

Before he finished the thought, Tesdell ran to a passerby to hand out another flier.

The paper lists the group’s concerns.

“Eighty-seven billion approved for occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan by Congress. U.S. forces come under attack an average 26 times a day,” it read.

“We think that’s ridiculous. If I had wizardly powers, I’d change a few things,” Tesdell said.