A student organization formed in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the United States earlier this week had its first campus-wide meeting Thursday night.

Time For Peace, a group of students opposed to a violent retaliation to the terrorist actions Tuesday morning, met to discuss the next phase of planning and action.

“I think we’ve accomplished our first goal of getting an alternative out to campus,” said Matt Denner, freshman in liberal arts and sciences.

“Our first goal was to get people to know what’s going on on the ISU campus.”

Nearly 25 students met, many of them saying they heard of the group through the informational fliers or at the “Campus Conversation” Thursday.

One of the students in attendance was Dan Haug, sophomore in biology.

“I’ve been worried about a handful of things I’ve been hearing people saying in response to [the attacks],” Haug said.

Time For Peace members discussed operating an informational booth in the Free Speech Zone Sept. 17.

Members also planned to distribute fliers to businesses in Ames and contact organizations within the Ames community for support.

“A lot of other groups are waiting for something to react to,” Denner said. “I’m glad we’re being proactive. Hopefully in a few weeks we’re going to be a part of a movement. This is a situation of the utmost urgency.”

Haug said although there has not been an act of retaliation yet, he thinks the group should be prepared to offer nonviolent solutions.

“I think it’d be good to explore more peaceful alternatives to the crisis, so when Congress starts making decisions about this, we’ll be able to have a platform we can write to representatives [on],” Haug said.

No further Time For Peace meetings have been set, but more information can be found at the group’s temporary Web site:

www.public.iastate.edu/~tesdell/tfp, or by e-mailing [email protected].