Student leaves on a jet plane to Iraq

As a potential U.S.-led war against Iraq becomes more and more of a reality, most Americans rely on the reports and images from the media for information. But not College junior Spencer Witte. He went right to the source, traveling to Iraq to attend an academic conference held at Baghdad University earlier this month where he spoke with Iraqi college students and professors and saw the sights. At this time last year, Witte, who transferred to Penn in the fall, admitted that most of his time was devoted to baseball. As a second and third baseman for Temple's baseball team, he did not consider himself to be a "protester." However, in late September, Witte became increasingly alarmed by the tensions brewing between the U.S. and Iraq. As the prospect of war became apparent, Witte identified the issue as "something worth taking up." Witte began seeking out other students on campus who shared his anti-war sentiments, becoming active with the Civic House and Penn for Peace. Witte began taking part in protests on campus as well as in the nation's capital, attending teach-ins and making an effort to inform the Penn campus about the issues and consequences surrounding an armed conflict with Iraq. But for Witte's newfound activist side, this was not enough. "I wanted to come to a better understanding of Iraqis as actual people with goals and dreams similar to my own," Witte said. So when Witte learned that Conscience International -- a non-governmental, private, voluntary organization that implements humanitary relief projects globally -- was hosting a trip to Baghdad and holding an academic conference with faculty members and students from Baghdad University, Witte jumped at the chance to participate. His parents, however, did not share his enthusiasm. "My parents were looking at the headlines in the news daily -- that would decide if they would let me go," Witte recalled. "In the end, they decided to support what I'm doing." With his parents' approval, Witte boarded a plane on Jan. 11, and 15 hours later, he arrived in Baghdad to join 32 American academics, including faculty members and graduate students from 28 different universities and 21 states. Witte was the only undergraduate participant in the Conscience International program. However, Witte said that he felt connected to the faculty and graduate students because "we had the same cause in mind." For the next six days, Witte interacted with students and faculty from Baghdad University, listening to speeches and presentations and engaging in debates, mostly in English and at times through translators. Witte also had the opportunity to interact on a more personal level with Iraqi students. "In one-on-one conversations with Iraqi students, they were somewhat critical of the regime," Witte recalled, saying that evident political repression prevented the individuals with whom he spoke from being completely forthcoming. "However, they were still very much opposed to a U.S. invasion." Witte noted that the academic conference allowed for the exchange of information and provided a channel for dialogue. "We were able to erase some of the misconceptions that both cultures have about each other," Witte said. Witte also had time to tour Baghdad, visiting the Al-Ameriya bomb shelter as well as schools, hospitals and mosques. "People have the tendency to view Iraq as a vast desert, which couldn't be further from the truth," Witte said, describing Baghdad as a "sprawling city with miles and miles of densely-packed houses." From a nation preparing for a possible war, Witte anticipated Iraqi citizens to be "taking up arms." Instead, he encountered individuals who were stockpiling food and building wells in their backyards. On the streets, Witte noted that "troops were not even as common as you see policemen in Philadelphia." Witte returned from Iraq on Jan. 17, and the next day he joined anti-war protesters in Washington D.C. to march in the bitter cold. But Witte would not have it any other way. "What's the alternative?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Give up and become a passive citizen?" Now that Witte has been to Iraq, met with Iraqi students and professors and learned more about the country and its culture, he admitted, "The issue has become so much more personal." Witte said he wants to share his experiences in Baghdad in order to "provoke dialogue and make people choose a side -- there is no room for indifference in a matter that's this important." Just this semester, Witte has started an organization called Penn Students Against War in Iraq, and he says he will continue to fight for his cause. "Democracy cannot be brought by bombs," Witte said, an idea that he hopes to get through not only to the Penn campus but to the U.S. government as well.

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