Commonly known as the “intersection of death,” the corner of the quad by the clock tower really earned its name Monday as students participated in a “die-in” protesting the crisis in Darfur. Known for the frequency of bike accidents, the busiest intersection of the University was covered by more than 50 students sprawled on the ground between 10:50 and 11 a.m. as their peers traveled to and from class.

Sophomore Elissa Test, one of the co-founders of Stanford’s chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, or STAND, said that all the protesters wore black at the event and throughout the rest of the day to raise awareness about the crisis in Sudan. Participants wore on one side a photo of a victim of the violence in Darfur and on the other a page with text explaining an aspect of the conflict.

The event caused a backup in pedestrian and bicycle traffic for about 20 minutes as some stopped to read the signs posted on the backs of the “bodies.”

A large sign, held by STAND members, reading “400,000 dead in Darfur. What will you do?” stopped many students in their tracks.

Many students had to carry their bikes and walk precariously over the bodies on the ground.

“It was actually really scary to be lying on the ground because I was on the perimeter and there were mad bikes going around everywhere,” Test said. “I mean mad. There were lots of them, and some of them were angry.”

Many of the protesters spoke passionately about the need to take extreme action to end the violence in Darfur.

“I lay my body down because 400,000 of my brothers and sisters have died in Sudan and their suffering continues without public outcry, unheeded by many of our politicians and fellow citizens,” said junior Lily Grainger. “I lay my body down to raise awareness about their suffering and to ensure it is no longer ignored. I must believe that if people truly knew what was happening in Darfur they would do something to help stop the violence.”

While most onlookers said they understood the demonstration?s goal, several questioned the effectiveness of the campaign and how lying on the ground could actually make a difference.

“It is an important and pressing issue that definitely needs attention,” said junior Bob Sensenbrenner. “That said, I don’t think that blocking intersections during Dead Week is the best way to get your message across.”

Sophomore Pablo Aguilera agreed with Sensenbrenner.

“I honestly just thought it was kind of interfering,” he said. “It was a disruption in a really messy intersection, where there are already a lot of accidents. I think people might have been mad about it but I just didn’t pay too much attention to it because I was late for class.”

Frustrating students was actually an objective of the event, said sophomore Chrissie a, co-founder of STAND.

“At the same time as students were hanging up cell phones and getting off their bikes, crimes against humanity were being committed in Darfur,” she said. “Was the ?die-in? met with typical objections? Yes. But more importantly, did it make people say the word Darfur that wouldn’t otherwise? Absolutely.”

The “die-in” succeeded in making some students stop and think about the alleged genocide taking place in Darfur, according to Coxon.

“My automatic thought was that it was slowing me down on my way to class,” freshman Eve Rips said. “And my second thought was that it was pretty superficial of me to have had that first thought.”