THIS IS SO SEPTEMBER 10. S.A. provides bus to take students to city council meeting. Not to protest university complicity in the war effort or to investigate potential diversion of city funds to infrastructure improvements under the locker room.

In an effort to sway DeKalb City Council members from effectively eliminating 50-cent draft nights, the "Save My Beer Bus" will begin loading passengers at the Holmes Student Center.

Adam Novotney, Student Association president, is leading students against the proposed ordinance to raise the minimum price of alcohol. The SA will provide a bus to take students who oppose the legislation to today's city council meeting.

The bus will begin picking up students at the Holmes Student Center at 6 p.m. and make its way to each of the residence halls. The bus will also bring students back after the meeting using the same route. The city council meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

The only part of this more frivolous than the protest itself is the denial that it's a protest.

Novotney said the trip to the DeKalb Municipal Building is not a protest. He said the reason he wants to bring so many students to the city council meeting is to get his argument across and show how many students disagree with the ordinance.

"Some say it's not important. Should they be able to do this without asking the student body, what could happen next?" Novotney said.

Come off it. The essence of protest is to peaceably assemble for the redress of grievances, even over whether the public interest is served by legislating minimum prices at taverns.

The protest failed, both symbolically and substantively.

As the bus went to Grant and Stevenson, students stood bewildered when they saw a bus and were told it was not a Campus Circle Left bus.

After Stevenson, the bus made some unscheduled stops. In an attempt to gather more students, it made rounds to three local bars.

SA president Adam Novotney and other students went to each bar trying to coax people to attend the meeting.

At Molly's Eatery and Drinkery, 1022 W. Lincoln Highway, Novotney began asking people to join him on the bus and then told them some reasons to oppose the "Happy Hour Prohibited" ordinance.

"We don't like paying more for beer," Novotney said to a couple of patrons in Molly's.

One of them agreed. "We don't like that either," said Molly's patron Adam Willig. "I'm all for cheap drinks; I love it out here."

At Otto's, 118 E. Lincoln Highway, Novotney even offered to pay for a group's drinks if they got on the bus.

A few true believers made it to the council meeting.

The preliminary hearing before the council went longer than planned while students waiting outside were scolded by city attorney Norma Guess for being too loud.

The minimum price ordinance passed.