MSU students and faculty members will get the chance to speak out on the nation's ongoing conflict with Iraq, and it's high time it happened.

With a momentous conflict brewing abroad - and fear of its repercussions spilling across international borders - the time has come for leaders of a world-connected university to begin a dialogue with the community.

On Tuesday, members of MSU's Executive Committee of Academic Council decided to set aside time after its Nov. 26 meeting to discuss the possible war with Iraq.

Some members of MSU's undergraduate student government have expressed concerns about getting involved in the Iraq debate because it is "not an academic topic."

Sadly, in recent years, it seems students have grown lazy and complacent, unwilling and entirely too indecisive or uncaring to take stands on political or social issues.

On Wednesday, Iraq accepted a U.N. resolution to allow weapons inspectors back into the country for the first time in four years. Whether U.S. forces will find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq's borders and begin a war with the country remains to be seen, but it still plays a leading role on the world's stage.

The time has come to stand up for something. Academic Council ought to be commended for opening a dialogue to figure out what the stand should be for. A possible war has considerable implications involving everyone in the nation. It could be one of the most consequential events in recent history.

The world seems to be on the brink of an all-out war and we should be having an educated discussion about it. America's students cannot remain quiet about what could possibly be one of the major conflicts of their generation.