MSU students joined others across the country Thursday to raise awareness of reported genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

The newly formed "Spartans Taking Action Now: Darfur," or STAND, played Twister and board games outside the Administration Building to attract attention to their cause.

More than 160 college campuses across the nation also held events Thursday as part of mtvU's "STANDFast" campaign.

The group sold green "Not On My Watch" wristbands and CDs to raise money for Darfur charities.

Many students don't realize how powerful their voices can be, Josh Feinberg, international relations senior said.

"There is strength in numbers," he said. "We are fortunate to live in an age where average people can make a difference."

Lindsey Hutchison, an international relations and constitutional democracy sophomore, said recent actions taken by the International Criminal Court, or ICC, did not mean the situation was over.

"This is still going on," Hutchison said. "People are still getting killed, and we want to stop a genocide."

In a statement released Tuesday, the ICC acknowledged that there were mass killings of civilians in Darfur and resolved to take legal action under international law.

The U.N. Web site states that tens of thousands of people in Sudan have been killed in the violence since early 2003, and more than 1.5 million refugees have been displaced.

Steve Friedman, general manager of mtvU, MTV Networks' channel available only on college campuses, said the "STANDFast" campaign is led by students.

"All over the country, students are marking the day by erecting shanty towns, holding concerts - we're just covering it," Friedman said.

The network announced Thursday they would be offering $50,000 in grants to students making a difference with regards to the issue. Both established and new student groups can apply on the mtvU Web site.

He said the award would give students the ability to stay active.

"The most powerful force for social change is seeing fellow students take action," Friedman said.

Kathleen Miller, an interdisciplinary studies in social science sophomore, said she stopped by the booth to see what was going on.

"I've been impressed and inspired," Miller said. "It is so hard to get good information these days, and I think student groups provide it without political spin."

Miller said it is a problem in society when a situation such as Darfur can exist and not many people know about it.

"There are tons of terrible things in this world that don't get as much attention as say, Paris Hilton does," Miller said.

MSU's Darfur awareness group formed after some members attended a conference called "A Call to Action for Darfur, Sudan" in Washington, D.C., which was sponsored by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Students said they were most influenced after hearing refugees who lived in the area speak about the atrocities they'd witnessed.

"The refugees thought people in the West didn't care about Africa," said Feinberg. "You could see how moved they were to see so many students there."

He said the event sealed his resolve to get active when he returned to campus.

"It made you want you to go home and just keep hammering away at the purpose," he said.