Students who sought permission to demonstrate agreed to sit quietly and hold banners sending messages of peace on April 26.

The protest, from noon to 2 p.m., will be at 1230 North and 150 East around the "Enter to Learn - Go Forth to Serve" sign on campus.

Protesters wearing white will hold banners with the message "Go Forth - Establish Peace."

The protest will end two hours before Cheney arrives, though graduates and guests are encouraged to come to the ceremony at 1 p.m. to get through security, so protesters are optimistic many will see them.

"We're fine with the timing. We'd always planned to protest before Cheney's speech," said Carl Brinton, a sophomore in Asian studies and economics and a member of the College Democrats. "We want to make sure that we're not seen as ruining people's graduation."

An alternative graduation ceremony, organized by students Ashley Sanders, Eric Bybee and Joe Vogel, will take place after graduation at 6:30 p.m., though no site has yet been designated, but it will be off campus, Vogel said.

"We want this event to be an alternative commencement, but also a commencement about alternatives," the Web site www.byualternative commencement.com states.

"Instead of responding with criticism and traditional forms of protest, we want to give students, faculty and community members an opportunity to express dissent in a constructive way."

The ceremony's speakers are still unknown, though organizers hope to have speakers who "offer creative, democratic solutions to the problems facing our country and government."

Names such as Ralph Nader and Pete Ashdown have been discussed, but nothing is official yet, Vogel said, though organizers hope for two or three speakers.

"We are basically offering an alternative for those students who don't feel represented by Dick Cheney and maybe feel marginalized or that their voices don't count," Vogel said. "Basically, this will give those students a voice."

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* SHEENA MCFARLAND can be contacted at smcfarland@sltrib.com or 801-257-8619.