Some students at NIU are sharpening pencils and licking stamps to send letters to soldiers at war in the Persian Gulf.

“We supply the paper, envelopes, stamps and addresses,” said Andrea Loeb, Staff Assistant for Neptune Hall. Loeb held a meeting yesterday in Neptune Central at 7 p.m. to give interested students ideas about what to write and send to the soldiers.

Loeb’s initial idea was to send packages of cookies. “When the package ban is lifted, I plan on beginning a program to send cookies,” she said.

The idea to organize a letter writing campaign came from Jennifer Altringer, a Neptune senior staff member who began the campaign last semester, Loeb said.

Altringer put up advertisements all over the hall and had a turnout of about 20-25 people, she said.

“You write the letter, we pay the postage,” said Jill Childs, staff member for Lincoln Hall.

Lincoln has a booth set up every Wednesday during lunch and dinner, where staff members will be providing paper and stamps and mailing letters to soldiers for the students, she said.

Childs said she decided to continue the program begun by Laura Dixon, a Lincoln Hall senior staff member, since there was such a good response to it.

“Some students even stood at the table and wrote the letters,” she added.

There have been replies from the soldiers, Childs said. “We know for sure they received the letters.”

The letters are sent to a “generic address” they received out of the Chicago Tribune, Childs said.

The Lincoln Hall Council and Neptune Hall Council are providing the money for these programs. Yellow ribbons are also being given out to students in Neptune and in Lincoln.