Five-college students and representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union will gather tomorrow at noon on the Student Union steps to rally against the USA Patriot Act.

The rally will feature three central speakers: Carol Rose, director of Massachusetts ACLU; Bill Newman, director of the Western Massachusetts ACLU; and Mount Holyoke College professor Chris Pyle.

Rose will address the effect of the USA Patriot Act on students. Newman will speak about the FBI on campus and the Freedom of Information Act.

Numerous representatives from student organizations will speak as well, including members of the Office of ALANA Affairs, the Graduate Employee Union, the Radical Student Union and Asian Americans for Political Action.

The USA Patriot Act was one of a series of legislation passed shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, designed to give greater power to law enforcement to combat terrorism.

The act has sparked discussion across the nation. Aron Israelite, president and founder of the UMass chapter of the ACLU said he believes that the legislation gives law enforcement too much power.

“The act is supposed to combat terrorism. It’s about security, but I think … it infringes upon civil liberties,” Israelite said. “It has given them so much power, they are violating the basic freedoms Americans should hold dear.”

Israelite, who founded the ACLU UMass chapter this semester, said he felt that it is important that the issue be put into a public forum.

“We want to bring this issue to the general public,” said Israelite. “I think many students would be upset, as I am, if they knew what was going on.”

The rally is sponsored by the UMass and Mount Holyoke College ACLU chapters, the Office of ALANA Affairs, UMass Democrats, the South Asian Student Association and the Arab Student Association.