UNM instructor Bob Anderson was shaving on the morning of Oct. 22 when he heard on National Public Radio that the United States had bombed a hospital during one of its attacks on Afghanistan. He said that was when he decided it was time to do something to stop the attacks, which he says are unacceptable for Americans to blindly follow.
So, Anderson is taking his cause to the Faculty Senate, asking it to consider a resolution to cancel University classes until the United States stops its bombing campaign in Afghanistan.
"People have to do something to stop this," Anderson said. "I think we are bombing innocent civilians, which was what we have done in previous wars."
Anderson's proposal failed to get on the Senate's Oct. 23 agenda, and Faculty Senate President John Geissman said the meeting ran too long to bring it up. Geissman said he would discuss Anderson's proposal with the Senate's Operations Committee.
Anderson said he was very happy to see the Senate take action on it, adding that he thinks a lot of faculty members share his concern with the attacks and that they ought to be doing more about the issue. He also said his goal is to get more people to discuss United States' actions in Afghanistan and alternative solutions to them.
"People are too willing to accept bombing," Anderson said. "It looks like the military is out of control. They have said they are going to lie and not tell the truth."
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In an e-mail to the Daily Lobo, Anderson said the military solutions to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are shortsighted, counter-productive and immoral.
"The faculty has a responsibility to the students and the education process to take a stand against this response," Anderson wrote. "In the Vietnam War, it was common for faculty to take the lead and cancel classes in protest to great crimes in the greater common good."
Initially, Anderson was going to cancel his classes when he e-mailed his proposal to the Senate on Oct. 22, but he instead opted to cancel his American Studies class that Monday. He said he also cancelled his Wednesday class because of a bronchial infection he has been battling for about two months.
Anderson said he told his students in his American Studies class about his proposal and why he felt that way, and, while some of them didn't agree with his reasons, they understood and accepted his intentions. He said some of his students went to the Frontier Restaurant to talk more with him about the issue.
"Some of them didn't understand all the issues surrounding it and were open minded," Anderson said. "That's my goal and intention - to get more people thinking about this."
American Studies Chairman A. Gabriel Melendez said he talked with Anderson after hearing about his intentions and felt that his actions stemmed from his interest in bringing attention to the issue.
He said he thought Anderson didn't consider the implications his action might have on his students and their education.
Anderson emphasized that he was not going to quit teaching his class.
"I wasn't doing that," Anderson said. "I was trying to get the Faculty Senate to take some action on it. I was trying to get a resolution written up."
