Alongside College Republicans and College Democrats, UNM has a slew of lesser-known political and activist student organizations.
Perhaps one of the most visible groups is longtime activism stalwarts the Progressive Student Alliance. After having lost many of it's key members to graduation last year, the PSA began the semester with a fresh cast of leaders. The group is dedicated to helping students learn about issues affecting the campus, community and nation, said co-chairwoman hershe Michele Kramer.
"It's a student organization that is committed to democratic participation," she said.
Kramer said the PSA has about 20 core members, but about twice that number show up for the group's meetings and events. The PSA has helped organize debates, marches and other events, and its members are involved in everything from anti-sweatshop movements to world peace.
"It's for anybody who likes to think about things differently," Kramer said. "They are people who want to look behind the scenes, read between the lines, know how decisions are made and who makes them."
Another activist organization, Liberation Now!, which provides support for and education about political prisoners.
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"We're trying to promote awareness of political prisoners, many of whom are community organizers that were often framed up for organizing activities they were doing, especially in minority communities," said president Ben Jones. "I think that people need to wonder what would South Africa be like if Mandela would have never got out of prison and to learn about the freedom fighters in our country and the little seen underbelly of our own power structure in America."
Jones said the group plans to start a once-a-week campus flyer campaign to provide information and contact information so students can correspond with prisoners. Liberation Now! will also host an upcoming segment of the weekly People Before Profit film series held at R.B. Winnings.
Perhaps more on the fringe, the Rebel Alliance claims as its goal the education and agitation of the UNM community by "fighting the evil empire with advanced psychological warfare."
That empire consists of capitalism, white supremacy and other issues, said Robert McGoey, the group's spiritual guru.
Among other things, the Rebel Alliance helps edit and publish the Lobotomy, a spoof of the Daily Lobo featuring essays, poetry, art and comics about social issues.
Students should join the Rebel Alliance because, "We're exciting and we give people free Lobotomies," McGooey said.
Looking for something a little more obscure? Try the Radical Cheerleaders - a growing student group that says its mission is to raise community awareness through guerrilla performance art.
"We want to come up with ways to express a political opinion but not in a yakkety-yak way - in an amusing and powerful way," said Kramer, who also is a co-chairwoman of the Radical Cheerleaders.
The UNM Objectivist Society is aimed at educating students about objectivism, a philosophy created by the late Ayn Rand, author of "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged."
"It's about individual rights, which are based on reason and the ethics of enlightened self-interest or egoism," said founder Ryan Molecke at a recent speaking engagement sponsored by the society. He called objectivists "radical capitalists."
Law students interested in conservative theory can join the Federalist Society - a group that promotes limited government, literal interpretation of the Constitution and separation of power.
"It's an organization of conservatives and libertarians, there are no policy positions or endorsements," vice president Wade Jackson said. "It's just an intellectual society. The purpose is to foster debate and discussion. We offer an alternative to a couple of ideologies that run throughout law schools and other systems and are taught as though it is the law."
The group, which has about 30 members, does not meet on a set schedule but sponsors several events during the semester.
