In the face of apathy and strong pro-war sentiments, protesters continue to sponsor demonstrations Fridays on or near campus.
UNM student William Shuster has attended a protest nearly every Friday since the United States began bombing Afghanistan and said that his belief that the war is wrong pushes him to speak out against it.
"I don't believe in killing people for any reason and just don't think we have really looked at the other options that we do have," he said. "Besides, we're the ones who created Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda network. We armed them against Russia, then when the Soviets fell, we left them alone and they rose against us. This is our mess and we can't fix it by killing more people."
Shuster, who fought blustery weather Friday while waving an anti-war sign at drivers on Central Avenue in front of the UNM Bookstore, says he is frustrated by lack of support of his cause but he expected it.
"It's comforting that the poll numbers that indicate who is in support of the war are decreasing," he said.
While he is frustrated by his community's response, Shuster said he is more bothered by the U.S. leadership's refusal to acknowledge the anti-war movement.
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"It's like we don't have any options any more," he said. "I've been frustrated by that for a long time, but this doesn't make it any better. The thing is when I walk away from events like this, I feel like I've done something. I've stood up for what I believe in, and I'm making people like these drivers think twice about how they feel about the war."
Bob Lawson, a UNM community member who also has attended numerous anti-war protests, said that while the group's numbers have dwindled since a Sept. 21 protest when more than 500 showed up, he is not frustrated.
"Our numbers are smaller, but this is about quality and not quantity," he said. "We have people who are really passionate out here and that's what matters. We know support of the war is dwindling and there are people out there who agree with us. They may not be standing here with us, but that really doesn't matter."
Lawson said apathy bothers him far more than poor turnout.
"There are some people who support the war, a lot who don't and a whole lot more who just don't care," he said. "Those last ones are the ones who I worry the most about. At least people like the College Republicans care and are willing to voice their opinions."
At a time when many people nationwide have deemed the peace movement, which is mainly focused on college campuses, anti-American, Shuster said he considers his actions patriotic.
"American was founded on dissent, and if it is unpatriotic to dissent then the founding fathers were unpatriotic," he said.
Lawson echoed Shuster's sentiments.
"We embody patriotism and it would be unpatriotic if we didn't speak up," Lawson said. "It's easy for people to make that connection that if we don't support U.S. action that we support the Taliban, but that's just not true. We just support peace and don't think that violence is the best path to take in getting there."
