UNM offers a variety of religious student organizations to help the community feel welcome practicing a variety of faiths.
Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, those organizations report a noticeable increase in interest.
"We currently have about 80 members who come to our meetings to pray, worship the Lord and have a devotional," said Leslie Sanchez, president of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations.
Sanchez said a majority of the group's membership are first year medical students who meet every Tuesday to listen to a local pastor, physician or medical student talk about their faith.
"We come together to worship God and encourage each other through medical school. It can be a trying time, but if we help each other out we can make it a lot easier," she said.
The group is in the process of planning an outreach trip to Guatemala in June. While in the country, students will help local physicians start medical clinics for the underprivileged.
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"Guatemala has a challenging environment and hopefully we can help the locals and at the same time show our love for God in the process," Sanchez said. "There is no better way to lead someone to God than being an example."
Sanchez said everyone is welcome to attend their meetings.
"We are a non-judgmental environment and our purpose is to establish a friendly atmosphere for all to enjoy," she said.
Building from noon to 1 p.m.
Latin American students looking for a Christian group to join may want to check out Destinos. The smaller division of Campus Crusade for Christ has about 10 members that meet regularly to socialize and practice religious study.
Jose Cuellar, president of Destinos, said their main focus is to get students involved in Christian groups and to help them find a local church where they can feel comfortable.
"We want to reach out to students who may be curious about Christianity and inform them of what we believe and make them feel welcome in our community," he said.
Cuellar said members meet regularly at local restaurants, movie theatres and popular hangouts.
"It's just a very fun atmosphere for students to enjoy. We just want to find out what we all have in common and have a great time," Cuellar said.
If you are curious about the Islamic faith, the Muslim Student Association can help.
"Following September 11th, we have noticed an overwhelmingly high turnout at our meetings," said Salim Zamir, president of the association. "People are curious about what Muslims believe in and why is it one of the largest religions in the world."
Zamir said members attend lectures and movies about Islam and visit high schools and middle schools to teach students about the Islamic faith.
"We visit prisons once a month and offer an outreach to the prisoners," he said.
The group is putting the finishing touches on the Islamic Awareness Week held on the UNM campus the first week of April. They will have a booth set up by the Duck Pond with pamphlets about their faith.
