Most universities in America have students attending who could be called into active duty for the military at any time, and UNM is no exception.
"This semester has been relatively quiet," said Randy Boeglin, UNM dean of students. "It wasn't really quiet in the spring of 2003, when things really got going."
Two UNM students have withdrawn this semester for active duty, Boeglin said.
Boeglin said there were 31 military withdrawals in the spring of 2003.
Other universities around the country experienced even higher rates of withdrawal that semester. Pennsylvania State University reported 205 students were called to serve when the war in Iraq began, and Purdue University reported 65.
The UNM policy states if students get called into action before the end of the 12th week of the semester, they are entitled to a will -pass grade in each of their courses. Afterward, they can decide to receive either a grade or a tuition refund, Boeglin said.
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The two students out on active duty this semester are from the Air Force ROTC at UNM.
Maj. Kenneth Thalmann, Air Force ROTC recruiting officer, said efforts at UNM have been steady.
"We try to get as many as we can," he said.
Most students recruited for the program are between 17 and 29 years old, some having previously served in the military, Thalmann said.
Boeglin said they have been keeping track of military withdrawals since 2001.
"We don't have figures for past wars," Boeglin said. "But I can tell you this: Since the fall of 2001, there have been 66 military withdrawals."
He said some students ignore the withdrawal system used at UNM, which would cause the numbers to be higher than 31.
"A person could be stationed at Kirtland, and they could just drop," he said. "We would never know that."
Some recruiting offices have been offering special incentives for joining the military, but not the recruiting office on campus, Thalmann said.
Scholarships for tuition and fees benefit students who sign up, he said.
Thalmann said students who sign up are not offered extra benefits even though they may have to serve.
