by Xochitl Campos
Daily Lobo
Student Matt Robinson said he's tired of being asked if he has a minute for the environment.
"It's nice to see that someone cares about the environment, but they are obnoxious," he said. "You see them every day and probably every time you go to class."
Canvassers for Environment New Mexico have been stopping students on their way to class off and on for the past five years. They stop students to educate them on some of their initiatives to help the environment.
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Joe Rupp, a spokesman of the organization, said Environment New Mexico depends on help from citizens to put pressure on elected officials.
"I think one of the big things for us is that we know that policy doesn't change unless we can build a lot of support from a lot of people very quickly," he said. "We want to talk to folks that are interested in the issues and want to help
with it."
But students do not have a lot of money to give, student Angela
Tye said.
"Who asks college students for money?" she said. "We don't
have any."
Tye said the organization should find new ways to reach students.
"Their tactic for stopping you is not fair. They are making you feel guilty when most people are doing what they can," she said. "My friends recycle."
The Student Activities Center reserves outdoor space on campus for people and organizations to use.
It reviews requests for areas and coordinates schedules to ensure there are no conflicts, said Debbie Morris, director of the center.
"We sort of serve as a clearinghouse," she said.
Morris said she talked with members of the organization about its tactics after a student complained about them in a letter to the editor in the Daily Lobo last week.
"I don't think it is their goal to annoy people," she said.
Student Shay Davis said it is hard to say no to saving the environment.
"I think they have good intentions. If they were trying to sell magazines, that would be one thing," he said. "At least they're doing it for a good cause."
Davis said the organization should set up a booth so people can go
to them.
"For the student's sake, it'd be nice if they set up a booth," he said. "If they set up stands and allowed you to go, they would probably have a better
response."
Rupp said canvassers are not at UNM to bother students.
"No one is obligated to stop. If someone is in a rush, then by all means," he said. "Some people are obviously really excited to see you, and some of them are not."
Davis said the organization's approach does not help its cause.
"It gets a little annoying when they are here for weeks, and they ask you multiple times," he said.
Morris said no other organization has been on campus as regularly as Environment New Mexico.
Rupp said the group returns to campus because student support has helped them to pass previous
initiatives.
"The students at UNM have been a big part of our victories in the past. So, we're going to go back there, because we know that there is a lot of support," he said. "We want to give them the opportunity to get
involved."
Rupp said he is unsure how much longer canvassers will be on campus, but they will eventually move off
campus.
"We're going to be there for a little bit longer this semester," he said. "Then we are going to be doing more canvassing through door-to-door outreach, which means that we will not be on campus anymore."
