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Peace activists are now on the agenda of the University of New Mexico Board of Regents after months of trying to persuade the university to give up weapons-related research.

At its monthly meeting Tuesday, the governing board heard comments from eight people who represented Democracy for New Mexico, the Los Alamos Study Group, Progressive Action Coalition and Stop the War Machine.

The groups have been speaking during public comment periods at regents meetings since Sept. 29, when the university hosted a nuclear weapons symposium. Activist Bob Anderson says he was assaulted and arrested by UNM police for speaking out against the event. UNM officials say Anderson kicked a police officer.

The activists want the regents to consider a resolution to phase out research contracts with military agencies and contractors. They also want a citizen review board to examine university research, said Carla Josephson.

Regent President Jamie Koch said the groups were put on the agenda because they had been speaking up at many of the board's meetings.

Koch said the regents would review the resolution and keep in contact with the activists.

"As long as we're talking, we're better off than when we're not talking," he said.

Activist Vicki Johnson said she first became interested in the issue when she graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1979 with a degree in computing and information science but couldn't find a nonmilitary job in her field.

The activists said UNM's weapons-related research includes contracts with the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Bolling Air Force Base, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and Rome Air Force Development Center. They did not specify a total dollar figure for the work.

"It was quite surprising at how many (contracts) there were," Johnson said.

The groups were protesting at a nuclear weapons symposium at UNM Sept. 29 when Anderson was arrested.

UNM interim President David Harris said Anderson was removed from the symposium because he kicked a police officer.

Harris said UNM has been working with Anderson's lawyer for the past six months to try to come up with an agreement, but they haven't reached one.

Anderson denied assaulting a police officer and said police were assaulting the protesters.

"That is what they (UNM officials) do to try to intimidate people from speaking out," he said.

Anderson said he is banned from UNM.

"If I go to campus, I could be charged criminally," he said.

Sebastian Pais Iriart, a student senator at UNM and a member of the Progressive Action Coalition, said weapons research should not be done at a place of education.

"The only goal of the weapon is to kill somebody," he said. "I don't see this type of research benefiting the university. We want the money to go into education and not into profiting from war."