Political science professor Ira Carmen first came to the University in 1968, when Vietnam war protests were frequent on campus.

Opposition to the war generated a lot of liberalism among Illinois students, but Carmen said those opinions are more subdued today.

"Back when I came, you had a pretty even split between conservatives and liberals," he said. "The only difference is that the liberal students of today, because there is no anti-war movement, are less liberal."

He added that protests to the war in Iraq aren't comparable to Vietnam War protests because there is no draft.

A nationwide poll conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University suggests that college students are becoming more conservative as a whole. According to the results, 31 percent of college students identify themselves as Republicans, as opposed to the 27 percent who consider themselves Democrats.

Since 1999, membership in the College Republican National Committee has tripled. It has over 1,150 chapters nationwide.

The study found that 61 percent of college students approve of president George W. Bush, whereas 53 percent of the general public approve of him.

Victoria Cosentino, senior in LAS and president of the College Republicans, said she agrees with the poll results and that there are "more conservative students on this campus than anybody realizes."

"I feel we are the silent majority," she said. "The liberal viewpoint on this campus tends to be a lot more vocal."

Cosentino said the recent resurgence of nationalistic feelings may have caused some students to become more conservative.

As far as affecting the outcome of national elections, Cosentino said it's unlikely that opinions on college campuses would make or break elections.

"I think that definitely has a bigger impact on local and state races," she said. "College students are starting to vote more, and appealing to them and their concerns is an issue in campaigns."

Nick Reitz, College Democrats vice president and senior in LAS, said students are not becoming more conservative, but voter apathy among them is making it look that way.

"Our campus has typically been known for being liberal, and I don't think we've gotten more liberal or more conservative," he said.

Reitz agreed that college students are not seen as influential regarding the outcome of national elections.

"Students are very apathetic when it comes to voting, so they're not a target group for that reason," he said. "They're not as targeted as other voting demographics."

According to the Harvard study, 82 percent of registered student voters polled said they would "definitely" or "probably" vote in the 2004 presidential election. However, only 29 percent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 cast their ballots in the 2000 presidential race.