The majority of MC students surveyed support the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, according to a survey conducted on campus in March.

To mark the 3rd anniversary of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, students from Journalism M02 surveyed 129 Moorpark College students,including 38 High School at Moorpark College students, to determine the level of support for the war. Many students have changed their minds since the war began two years ago.

In the Moorpark College survey, 68% of students interviewed said they believe the U.S. should either withdraw troops from Iraq immediately, or set a timetable for withdrawal. While 35% of students originally supported the administration’s decision to go to war in Iraq two years ago, only 23% still support the war. Engineering major Sam Toutounchian, 19, was one of the students who originally supported the war in Iraq.

“My parents are from Iran and I’m part Kurd,” said Toutounchian. “We did not like Saddam.”

But given what he knows now, he no longer supports the war. “There is no reason for us to be there,” said Toutounchian. “We need a person like Saddam in power because you can’t rule an area like that without an immense amount of fear.”

“I believed the Bush Administration when they told us that there were nuclear weapons to be found in Iraq, but now I’m not sure if I should trust the president anymore,” said English major Justin Rivera, 21.

“I think we should focus on the problems in our own country first,” said theater arts major Timothy McGarry, 18.

According to the survey, 53% of students currently oppose the war, 23% support it, and 23% are unsure.

Some of the students who chose “unsure” stated that although they do not support the war, they thought that it would be irresponsible to withdraw U.S. troops before some measure of stability had been restored to Iraq.