ROTC

Letters 2/8/08

The university system in the U.S. is deeply militarized—and increasingly so. While Columbia is, thankfully, not leading this trend, Columbia's record has some definite black marks. More recently, at the end of winter break Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing rejected a proposal recommending that Columbia divest from military contractors, at least for the duration of the war in Iraq.

A recent staff editorial took issue with Columbia’s policy on ROTC and the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. The editorial has generated various responses, positive and negative, the voicing of which I appreciate and encourage. I believe our condemnation of DADT was clear, but I want to use this chance to apologize to those whom the editorial may have offended

The way in which Spectator sought to problematize the perceived lack of the military’s presence on this campus, through the article by Josh Hirschland erroneously categorized as “News” and the subsequent editorial, seems to function inconsistently with Spec’s intended role as an objective instrument of campus media, and instead implies a conservative, moralizing mission.

By welcoming ROTC back to campus, Columbia has the opportunity to gain a more diverse student body and an improved connection to national issues. At the same time, the University can take a stronger stance against DADT by actively engaging with the military.

Columbia’s lack of support for ROTC is becoming inconvenient.

It was thoughtfully suggested to me that my last column, which appeared on Veterans’ Day, should perhaps have had something to do with the on-again/off-again relationship between Columbia and the military.

Hierarchies of power, ethnic studies, Manhattanville, Core reform—the demands of the hunger strikers read as a political manifesto. One could spend pages rebutting each incongruent, pigheaded and impractical demand, but there is a larger, more pressing issue at hand—it is a question of tactics.

In its series on the Service Academies, Spectator has published two submissions: an ignorant, invective piece titled “The Truth About The Academies” by Idris Leppla, whose brother attends the Naval Academy; and a very fair and honest account by Emily Haney-Caron, a self-described anti-war liberal whose fiancé attends West Point.

Last Monday saw crowds of protesting students, an influx of concerned community members, and an impressive media presence on Columbia’s campus. The chaotic disturbance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit was remarkable.