ROTC Marches Back to Nation's Elite Schools

The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) recently began a march back onto the nation's elite college campuses after decades away.

On April 28, Stanford University announced it is reestablishing the ROTC program on campus after a 40-year absence. Stanford faculty approved a proposal to begin conversations with the U.S. military about the process. The following week, on May 5,  faculty at Yale University voted for measures that would clear the way for ROTC's return.

Some of the nation's premier universities -- including Stanford, Harvard, Yale and Columbia -- banned ROTC programs from campus during the Vietnam War. But the historic repeal, in December 2010, of a ban on openly gay homosexuals in the military has led several of those schools to reverse their own bans on the officers training program.

The military continues to ban transgender individuals from serving, a policy some gay and lesbian activists say violates non-discrimination policies at many universities. Stanford officials noted that issue as they announced their decision on ROTC.

"We understand the concerns about the military's continuing discrimination against transgender people, and we share those concerns," Stanford President John Hennessy and Provost John Etchemendy said in a joint statement. "But if the leadership of the military is drawn from communities that teach and practice true tolerance, change is more likely to occur. The U.S. military has demonstrated an ability and willingness to change over time, and we believe Stanford can contribute by providing leaders capable of helping create that change."

Harvard and Columbia offer Naval ROTC military education benefits

A training program to prepare college students to be commissioned officers, ROTC offers a variety of military education benefits. According to the U.S. Navy Recruiting Command, the Naval ROTC Scholarship Program--already slated to return to Harvard and Columbia--covers up to $180,000 in expenses at eligible colleges and universities across the country. These funds could pay for:

• Tuition and fees
• Textbooks
• Monthly allowances

According to the Navy, monthly allowances fluctuate between $250 for freshmen to $400 for seniors. Naval ROTC scholarships allow students to focus on their studies and extracurricular activities rather than on ways to pay for college.

As part of their Naval ROTC duties, students take a naval science course each semester and participate in drills at least once a week. Naval ROTC students also participate in Summer Cruise Training alongside Navy officers in the field. As part of this training, students could be assigned to nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers and aviation squadrons. Exercises with foreign navies could also be part of the Naval ROTC summer training. On-the-job training helps students choose the naval career they would like to pursue after they graduate and are commissioned as ensigns in the naval reserve.

Naval ROTC participants commit to a minimum of five years of active duty, except nurses who must serve for four years. Naval ROTC participants could pursue careers operating warships, chasing enemy submarines or guiding aircraft off and onto carriers. They could also clear mines, conduct clandestine missions behind enemy lines and jump from helicopters to pluck crewmembers out of freezing waters. As nurses, they could assist military personnel and their families.

Brown does not reinstate ROTC military education benefits

At press time, Brown University had not eliminated its ROTC ban. In a Brown Daily Herald editorial, Julian Park urges fellow students to change the military by keeping the ROTC off campus.

"Organizational theory and military culture demonstrate why it is so difficult to create change from the inside," Park writes. "The combination of a regimented hierarchy with devotion to mission objectives and following orders provides little wiggle room for troops and officers to produce positive change within a military environment. Those who seek change, like Ehren Watada or Bradley Manning, are court-martialed."

Watada reportedly refused to deploy to Iraq, describing the war as illegal, and Manning is in prison awaiting trial, accused of forwarding classified government documents to WikiLeaks.

Schools that choose not to reestablish ROTC may face financial consequences, as some ROTC supporters have threatened to push for the enforcement of a 1995 law that denies federal funds to schools that shut out ROTC, FoxNews.com reported.

What's the impact of ROTC on campus?

Some ROTC participants expect that formal recognition of their units will have minimal impact on students' day-to-day experiences.

"I'm not expecting a battalion to show up at Harvard starting next year," Harvard cadet Victoria Migdal, who engages in ROTC activities off campus, told the Army Times. Despite that, she said that when her fellow students see her in uniform, they're "curious, not hostile" and thank her for her service. Migdal values her experience, noting the ROTC tests strength and builds character.

"Most will choose not to answer the call--that is acceptable, the natural result of relying on an all-volunteer military," Jacques Barzun, former Columbia provost and professor, wrote in The Wall Street Journal. "What is not acceptable is denying the army the opportunity to even make that call."

Share This

Email