Support Service

This week, a panel of Harvard ROTC students and a student protest against Harvard’s refusal to officially recognize ROTC reminded the campus of Harvard’s troubled relationship with the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. During the Vietnam War, Harvard banned ROTC from campus and continues to impede student participation because of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy enacted in 1993. Because openly gay and lesbian students are excluded from ROTC under this policy, the University says that its refusal to recognize ROTC on campus is in line with its policies against discrimination outlined in the student handbook.

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy currently enforced by the military does amount to discrimination. It bars some of those who wish to serve their country from doing so, and the Congress should take immediate steps to repeal it. Consequently, although ROTC cadets themselves do not shape military-recruitment policies, we support Harvard’s refusal to officially recognize ROTC, just as it would refuse to recognize any other organization on campus that denied membership to open homosexuals. This policy is not only in line with the standards set forth in the student handbook, but it also matches with the philosophy of openness and inclusion that the University must preserve.

With that said, opposition to DADT should not be conflated with resistance to ROTC and the students that serve in it. The sacrifices made by students who travel to MIT on a regular basis to participate in training should be recognized and valued. They demonstrate a commitment to service that should be admired and followed by the rest of the student body. Because of this, the University can and should take several basic steps to facilitate the choices of these students who wish to serve.

The Harvard Republican Club’s awareness week makes several reasonable requests of Harvard. First, the University should make it easier for ROTC students to cross-register at MIT by covering cross-registration fees and allowing military-science courses to appear on transcripts. Harvard should also improve financial-aid policy so that ROTC grants do not preclude students from receiving Harvard funds.

ROTC is an important and worthwhile program, disregarding the discriminatory practice of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The program provides clear benefits for the military and the nation and allows Harvard students to serve and shape the future of the U.S. military. Currently, the extracurricular atmosphere at Harvard offers many chances to serve the community in different ways, and an ethic of service could and should grow here.

As a university, Harvard has historically highly valued military service. Memorial Church and Memorial Hall stand as looming examples of our commitment to memorialize those who have sacrificed greatly in military duty. President Obama should fulfill his promise of eliminating “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” When he does, Harvard can once again fully embrace the ethic of military service and the ROTC program.