Over the past decade there has been a strong movement to push Reserve Officer Training Corp programs off school campuses because of a discriminatory policy against homosexuals. The US military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy forces homosexuals wishing to serve to keep their sexual orientation under wraps. The military is not authorized to question or investigate whether a person is gay, but if it becomes apparent through the individual’s words or actions, they will be forcibly separated from the military.

The policy against open homosexuality extends to ROTC programs on school campuses, putting the programs at odds with university anti-discrimination policies. Despite protests by students and faculty over the years at many of the California State University campuses, including two recently at the Northridge and East Bay CSU campuses, ROTC programs remain at 16 of the 23 CSUs.

The major incentive for university administrators to keep ROTC is the extra federal funding they receive for allowing the units to operate on campus. Not only would the extra funding disappear if ROTC programs were removed, but so would federal grants. The Solomon Amendment, passed in 1996, instituted funding penalties that would revoke schools grants if it removed ROTC. This amendment all but solidified the place of ROTC on CSU campuses.

Because the fate of a schools federal funding is attached to ROTC, it can be assumed that protesting the presence of ROTC is not going to change the minds of university administrators. Even with ROTC practicing discriminatory polices that are blatantly contrary to those of the university, kicking the program off campus is not viable option. For those who disagree with the policy, their time would be better spent focusing on the actual policy and the actual military rather than a training program, which is a fraction of the armed services and a beneficial component of many universities.

Removing ROTC from university campuses will not change the military’s discriminatory policy. Instead, it would take away scholarship and job training opportunities for those interested in careers in the military. The removal of ROTC from campus does not benefit the school or surrounding community. It is not a club with autonomy over its own regulations and policies. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is set by Congress, enforced by the Department of Defense and that is where the opposition to it should be focused.

The United Kingdom and France have allowed homosexuals to serve openly in the military without adverse affects on morale or mission focus. Furthermore, there have been various studies showing that gays who have served in the military were accepted and posed no more of a security risk than heterosexual males.

These arguments provide a better basis for objection to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule rather than opposition to an organization that does not set policy and does not have the ability to change Defense Department rules and regulations. ROTC will not be moving from the campus as long as federal funding threatens to go with it. And even if the training programs were successfully ousted from CSUS or any of the other state campuses, no achievement would be made. ROTC, along with its opportunities for students, should not be tossed off campus because of the Department of Defense’s policy. The issue is the policy, not the program.

Choquette Marrow can be reached at [email protected]