2008 Woodie Awards
ROTC wants in at Harvard
School's funding of group ended in '92
By Michael Murphy
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- ROTC is struggling to be recognized on campuses around the country
- Some people believe it is anti-American for schools to not recognize ROTC on campus
- There are many organizations coming together to help make it recognized on these campuses again
ROTC is struggling to be recognized on certain campuses throughout the country. Universities like Brown, Yale and Harvard are not recognizing the organization on their campuses, despite supporting the programs in the past.
Paul Mawn, the chairman of the Advocates for Harvard ROTC, explained why Harvard ROTC is not allowed.
"It's a political issue," Mawn said. "The façade is because of the 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy, but the reality is that it's left-wing faculty are basically anti-military."
The 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy, which was sanctioned under the Clinton administration in 1992, Mawn explained, was the only lever the vocal minority of Harvard faculty had. The policy discouraged soldiers from being open about their sexuality. This prompted faculty to get ROTC thrown off campus because it was perceived as a homophobic club.
"A lot of the people behind this were of the Woodstock generation," Mawn said. "They wanted revolt against their parents' values and a lot of them wanted to justify their lack of serving."
When ROTC was thrown off Harvard's campus around 1970, it was still recognized by the school, with scholarship money allocated to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Harvard students could join ROTC there. When it was officially derecognized in 1992, the money was no longer allocated to MIT.
"I think it's blatantly illegal," Mawn said. "Since '92 they just collected the money and kept it entirely themselves."
Mawn explained what he wished to accomplish through the Advocates for Harvard ROTC.
Published: 11/11/08 Section: News
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