Pipkin Will Request Vote On ROTC Policy Change

A representative of the Faculty Council will propose that the Faculty vote at its meeting next week to allow students to cross-register at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to take non-credit Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) courses.

Francis M. Pipkin, associate dean of the Faculty, said yesterday his motion on behalf of the Faculty Council comes in response to a request by the Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE) that the Faculty clarify its 1969 legislation barring ROTC from campus.

Dean Rosovsky said yesterday he does not believe cross-registration in MIT's ROTC program is a "long-term solution," but he said exploration of other alternatives will depend on the number of students that wish to enroll in the MIT program.

Walter A. Rosenblith, provost of MIT, said yesterday that although the institute is not willing to act as a "metropolitan unit" for the Boston area, it does not object to allowing Harvard students to enroll in the program so long as the increased size does not disrupt its functioning.

Steven Peck '79, one of two students that have discussed ROTC programs with Pipkin, said yesterday he wants to cross-register in the MIT program because he wants the "career experience" he could get in the Army's legal advocate program.

The Army will pay Peck's full tuition living expenses in return for four years' active duty when he graduates, he added.

Several Harvard professors who were involved in the 1969 ROTC discussion said yesterday they see no reason to bar students from enrolling in non-credit ROTC programs at MIT.

Owen J. Gingerich, professor of Astronomy, who seconded the 1969 legislation, said yesterday he feels it was not meant to include non-credit courses.

The Faculty's main objection to ROTC in 1969 was that students received academic credit for the courses, and that ROTC officers were given full Faculty status, he said.

Non-credit courses do not appear anywhere on the Harvard transcript,Pipkin said.

Michael L. Walzer, professor of Government, yesterday asked, "What difference does it make what students do if it's not for credit?" He added, "I don't see what the issue is."

David Reisman, Ford II Professor of Social Sciences, said yesterday he feels students should have free choice in the matter, and added, "As long as we're going to have a military, I don't want to limit the class from which the officer corps is drawn" to students from land-grant colleges.