Clinton May Fix ROTC Problem

Bill Clinton's election may put the final nail in the coffin of the ROTC controversy, which has raged at Harvard for more than 20 years in the form of ultimatums, angry protests and unsuccessful compromises.

The Democratic victory may also render moot the 10-month-long effort by the student-faculty committee on ROTC to refashion Harvard's ties with ROTC, which bars gays and lesbians from its ranks. Clinton has promised to strike down by executive order the Pentagon's exclusionary practices.

"If Clinton does what he says he is going to do, it makes this complex arrangement moot," said Pforzheimer University Professor Sidney Verba '53, who chaired the committee, of the current tentative solutions. "If it's done, all the various things we suggest are not longer necessary to consider."

Verba said that the efforts of the committee, established in January, may prove to have been in vain.

"The whole thing will go down in history," Verba said. "All the work I've done is wasted."

Former Undergraduate Council Chair David A. Aronberg '93, on the other hand, expressed relief that the government solution could make a University stance unnecessary.

"I'd be more than happy to have this problemsolved by an executive order," said Aronberg, amember of the committee. "We'd be thrilled to havethat rather than go through this report."

Nevertheless, the Faculty may still vote onadopting the committee's recommendations.

Deliberations on the report were postponed lastmonth until the presidential elections, butofficials said yesterday they may resume since itis unclear how quickly a new Clintonadministration would reform the military's hiringpractices.

David Leavey, a spokesperson for the Clintontransition team yesterday declined to say exactlywhether or when Clinton would reform ROTC.

"All things are being developed," said Leavey.

Verba said he will present the proposal atTuesday's faculty meeting.

"We're still presenting the report for facultyconsideration" said Verba. "If this were threemonths later and if Clinton had already done it, Iwould say I wouldn't even present the report tothe faculty."

According to acting Secretary of the FacultyJohn B. Fox Jr. '59, unless Clinton moves soon, aFaculty vote could take place in December,depending on the progress of the faculty'sdiscussion.

"We will proceed until any event overtakes us,"said Fox.

McDonald predicted the implementation ofClinton's order to stop ROTC's discriminationagainst gays and lesbians may be "slowing moving."

"The military is a very cautious bureaucracy,"McDonald said. "It won't do anything withouttesting and more testing. It will not open itsdoor to gays if there will be gay bashingoccurring.

Aronberg expressed skepticism about Clinton'sfuture actions.

"Our big concern is that with all his promises,Clinton will be caught up with other perhaps morepressing issues such as the economy thanintegrating gays and lesbians into the army,"Aronberg said. "I just hope it won't beforgotten."

Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Students AssociationCo-Chair Rachel E. Cohen '94 also questioned howquickly Clinton will take action.

"It's hard to tell when he will ban thediscrimination, if at all," Cohen said.

Aronberg said the Clinton's promises shouldsatisfy critics of Harvard's ties to ROTC whopoint to the discrepancy between the University'spolicy of non-discrimination and ROTC's exclusionof gays and lesbians.

"As long as ROTC is not incompatible withHarvard's policies, there will be no reason toalter its present relationship," Aronberg said."The only reason our report will be enacted is ifClinton does not fulfill his promise."

Cohen agreed with Aronberg, calling Clinton'spledge "the only legitimate stance."

"My main objection to ROTC will be gone," Cohensaid. "If Clinton does stop the ban, there will beno moral principles on which there would be noROTC at Harvard."

Verba said yesterday he thinks Harvard's ROTCprogram will continue in its current state, ifClinton makes good on his promise.

"It's more efficient to have a combined unit,"Verba said. "It's working well now."

Currently, Harvard ROTC cadets cross-registerat MIT for their ROTC training. The Universitypays MIT roughly $150,000 a year to maintain theoff-campus program.

The report that was issued last month by theROTC committee sought to resolve the ROTC debateby recommending that the University suspend itsfunding of the ROTC program while continuing toaccept ROTC scholarships.

In the wake of student protests against thepresence of military interests at Harvard duringthe Vietnam War, the Faculty Council voted in 1969to terminate Harvard's ROTC program. TheUniversity revived the program in its current formin the mid-1970s, but the council issued anultimatum to the Pentagon two years agothreatening to cut ties again unless it stopsdiscriminating against homosexuals.

Defense Department officials have said that thePentagon would not want a full-scale, on-campusROTC program at Harvard, even if the Universityrequested it. The Pentagon has been cutting ROTCProgram across the country as part of efforts todownsize the military.Crimson File Photo

"I'd be more than happy to have this problemsolved by an executive order," said Aronberg, amember of the committee. "We'd be thrilled to havethat rather than go through this report."

Nevertheless, the Faculty may still vote onadopting the committee's recommendations.

Deliberations on the report were postponed lastmonth until the presidential elections, butofficials said yesterday they may resume since itis unclear how quickly a new Clintonadministration would reform the military's hiringpractices.

David Leavey, a spokesperson for the Clintontransition team yesterday declined to say exactlywhether or when Clinton would reform ROTC.

"All things are being developed," said Leavey.

Verba said he will present the proposal atTuesday's faculty meeting.

"We're still presenting the report for facultyconsideration" said Verba. "If this were threemonths later and if Clinton had already done it, Iwould say I wouldn't even present the report tothe faculty."

According to acting Secretary of the FacultyJohn B. Fox Jr. '59, unless Clinton moves soon, aFaculty vote could take place in December,depending on the progress of the faculty'sdiscussion.

"We will proceed until any event overtakes us,"said Fox.

McDonald predicted the implementation ofClinton's order to stop ROTC's discriminationagainst gays and lesbians may be "slowing moving."

"The military is a very cautious bureaucracy,"McDonald said. "It won't do anything withouttesting and more testing. It will not open itsdoor to gays if there will be gay bashingoccurring.

Aronberg expressed skepticism about Clinton'sfuture actions.

"Our big concern is that with all his promises,Clinton will be caught up with other perhaps morepressing issues such as the economy thanintegrating gays and lesbians into the army,"Aronberg said. "I just hope it won't beforgotten."

Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Students AssociationCo-Chair Rachel E. Cohen '94 also questioned howquickly Clinton will take action.

"It's hard to tell when he will ban thediscrimination, if at all," Cohen said.

Aronberg said the Clinton's promises shouldsatisfy critics of Harvard's ties to ROTC whopoint to the discrepancy between the University'spolicy of non-discrimination and ROTC's exclusionof gays and lesbians.

"As long as ROTC is not incompatible withHarvard's policies, there will be no reason toalter its present relationship," Aronberg said."The only reason our report will be enacted is ifClinton does not fulfill his promise."

Cohen agreed with Aronberg, calling Clinton'spledge "the only legitimate stance."

"My main objection to ROTC will be gone," Cohensaid. "If Clinton does stop the ban, there will beno moral principles on which there would be noROTC at Harvard."

Verba said yesterday he thinks Harvard's ROTCprogram will continue in its current state, ifClinton makes good on his promise.

"It's more efficient to have a combined unit,"Verba said. "It's working well now."

Currently, Harvard ROTC cadets cross-registerat MIT for their ROTC training. The Universitypays MIT roughly $150,000 a year to maintain theoff-campus program.

The report that was issued last month by theROTC committee sought to resolve the ROTC debateby recommending that the University suspend itsfunding of the ROTC program while continuing toaccept ROTC scholarships.

In the wake of student protests against thepresence of military interests at Harvard duringthe Vietnam War, the Faculty Council voted in 1969to terminate Harvard's ROTC program. TheUniversity revived the program in its current formin the mid-1970s, but the council issued anultimatum to the Pentagon two years agothreatening to cut ties again unless it stopsdiscriminating against homosexuals.

Defense Department officials have said that thePentagon would not want a full-scale, on-campusROTC program at Harvard, even if the Universityrequested it. The Pentagon has been cutting ROTCProgram across the country as part of efforts todownsize the military.Crimson File Photo