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Bill Would Eliminate Funding To Schools With ROTC Barriers

Harvard University would lose all of its federal funding if a measure expected to be introduced this morning by Congressional representative Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) becomes law.

The bill, called the "ROTC Campus Access Act," would prohibit any federal monies--including those earmarked for Stafford and Pell Grants--from being awarded to colleges that place restrictions on the creation or maintenance or ROTC programs on campus.

"It addresses the hypocrisy of schools like Harvard that receive Department of Defense funding and still discriminate against ROTC," said Brian J. Shortsleeve '95, a member of the ROTC Marine Corps.

Harvard currently receives over $12 million from the Department of Defense annually, according to Shortsleeve. But university policy prohibits the direct funding of ROTC with university funding.

Under a compromise reached earlier this year, ROTC receives money from a trust fund financed by private alumni donations. Harvard has no official affiliation to the program.

Students participate in ROTC through its headquarters at MIT.

"If the trust fund runs out, and the Secretary of Defense say he wants a unit at Harvard, they wouldn't be able to say no," said Shortsleeve, adding that he thinks the bill has a "good chance" of passing the Republican-controlled Congress.

"The days of leftist academics bullying ROTC cadets are numbered," said Ron Robinson, president of Young America's Foundation, a conservative political action group that helped Pombo prepare the bill. FAS

Faculty Council Debates Budget Letter, Union Negotiations

The Faculty Council yesterday discussed a draft copy of Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles's budget letter and upcoming union negotiations, Secretary to the Faculty John B. Fox Jr. '59 said.

Knowles's budget letter outlines the state of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences's finances for the past year.

The letter is several months late this year; Knowles has traditionally sent the letter out October 1. Knowles said in an interview Tuesday that he would release the letter before the March 14 Faculty Meeting. Yesterday Knowles called the discussion of the letter "very helpful" but did not comment on the union negotiations.

Council member Professor of Government Kenneth Shepsle said FAS has 1,000 employees who will be affected by the negotiations with the seven unions over the next four months.

Harvard's Director of Labor Relations Timothy R. Manning summarized recent developments at the meeting, Shepsle said. "The general sense I have, my own gut feelings, is all parties want this over with quickly and put to bed," Shepsle said.

Elizabeth T. Bangs and Jonathan A. Lewin