Four Decades Later, ROTC Could Return To Columbia University
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The military's ROTC program is one step closer to staging a comeback at Columbia University after a 40-year absence.
The Columbia University Senate voted 51-17 Friday in support of a resolution that could lead to the reintroduction of the military training program on campus.
The program was banned in 1969, amid outrage over the Vietnam War.
The resolution does not guarantee that the ROTC program will return. A branch of the military would have to approve a program at Columbia, and the university would also consult with the Defense Department before a program is okayed.
Columbia currently has 340 veterans on campus, including Iraq War paratrooper Jose Robledo.
"I think it is the quality, not just the quantity of officers that go into the military, who go in there with those critical thinking skills and the understanding of John Locke, Aristotle and everything else that comes along with Columbia University," said Robledo.
The repeal of the military's “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on homosexuality brought about a series contentious series of debates at Columbia to decide if ROTC should be reintroduced on campus.
Opponents question what it will mean for the university to partner with the military.
"Allowing them to train certain students for certain military activity abroad, including shooting to kill and to ambush... it means that we're now a training base and not just an academic institution," said student activist Akua Gyamerah.
In a statement, Columbia University officials said in part, "As in any diverse, open community, there will always be a range of strongly held opinions on such important issues."
On campus, opinions were mixed on letting ROTC back into Columbia.
"I think it could be really triggering and uncomfortable for students," said one local.
"If we want to change the mindset of the military, we're not going to do that by locking them out of our institution," said another.
ROTC is on more than 300 campuses across the country. There is talk of lifting bans at Yale and Brown, and last month Harvard announced it will welcome back the Navy ROTC program.