Palling Around with Traitors, or Those Who Feel Like Them

28 October 2008 Columbia Spectator Op-ed "Palling Around with Traitors, or Those Who Feel Like Them" by Noah Baron '11.  Note:  Baron writes that as a gay student he'd feel unwelcome with ROTC on campus, fearing that "return of the NROTC will establish, for the first time in a long time, an entire department at this institution in which an entire section of our student body cannot participate".

Making the Case for the Military

28 October 2008 Columbia Spectator Op-ed "Making the Case for the Military" by Peter Meijer '10.  Note:  Meijer writes "“Don’t ask, don’t tell” is an atrocious policy, but it is largely a product of the very disconnect between the armed forces and general society that the administration’s ROTC ban fosters.... Supporting ROTC is not a vote for the military and its policies. It is a vote to bring knowledge of our fighting forces to campus, for the benefit of both the university and the armed forces."

On ROTC, Who Does Columbia Speak For?"

24 October 2008 Columbia Spectator column "On ROTC, Who Does Columbia Speak For?" by Armin Rosen.  Note:  Rosen compares Columbia's hosting of a speech by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to its unwillingness to host an ROTC program

Aries L. blog post on ROTC

23 October 2008 Aries L. blog post on ROTC.  Note:  The blogger, an architecture student at Columbia, expresses skepticism that the Navy would open an ROTC program at Columbia, and an ROTC advocate makes the case for ROTC at Columbia using statistics, analysis and history to detail the current and likely interest in ROTC from Columbia students.

A Bias-Free Campus?

20 October 2008 Columbia Spectator Op-ed "A Bias-Free Campus?" by Learned Foote CC'11.  Note:  Foote, the President of the Columbia College Class of 2011 and treasurer of the Columbia Queer Alliance, argues for asking the military for an ROTC program at Columbia despite the "Don't ask, don't tell" law.  "We cannot address discrimination by distancing ourselves from the military. We cannot ignore Columbia’s potential to create a liberalizing influence from the bottom up."

New Dates for ROTC Survey

20 October 2008 BWOG blog item "New Dates for ROTC Survey".  Note:  The blog of The Blue and White, Columbia's undergraduate magazine, publishes the Student Government Association email announcing that the ROTC referendums will be conducted in the week of 17 November, and the forums will be in the week of 10 November.

When and Why ROTC Should Return to Columbia --- Position and Discussion Paper

17 October 2008 When and Why ROTC Should Return to Columbia --- Position and Discussion Paper by Allan Silver, Professor of Sociology, Columbia University.  Note: Professor Silver presents a detailed history of the ROTC issue and why Columbia should re-engage with ROTC.

The ROTC Debate

12 October Barnard Bulletin opinion article "The ROTC Debate" by Sigourney LaBarre.  Note:  LaBarre quotes various arguments on the ROTC issue, mostly against ROTC, including the contention by Rahel Aima, CC ’10 and leader of Students for a Democratic Society, that ROTC should be opposed "not only because of the military’s discriminatory policy against homosexuals, but also because of its discrimination against all minorities". 

Response to Columbia President Bollinger's e-mail on ROTC

4 October 2008 Eric's Learning Curve blog item "Response to Columbia President Bollinger's e-mail on ROTC " by Eric Chen.  Note:  One of the leaders of the 2002-2005 ROTC advocacy movement at Columbia University writes between the lines of Columbia President Bollinger's 25 September email on ROTC.

Alumni Org Calls For Return Of ROTC

2 October 2008 Harvard Crimson article "Alumni Org Calls For Return Of ROTC".  Note:  The American Council of Trustees and Alumni sent letters to the governing boards of Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Brown and Stanford calling on them to reconsider their bans on ROTC.  "Paul E. Mawn ’63, the chairman of Advocates for Harvard ROTC and a retired Navy captain, said in an interview yesterday that ACTA “may not understand what the realistic target is” and that the goal should be official recognition" by the Harvard Corporation, "not the opening of a ROTC branch at Harvard.  “The reality is that there are so few students at ROTC anyway, so tomorrow if Harvard begged and pleaded the Pentagon to bring it back on campus, they wouldn’t,” Mawn said. “What has evolved around the country is core sites like MIT that service several different schools. MIT has the critical mass and good facilities and classrooms for the courses and drilling and other activities. There is no critical mass at Harvard.”".  Mawn called upon Harvard to pay the overhead fee for Harvard students taking ROTC courses at MIT, currently paid by the alumni-funded "Friends of Harvard ROTC Trust".

ROTC Debate May Return to USenate

1 October 2008 Columbia Spectator article "ROTC Debate May Return to USenate".  Note:  James Applegate, a professor of astronomy who served as co-chair of the task force in 2004-5, said of the new student-led ROTC initiative "This is a new thing for students, and faculty are saying, ‘Hey, we did this yesterday.’"