Why We Should All Care About DADT

25 September 2008 Columbia Spectator Op-Ed "Why We Should All Care About DADT" by Chuck Griffith.  Note: Griffith makes the human dignity argument for repealing DADT and does not even mention the sexual privacy and unit cohesion arguments that prompt others to think that having gays in certain roles in the military is problematic.

Why the Ivy League is Rethinking ROTC

17 December 2008 Time Magazine article "Why the Ivy League is Rethinking ROTC".  Note:  "ROTC supporters point to the debate at Columbia and its focus on "don't ask, don't tell" as a sign that students no longer have strong objections to the military more generally — and therefore would be receptive to inviting the program back if the policy were repealed, something more than 100 retired generals and admirals called for in November...  Allan Silver, a Columbia sociology professor who supports the return of ROTC despite what he calls its "abhorrent" policy on gays, [notes that] having future soldiers live side by side with students who sometimes criticize them would encourage critical thinking and thereby strengthen the military."

ROTC and Columbia University's discrimination policy

15 December 2008 Eric's Learning Curve blog post "ROTC and Columbia University's discrimination policy" by Eric Chen.  Note:  One of the leaders of the 2002-2005 ROTC advocacy movement at Columbia University questions the conventional wisdom that the "Don't ask, don't tell" law regulating the military conflicts with Columbia's antidiscrimination policy.  Columbia's  policy states that "Columbia University is committed to providing a learning environment free from unlawful discrimination and harassment...Columbia University does not discriminate against any person in the administration of its educational policies... and other University-administered programs".  Since DADT is not unlawful; indeed it is the law, and since it is not one of Columbia's "educational policies", it is not clear that there is an actual conflict here.

Columbia Unveils War Memorial in Butler

12 December 2008 BWOG blog item "Columbia Unveils War Memorial in Butler".  Note:  The memorial also has an online counterpart on Columbia's website.

Dedication Speech for the Columbia War Memorial

12 December 2008 Dedication Speech for the Columbia War Memorial by LTC Eliot Goldman CC '79, USAR.  Note: Goldman concluded his remarks by speaking about ROTC.  "Not many schools have had an alumnus in the Oval Office. With a Columbia College graduate about to be Commander In Chief, we should see to it that President-elect Obama does not command a military that lacks Columbia graduates.  Three months ago, 100 yards from here, our president elect spoke of a recommitment to public service by the youth of America. Today we pay homage to Columbia men who have exemplified commitment to public service by making the ultimate sacrifice to the best country on earth. I leave you men and women of Columbia with the thought that the best way to honor those we pay tribute to with this memorial is to provide a new generation of Columbia men and women with the opportunity to also serve in our military. I challenge Columbia to reestablish ROTC so that this memorial will not represent a commitment of bygone days, but a commitment to the future of Columbia and our great nation. The President Obama Class of ‘83 ROTC Unit should be announced in 2009, and should stand up its first company shortly after that."

Nice to Know: ROTC Results Broken Down by School

11 December 2008 BWOG blog item "Nice to Know: ROTC Results Broken Down by School".  Note:  "Combined with Barnard's results, this means that two schools voted for, and two schools against, with the depth of opposition in Barnard and the size of the CC vote making the difference."

Why Columbia Should Welcome ROTC: Bad policy on gays is not a good reason for a ban

8 December 2008 Wall Street Journal op-ed "Why Columbia Should Welcome ROTC: Bad policy on gays is not a good reason for a ban" by Learned Foote.  Note:  One of the leaders of Columbia Students for NROTCexplains why, despite the "Don't ask, don't tell" law , he and other gay students think it is crucial for top universities to engage actively with the military and for their ROTC graduates be a "liberalizing influence from the bottom up".  "Let us do our duty as Americans. Let us imagine a military that represents our best values."

Our Fraudulent ROTC Vote

8 December 2008 Columbia Spectator Commentariat blog item "Our Fraudulent ROTC Vote" by Armin Rosen.  Note:  Judging by the two voting URLs examined by Advocates for ROTC, the one that appeared transiently in BWOG and another reportedly sent around by College Democrats, the query string of the URL contained two identifiers: a three or 4 digit ID number, and a 24 character alphanumeric string.  Presumably the alphanumeric string was a password that needed to match that assigned for the ID number in order for a vote to count.  Two types of invalid votes are predictable using such a system:  people repeatedly using the valid ID/password combinations that were circulated, and people attempting to vote for another ID number without knowing the correct password.  Presumably both types of improper voting would be detected.  One could argue whether the first or last or no vote should be counted for the disclosed ID/password combinations, but clearly no vote should be counted for the bogus ID/password combinations

Bringing ROTC Back to the Columbia Campus

8 December 2008 Solomonia blog item "Bringing ROTC Back to the Columbia Campus".  Note:  "A Columbia student has exactly the formula for getting homosexuals accepted by straight society and moving policies like 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' into obsolescence -- forget the 'Gay Pride' freak shows, and demonstrate that gays are simply another part of a functioning society".

The ROTC on Campus

8 December 2008 Washington Post groups discussion "The ROTC on Campus".  Note:  One of the comments thinks Learned Foote's argument for ROTC "because it rests, not on insulting or discounting the students opposition, but on the importance of relationship even when there is disagreement. Telling the students that they are ungrateful serves no purpose--it may not be true, it's alienating and divisive, and it's hardly likely to convince anyone of the rightness of your position. The "best argument" is the one that persuades, not the one that makes you feel morally righteous."

NROTC Ends Not With a Bang, But a Whimper

7 December 2008 BWOG blog item "NROTC Ends Not With a Bang, But a Whimper".  Note:  "Council and Senate sources confirm to Bwog that NROTC will not even be presented to the Senate. Whether individual school results will be released for CC, SEAS, and GS is still unknown."

Learned Foote Argues for ROTC in the WSJ

7 December 2008 BWOG blog item "Learned Foote Argues for ROTC in the WSJ".  Note:  In the comments, some raised the question of what the article could achieve by appearing after the ROTC vote, and others pointed out that there are votes coming up in Congress on the "Don't ask, don't tell" law, which would affect future consideration of ROTC at Columbia.

Ivy Leaguers in the Foxholes: ROTC back at Columbia?

7 December 2008 New York Magazine item "Ivy Leaguers in the Foxholes: ROTC back at Columbia? "  Note:  The item looks ahead to what may happen if the "Don't ask, don't tell" law is repealed.

Even Obama Can't Get Columbia University To Listen

5 December 2008 Human Events column "Even Obama Can't Get Columbia University To Listen" by Flagg Youngblood.  Note:  Austin Byrd, vice-president of the Hamilton Society, described how their "get out the vote" effort on the final day of the ROTC survey was short circuited by the voting being ended earlier than they had expected.  The survey email said "The survey will be open until December 1, 2008", which was interpreted by those running the vote as being 9 AM on that date.

ROTC: Wrong in 1968 and Wrong Today

4 December 2008 Columbia Spectator column "ROTC: Wrong in 1968 and Wrong Today" by Andrew Lyubarsky CC '09.  Note:  Lyubarsky  writes that "All the respectable voices of the liberal establishment here, from University President Lee Bollinger to Professor David Eisenbach, have expressed that they would bring ROTC back with open arms once DADT is reversed."  Lyubarsky disagrees, citing the military as "an institution which invades sovereign nations, bombs cities with white phosphorus, and tortures detainees in secret prisons".  He does not discuss the question of whether the military would be a better institution if it had more Columbia graduates

80% of Columbia students did not vote against NROTC

4 December 2008 Eric's Learning Curve blog post "80% of Columbia students did not vote against NROTC" by Eric Chen.  Note:  One of the leaders of the 2002-2005 ROTC advocacy movement at Columbia University ponders the state of mind of the 57% of Columbia students who didn't vote in the recent NROTC survey, and wonders how much of this apathy was due to lackluster efforts of the student councils to present the issue

Next Step Unclear After Split Survey Results

3 December 2008 Columbia Spectator article "Next Step Unclear After Split Survey Results".  Note:  University Senator Rajat Roy, SEAS ’10 said that because Columbia’s three undergraduate schools were lumped together in the poll, it will be difficult for senators to determine how to vote. “They didn’t divide up the vote by school, which was surprising, since that was first thing we [senators] told them to do,” Roy said.

Why Did ROTC Get 65% Student Support in 2003 and Only 49% in 2008?

3 December 2008 BWOG blog item "Why Did ROTC Get 65% Student Support in 2003 and Only 49% in 2008?"  Note:  The item mentions three hypotheses: less favorable attitude towards the military, increased LGBT presence, and a difference in the university and national political climate. 

NROTC Survey Results for CC, SEAS, GS: NROTC Loses By 39 Votes

2 December 2008 BWOG blog item "NROTC Survey Results for CC, SEAS, GS: NROTC Loses By 39 Votes".  Note:  It is not clear from the pooled results whether one or two of the three schools voted in favor of NROTC.  Results from Barnard were not yet reported, but were expected to favor ROTC less than other schools.

Students Roughly Split on NROTC Return

2 December 2008 Columbia spectator article "Students Roughly Split on NROTC Return".  Note:  The article notes that the survey was fought primarily over the issue of the "Don't ask, don't tell" law.  The 2008 Democratic Platform includes the following language: "We support the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and the implementation of policies to allow qualified men and women to serve openly regardless of sexual orientation" so support may change as the Democrats get a chance to implement their platform.

Was the NROTC vote “fair?”

2 December 2008 Columbia Spectator Commentariat blog item "Was the NROTC vote “fair?”" by Armin Rosen.  Note:  Rosen quotes a report that 4905 votes were recorded, including one ID for which 276 votes were recorded, and that after eliminating duplicates, 2971 votes were counted. If all this represents is elimination of non-final multiple votes using one ID, the tally implemented the procedure as announced.  The 276 votes using one ID may be from the posting of the voting URL for one person on BWOG (soon removed). 

GSSC President Calls NROTC Survey "Meaningless"

2 December 2008 BWOG blog item "GSSC President Calls NROTC Survey "Meaningless"".  Note:  BWOG quotes the full email to the College of General Studies student body from Student Council President Brody Berg expressing concerns about the NROTC survey vote.  One of the comments raises the prospects that "someone apparently used a "scattershot" approach - submitting the form with random identifiers in the hopes of landing upon a valid identifier."  Judging from the length of the alphanumeric password apparently need to make a vote with a particular ID number valid it seems that a well-designed system would not be vulnerable to such hacking.

BC's NROTC Results

2 December 2008 BWOG blog item "BC's NROTC Results".  Note:  Barnard students voted 736 to 453 against NROTC.

Educate Yourself, Student Government

2 December 2008 Columbia Spectator column "Educate Yourself, Student Government" by Adil Ahmed.  Note:  Ahmed argues that the the student government leaders should have gotten more involved in the details of discussions about issues such as NROTC at Columbia.

One Last, Mindboggling ROTC Survey Screwup: Councils Failed to Divide Votes by School

2 December 2008 Columbia Spectator Commentariat blog item "One Last, Mindboggling ROTC Survey Screwup: Councils Failed to Divide Votes by School" by Noah Baron.  Note:  Baron characterizes the ROTC survey as "effectively pointless" due to the failure to report vote tallies separately for Columbia's three undergraduate schools.

Between the Trenches: NROTC, Queer Identity, and the Soul of a University

December 2008 Columbia Political Review article "Between the Trenches: NROTC, Queer Identity, and the Soul of a University" by Bryan Lowder.  Note:  "NROTC itself isn’t the real issue—it’s just the symbol of a deeper conflict. Past all the rhetoric, the real fight is over the ideological soul of the University.  In a sense, the anti-ROTC side envisions an institution that stands as a model to the rest of society. Free from prejudice and discrimination, the school should be a so-called “safe space,” where academics work to improve the world without interference from governments. The creation of such a space, in their view, challenges societal injustice by refusing to participate in its propagation.  The pro-ROTC side has a more hands-on perspective. It imagines the University as inexorably linked to the nation-state (including the military), with an essential duty to engage directly with that construct.