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.

A High Achiever Poised to Scale New Heights

30 November 2008 New York Times article "A High Achiever Poised to Scale New Heights".  Note: In an article about Eric Holder, expected to be nominated as US attorney general, his student days at Columbia are described.  "When he arrived at Columbia in 1969 as a boyish-looking freshman, he was recruited by upperclassmen to help take over the R.O.T.C. office. Armed with pillowcases and sheets, he joined several dozen students and christened the office as a student center named for Malcolm X."

NROTC and Columbia U

30 November 2008 Fox News video "NROTC and Columbia U".  Note:  Avi Edelman of Columbia's College Democrats and Learned Foote of Columbia Students for NROTC debate the return of Naval ROTC to Columbia.  Foote stressed that the way to get rid of the "Don't ask, don't tell" law is through Congress or the courts.  When asked if he would give up his opposition to ROTC if students vote to bring it back, Edelman said "I won't give up my personal opposition".

The Fight For ROTC

29 November 2008 Parade Magazine article "The Fight For ROTC".  The article notes that "Although more than 600 colleges in the U.S. allow ROTC programs on campus, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Tufts, Stanford, and the University of Chicago have maintained the bans they began in protest of the Vietnam War...   “The seven schools who exclude ROTC produce many of our leaders, yet their students have the least contact with the military,” says Sean Wilkes (Columbia University ‘06), chair of Advocates for Columbia ROTC."

Hope for Columbia's ROTC

26 November 2008 New York Post article "Hope for Columbia's ROTC".  Note: The article mentions scholarships as an argument for ROTC. 

Columbia University to Vote on Allowing Military Training Program on Campus

25 November 2008 Fox News article "Columbia University to Vote on Allowing Military Training Program on Campus".  Note:  The article refers to a group called "Columbia Advocates for ROTC", presumably meaning "Columbia Students for NROTC".  The article also notes that "Columbia has been working with the Defense Department" on the issue but no further details were given.  A video version is here, adding more errors such as the composition of the University Senate and the process by which ROTC left campus 4 decades ago.

Survey polls Columbia students on support for ROTC

25 November 2008 Associated Press article "Survey polls Columbia students on support for ROTC".  Note:  The article quotes some as defending the right to have a total campus ban on any activity that discriminates against gays, and others as defending the right to freedom of choice to enroll in an ROTC program.

Response to ROTC Posters

25 November 2008 Response to ROTC Posters by Columbia Students for NROTC.  Note:  Photos of posters by the coalition opposing return of ROTC to Columbia are accompanied by an analysis of the arguments made in the posters.

Fox News Talks About You Talking About ROTC

25 November 2008 BWOG blog item "Fox News Talks About You Talking About ROTC". 

Discrimination Debate

25 November 2008 Fox News video "Discrimination Debate".  Note:  The video segment discusses the ROTC issue at Columbia and the "Don't ask, don't tell" law.  One of the students interviewed is Lauren Salz (whose name was mis-spelled).  Also included is a video tape of then senator Obama expressing his support for ROTC at Columbia.

Faculty Hypocrites Against ROTC

25 November 2008 Columbia Spectator Commentariat blog item "Faculty Hypocrites Against ROTC" by Armin Rosen.  Note:  Rosen discusses the Faculty anti-ROTC ad that opposes moving forward on "hypothetical conditions" such the Democratic party implementing the commitment in its 2008 platform to "repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”".  He illustrates how 4 of the signers have written in detail about hypothetical conditions in other situations.

ROTC Survey In Your Inbox Now

24 November 2008 BWOG blog item "ROTC Survey In Your Inbox Now".  Note:  After many different reports, we now have the wording of the Columbia College version as "Do you support bringing a Naval ROTC program to Columbia's campus?"

Vote No on Columbia's ROTC Survey

24 November 2008 College on the Record blog item "Vote No on Columbia's ROTC Survey".  Note:  "almamater" dismisses the right of students to choose to do ROTC by writing "if ROTC was so important, students should have factored it into their college decision... The same goes for underprivileged students.... Remember, guys, this is Columbia, aka the University of Havana North. This is a school where we don’t observe Columbus Day of out respect for the struggles of Native Americans, even though our school is named after Columbus."

Columbia Faculty Opposing ROTC

23 November 2008 Petitions Online "Columbia Faculty Opposing ROTC".  Note:  An online petition takes an anti-ROTC position that appears to go far beyond opposition to the "Don't ask, don't tell" law.  It reads "We, the undersigned, represent a diversity of disciplines, personal experiences, and political viewpoints. However, as faculty members responsible for creating a welcoming community for all, committed to eternal questioning and the vital interplay of ideas, we are united in our opposition to the institution of an ROTC program on the Columbia campus."  In contrast, an ad to appear in the Columbia Spectator on 24 November takes a position focused on DADT.  Of the first 13 signers of the petition that is anti-ROTC per se, 10 signed the anti-DADT petition as well.

Professors Sign Petition Against NROTC on Campus

23 November 2008 BWOG blog item "Professors Sign Petition Against NROTC on Campus".  Note:  The ad to appear in the Columbia Spectator on 24 November appeals against moving forward on ROTC on the basis of president-elect Obama's plans to reform the "Don't ask, don't tell" law:  The ad reads "In contrast to those who have expressed support for ROTC based on hypothetical conditions, we recognize that any position on ROTC must be grounded in the present. Don't Ask, Don't Tell is official policy and exceptions cannot be negotiated".  See also an online petition that opposes ROTC per se, with no explicit mention of DADT.  Of the 34 signers of the anti-DADT petition, 10 also signed the petition that is anti-ROTC per se.

Vets, Cadets Weigh in on NROTC Debate

21 November 2008 Columbia Spectator article "Vets, Cadets Weigh in on NROTC Debate".  Note:  The article says that "one group has largely remained silent: Columbia students who participate in ROTC programs", while in fact one of the cadets, Kelley Victor-Gasper CC '09 was one of the panelists at the 19 November forum and three other current military students have been very involved in the current ROTC effort and had volunteered to be panelists if needed.  The article also quotes once of these students, Army ROTC cadet John McClelland as saying that "ROTC is not inconvenient to us" due to the availability of Army ROTC in the Bronx.  This underscores the current focus on providing an option for students wishing to do Navy ROTC, for which the only NYC program is both off-limits to Columbia students and also much farther away than the Army program at Fordham.

The Origin of the NROTC Professor Statement of Support

21 November 2008 BWOG blog item "The Origin of the NROTC Professor Statement of Support".  Note:  In response to a previous BWOG item, Sociology professor Allan Silver writes to explain the origin of the faculty pro-ROTC ad.  "There is no mystery, nothing is concealed, all is transparent."

NROTC Forum: Prepare for the Survey

20 November 2008 BWOG blog item "NROTC Forum: Prepare for the Survey".  Note:  The anti-ROTC side based its case heavily on the "Don't ask, don't tell" law and the 2 of the 4 people speaking for the pro-ROTC side were gay veterans who argued that both the military and Columbia need the diversity of thought that would result from an ROTC program.  Rahel Aima CC'10 of Students for a Democratic Society and the Columbia Coalition Against the War "compared the enforced adherence to military standards in the ROTC to forcing everyone who reads the Symposium to engage in pedophilia"

In Anticipation of Campus Survey, Panelists Debate DADT Policy

20 November 2008 Columbia Spectator article "In Anticipation of Campus Survey, Panelists Debate DADT Policy".  Note:  "Pro-NROTC students called for the reinstatement of NROTC on Columbia’s campus, a move they believed would change ... discriminatory practices from the bottom up. Students against NROTC’s return argued that keeping the program off campus would be a symbolic protest against biased practices."

The Right Kind of Conversation

20 November 2008 Columbia Spectator editorial "The Right Kind of Conversation".  Note:  Spectator wrote that the 19 November NROTC forum "allowed for a structured conversation to take place and should be used as an example for future discussions of contentious campus issues".

Faculty in Support of ROTC

20 November 2008 Columbia Spectator ad "Faculty in Support of ROTC".  Note:  The text is "We broadly support the return of ROTC to Columbia University -- some of us unconditionally, others if legislation prohibiting military service by open homosexuals is reformed, and/or provision made for faculty control of appointments, curriculum and credit.  We all believe, in principle, that an ROTC program at Columbia is an appropriate educational responsibility of the university."

Prof Club Backs NROTC

20 November 2008 BWOG blog item "Prof Club Backs NROTC".  Note:  "Some heavy (and not-so-heavy) hitting faculty came out in the Spec today endorsing NROTC's presence on campus. Bwog is inquiring into the genesis of the list--mostly male--and will update as information becomes available."  Others are welcome to sign the ad too.  See follow-up item on 21 November.

Yes on NROTC

19 November 2008 Columbia Spectator column "Yes on NROTC" by Lauren Salz BC'11.  Note:  Salz, director of the College Republicans, writes "If the military is not what we want it to be, then we must work within the system to change it. To get the best and the brightest into the military, we must allow the military to train officer candidates on our campus."

Tonight's NROTC Forum - Now With a Format!

19 November 2008 BWOG blog item "Tonight's NROTC Forum - Now With a Format!".  Note:  The event will have "3 questions about the impact on student life, the role of Columbia's NROTC history, and the role of DADT in the debate" as well as 30 minutes of audience questions.

Anti-NROTC Coalition Holds Meeting with Councils, Dems Put Up New Posters; UPDATE: Pro-NROTC Responds

18 November 2008 BWOG blog item "Anti-NROTC Coalition Holds Meeting with Councils, Dems Put Up New Posters; UPDATE: Pro-NROTC Responds".  Note:  An anti-ROTC poster is shown claiming that "If we were to welcome ROTC onto our campus, the 19% of our population who identify as LGBTQ would be legally barred from taking any ROTC-specific courses" and the pro-ROTC side countered by demonstrating that this is not the case at MIT.  An anonymous poster in the comments section suggests that pro-ROTC people "take all the energy you're investing here in trying to get the university to bend over backwards to accommodate ridiculous policy like DADT and instead combine forces with all the other pro-ROTC groups at other campuses and put pressure on congress to fix DADT."  That is in fact being done; details of such efforts over the past several years may emerge at the 19 November forum.

Councils to Host One Discussion Forum, Not Two, on NROTC

18 November 2008 Columbia Spectator article "Councils to Host One Discussion Forum, Not Two, on NROTC".  Note:  The forum will be on 19 November at 7 PM.  The survey will be open for at least a week after 24 November, until 55% or more of students respond.  "The group Columbia Students for NROTC held its own event on College Walk yesterday, offering passersby a script to call and petition congress members to repeal DADT. Justin Johnson, SIPA ’10, is a member of the group, and said despite opposing DADT, he would vote to bring back NROTC because it would draw more open-minded and affluent students to the military and because the government, not the military, is to blame for DADT."

ROTC Survey to Open Nov. 24

17 November 2008 Columbia Spectator article "ROTC Survey to Open Nov. 24".  Note:  The corrected version of the article gives the wording of the ROTC question as “Would you support bringing a Naval ROTC program to Columbia's campus at this time?”.  The article also repeats the common error of referring to "military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy", while in fact DADT is required by federal law.

Why ROTC Should Return to Columbia

14 November 2008 Columbia Spectator op-ed "Why ROTC Should Return to Columbia" by Prof. Allan Silver.  Note:  Silver, who opposed ROTC when it was de-certified in the late 1960s, writes that "The conspicuous absence from military service of those headed for leading positions in society is a civic scandal... When military service is not broadly shared, military and civilian society risk an unhealthy mutual isolation".  He proposes that Congress reform the "Don't ask, don't tell" law and reconsider some provisions of the ROTC Vitalization Act of 1964, and the military increase the number of urban ROTC programs.  "The government and the military must decide whether to invest in a diverse, regionally balanced, educationally qualified military leadership. Columbia must decide if it is prepared to include ROTC among its responsibilities... Whether you support ROTC now or after DADT’s reform, vote “yes” in the upcoming survey. Only voting “yes” makes it clear that in principle you want Columbia to make that contribution".

Anti-NROTC Groups Raise Their "Voices"

12 November 2008 BWOG blog item "Anti-NROTC Groups Raise Their "Voices"".  Note:  Professor David Eisenbach, one of the anti-ROTC panelists, agreed in response to a question that "Don't ask, don't tell" is a federal law and it is "now it is up to the politicians to end it".

NROTC Forum Previews Survey Opinion

12 November 2008 Columbia Spectator article "NROTC Forum Previews Survey Opinion".  Note:  A coalition of anti-ROTC groups held a panel discussion with a question and answer period.  The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network pulled out of the event at the last minute.  The article notes that "Some students who had graduated from the ROTC program also commented and asked questions, emphasizing their disapproval of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and challenging the panelists on some of their assertions."

From Murky Talks to Dialogue

11 November 2008 Columbia Spectator editorial "From Murky Talks to Dialogue".  Note:  Spectator discusses the planning of the survey on NROTC.

Today in ROTC-Related News: What Were They Thinking?

11 November 2008 Columbia Spectator Commentariat blog item "Today in ROTC-Related News: What Were They Thinking?" by Armin Rosen '11.  Note:  Rosen sees the lopsided anti-ROTC event planned for the evening of Veterans' Day as evidence that "these groups don’t really want dialogue".

Brace for Impact! What's Ahead for the NROTC Debate

11 November 2008 BWOG blog item "Brace for Impact! What's Ahead for the NROTC Debate".  Note:  The blog shows the "rather interesting poster" used to advertize for an anti-ROTC event and links to the website of Columbia Students for NROTC.

Questions and Answers About NROTC

10 November 2008 Questions and Answers About NROTC by Columbia Students for NROTC.  Note: Columbia students outline the case for Naval ROTC at Columbia in advance of the student survey scheduled for 24 November.

Obama Needs a Strong Foreign Policy

7 November 2008 Wall Street Journal op-ed "Obama Needs a Strong Foreign Policy" by Will Marshall.  Note:  The president of the Progressive Policy Institute gives advice to the president-elect: "At a Sept. 11 summit on national service at Columbia University, Mr. Obama chided his alma mater for barring ROTC from campus during the Vietnam War. As America's next commander in chief, Mr. Obama should take that message to other elite universities, and to places like the Marine Recruiting office in Berkeley, Calif., whose mayor, Tom Bates, earlier this year called the Marines an "uninvited and unwelcome guest."  Such gestures would go a long way toward allaying suspicions that the Democratic Party harbors anti-military attitudes."

First Signs of ROTC Debate Appear

6 November 2008 BWOG blog item "First Signs of ROTC Debate Appear".  Note:  The blog of The Blue and White, Columbia's undergraduate magazine, shows a poster "from the anti-ROTC coalition (so far including the Dems, Lucha, CQA, EAAH, and Proud Colors)."

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.