As ROTC Group Ends Works, Difference on Gays Policy Looms
By Stacey E. BlauNews Editor
As the five-year term of the MIT ROTCworking group nears its close next month, the question of what MIT plans to do with its ROTC program lingers.
ROTCdiscriminates against
The Institute's policy on ROTC has been under review because of this
conflict. After a faculty resolution in October 1990, the working group was
formed to change the federal government's discriminatory policy on
homosexuals in the military,
Through surveys, meetings, policy endorsements, and advertisements, the
group worked "for the reversal of the policy" against homosexuals, until
the Clinton Administration's 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" decision, Gallop
said. At the time the working group was formed, members of the military could
be asked about their sexual orientation and be dismissed from the military
if they were gay. In January 1993, President Clinton announced the federal government's
new policy, which protects members of the military from being questioned
about their sexual orientation but does not ban discrimination against
homosexuals in the military. Since that year, the group has done nothing to actively oppose the
government's policy on homosexuals in the military, Gallop said. Instead,
it has been "observing the implementation" of the policy, she said. "It would be imprudent to act" before we see how the new policy works,
Gallop said. The working group includes Gallop, Director of Special Services Stephen
D. Immerman, Professor of the History of Science Kenneth R. Manning, and
Professor of Ocean Engineering J. Kim Vandiver PhD '75, former chair of the
faculty. The committee was chaired by former Provost Mark S. Wrighton, but
no one filled the post when he left MIT last spring to head Washington
University in St. Louis. "The group has, in my opinion, done a good job grappling with a very
complex situation," Vandiver said. An important part of the working group's job has been to keep track of
the initiatives with regard to the Department of Defense policy around the
country, Vandiver said. "Much of the MIT work has been behind the scenes in
letters from the president and provost to members of Congress" and to the
DoD, he said. "The positive element of the Clinton policy is that the emphasis has
been placed on personnel performance and behavior, not sexual orientation,"
Wrighton said. "But the Clinton administration failed to fully satisfy
those of us concerned with the policy of the DoD." The courts might finally resolve the issue, Wrighton said. But "that
process is one which is sluggish." "The benefits [of ROTC] are considerable, and I would favor sustaining
efforts to change DoD policy while preserving the outstanding opportunities
for our students." "At the present time there are some important test cases in the
courts," Vandiver said. "I think we should take no action with respect to
our own ROTC programs until the courts have acted." Considerations of the value ROTC has in general, as well as the question
of ROTC scholarship funding for students currently in the program, will
complicate the eventual decision, Gallop said. "This is a very emotional issue," she said. "There is a very strong
sentiment that ROTC has a lot of value." MIT boasts the country's oldest
Army ROTC unit, established in 1917, and many people would be upset to see
it go, she said. While Wrighton said that "there is no relationship between ROTC and DoD
research funding," scholarship funds for ROTC students could be jeopardized
depending on the decision whether or not to keep the program. The Solomon Amendment, proposed in Congress earlier this year by Rep.
Gerald Solomon (R-New York), would have authorized cutting federal funding
to universities which eliminated ROTC programs. The amendment failed in
Congress but might have threatened MIT's research funding had it passed.
About 20 percent of MIT funding comes from the DoD, according to the Office
of Sponsored Programs. Gallop said that MIT's final decision about whether to keep or jettison
the ROTC program will not be affected by research funding
considerations. At the October faculty meeting, Chair of the Faculty Lawrence S. Bacow
and President Charles M. Vest will likely appoint a task force slated to
begin work when the working group completes its five year term at the end
of the month, Bacow said. The task force will review the work of the working group and do its own
research about ROTC, Gallop said. It will make recommendations to Vest
about what action MIT should take with regard to the ROTC program, probably
in the spring. At present, it is unclear if the working group will issue a report to
the task force, Gallop said. But the group will communicate its findings to
the task force in some way, she said. The faculty could vote on a ROTC resolution this spring, Gallop
said. "It is always very difficult to predict how the faculty will respond on
any given question," Bacow said. But the "faculty debate will be
substantially influenced by the report of this committee." "Many faculty were reluctant to take action that would jeopardize the
capacity of our ROTC students to finance their education," Bacow said. "I
think most faculty appreciate the importance of this support." But "at the same time, the faculty also expressed strong support for our
policy of non-discrimination," he said. If MIT chooses to sever all ties with ROTC, the Class of 2002 will be
the first class ineligible to participate in the program, and MIT will have
to start giving notice of the change starting in 1996, Gallop said. Last February, Harvard University announced it would cease direct
financial support of the ROTC program at the end of last year because the
program's policy on homosexuals violates Harvard's non-discrimination
policy. Harvard used to pay MIT about $130,000 each year to allow Harvard
students to participate in the ROTC program at MIT. Harvard's decision will have no impact on MIT's policy, Gallop said.Group tries to change policy
Group makes progress with policy
ROTC funding, emotions at stake
Task force to advise Vest
Faculty may vote this spring
Harvard ceased ROTCsupport
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