College, Not Combat

“What Laura Taylor needs is a swift kick in the ass to wake her up from that leftist lala land she seems to be stuck in.” It has become my Tuesday ritual.

“Ms. Taylor sure loves to dishonor the many tidropps (sic) that are protecting her overseas.” Every Tuesday, I wake up to a few e-mails from who I affectionately call my greatest fans.

“What is she smoking? Under shria (sic) law she will have to keep her mouth shut.” By my 11:40 a.m. class, usually there are a few comments on The Sun website for me to check out. Sun Podcast: A podcast is available for this column. Click here [1] to listen to or to download it.

“You might as well get fitted for a burqa.”

I expect my columns to make people angry — some outraged that I would say such things and others because such atrocious events are happening in the world.

However, sometimes people become angry with me for the wrong reasons. When I take issue with an institution, they assume I lay that criticism on every single member of the institution. So when I discuss the racial profiling in our police departments in conjunction with the Sean Bell shooting, they think I am writing that every member of the NYPD is racist. When I discuss the epidemic of sexual assault within the military, I am accused of labeling every serviceman a rapist.

This was the reason I never wanted to write an article on ROTC — I feared that what I wrote would be taken personally by members of ROTC here at Cornell. I hoped I’d be able to avoid the topic for my year of writing. Unfortunately, after Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Peter Pace decided to label homosexuality as immoral in a Chicago Tribune interview, I knew I had to address the issue.

So I wrote a column criticizing “don’t ask, don’t tell” and reminding readers that the policy was in direct conflict with Cornell’s “Commitment to Diversity.”

This original column brought up more questions. If I thought Cornell was violating its non-discrimination policy through ROTC, what did I believe was the solution? Did I want to kick ROTC off campus?

Here’s my response: recruitment into ROTC and the military is a slimy process. The truth is, too often, military recruiters lie. When I talk to members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, they tell me that almost every recruit is lied to at some point in the process. They are told they won’t go to Iraq. They are not told about the horrors of killing civilians and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that debilitates so many veterans. They are told they won’t see combat. They are not told about the horrible “benefits” – where injured servicepeople get care at places like the rat and mold-infested Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

We are constantly being reminded by the government to be proud that we have an all-volunteer army. On the face, this is true. But instead, we have a poverty draft — where the poorest among us are the ones who are forced to fight. These are the men and women who attended our overcrowded public schools and graduated without the skills they needed. It seems they are destined for a dead-end, minimum-wage job. Then, the military recruiter appears, promising job training and college education. It seems like the way out of poverty. In reality, the Campus Anti-War Network reports that only 15 percent of soldiers obtain a college education. Beyond that, veterans earn between 11 and 19 percent less than non-veterans with similar backgrounds, according to the American Friends Service Committee.

ROTC is part of the poverty draft as well. The program provides full-tuition scholarships, which help students that otherwise might not have been able to attend college. However, no one should be forced into military service simply to go to college. And let us not forget that as funding for national defense skyrockets, domestic spending, such programs that provide financial aid, are being cut. For some, entering ROTC seems like the only way to achieve higher education.

Keeping in mind all these facts, it becomes clear that this is no volunteer army.

Unfortunately, the Solomon Amendment, which forces universities to allow ROTC and military recruiting in exchange for federal funding, means that the military will continue to have a presence on campus in the near future.

So what is the solution?

First, take away the scholarships that are given out to ROTC cadets and replace them with full financial aid for all students that need it. We are told this is “an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” Any person means just that — wealth should not be a factor. The university administration will declare that they don’t have the money to fund this — but considering the vast amounts of expensive construction happening around campus, I’m sure the funds could be found.

The scholarships available through ROTC are too often used to force students into military services in order to attend college. If this is as great of a leadership opportunity as ROTC cadets assure me it is, then they will be willing to voluntarily take part in the programs. Seems like too much time to volunteer? Look at all of our peers who put 40+ hours into un-paid activities — varsity athletes, club presidents and, of course, Sun editors.

Second, groups should be allowed to counter the lies used by military recruiters. At almost every career fair, different branches of the military are present, looking for students to enlist. Student groups should be allowed to set up tables next to these recruiters to present alternate information to those considering the service — telling the truth about the U.S. military.

No student should join the military because they are concerned about job opportunities or how they’ll pay for school. Money for jobs and education – not for war and occupation!

Laura Taylor is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She can be contacted at lat34@cornell.edu.Kind of a Big Deal appears Tuesdays.