Colonels and Campus Don't Mix: Are ROTC and Academia Compatible?

First and foremost, a university strives to uncover new truths and exciting insights. While this pursuit is always imperfect, it is also self correcting, since the philosophy is to question, research, hear all opinions, hypothesize, doubt and critique. If a textbook fact is false, it will eventually be corrected by anything from an obnoxious undergrad’s e-mail to some ground breaking experiment.

The U.S. military, on its most fundamental level, fails to embrace these academic methods of inquiry. War is an endeavor of cold calculated strategy and brute force. The process can be very much cerebral: as we’ve seen quite recently, the strongest army in the world is nothing without brilliant strategy. It is however, a community of people who thrive under the slogan of “I was just following orders.” It is a community where demanding physical activities and calisthenics are acceptable methods of psychological manipulation. It is a community where rank determines who is right and wrong — not the merit of someone’s ideas.

I’m not criticizing the military for all this. Unity of purpose, strict hierarchies, and “team building” via hazing are all necessary for an effective fighting machine. Doubt is the worst enemy of a well run military. If a soldier is encouraged to doubt his commanding officer, the effective fighting force would quickly dissolve. What I am criticizing is the idea that all this belongs on a college campus.

ROTC represents the clash of the ideals of a well run military and those of a well run university. To its credit the program has bent to the demands of both sides admirably: my ROTC friends tell me that criticism of former military endeavors (Vietnam) and talks of ethics and proper leadership pervade all classroom discussions. But this falls short of a proper compromise. The ROTC program is an extension of the U.S. military, and its students are encouraged to obediently serve this entity and one day become the officers who perpetuate its practices.

ROTC has demonstrated that it is willing to succumb to the military’s “I’m just following orders” mentality. A prime example is the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which discriminates against gays in the military. This page ran a guest column two weeks ago where Cornell military science professors admitted that regardless of their personal opinions, Cornell ROTC is bound to enforce DADT because, essentially, they are “just following orders.” They deflect the blame from the military by noting that DADT is, in fact, a federal law, which only citizens can change. This response is unacceptable in an academic setting, and is just one example of how ROTC does not belong at a world class research university. The “it was against the law” argument doesn’t carry much weight in my book either — unless these officers would be condemning the likes of Mahatma Gandhi. Real leaders answer to a higher authority.

I believe in the relevance of a top notch U.S. military. I completely agree with the statement that, when provoked, a country is completely justified in declaring war. I also believe a well educated corps of officers (or while we’re at it, a well educated enlisted corps) is extremely important. But none of this justifies the continued presence of the U.S. military at Cornell. Unless ROTC shows an active effort not to follow the military’s decrees but to lead in the creation of better policies and strategies, it does not belong on campus.

The U.S. military is in a flawed state. Violations of the Geneva convention come alive in disturbing photographs on the front pages of international newspapers; a failed Iraq strategy plunged an entire region of the world into chaos; poor attention to medical issues have tarnished the reputation of Walter Reed Medical center. Cornell ROTC should be addressing these issues by publishing well researched criticisms and actively defying bad policies.

Nothing would please me more than to load The New York Times’ homepage one day and be greeted by the headline “Drawing controversy, Cornell ROTC signs up openly gay students,” or “Cornell ROTC denounces Guantanamo Bay prison, citing Geneva Convention.” Until this occurs, the University administration would be wise to question the Cornell program’s legitimacy.

Munier Salem is a Sun Assistant Design Editor. He can be contacted at msalem@cornellsun.com [1]. upROAR! appears periodically.