Harvard ROTC Coverage: 1990 - 1999

• Harvard Archive material relating to the Deans of Harvard College.  Comment:  This general archive listing contains much authoritative information about the history of ROTC at Harvard.  It documents how Harvard terminated some of the required elements of an ROTC program specified under the ROTC Vitalization Act of 1964 (Part 1  Part 2), thus terminating the ROTC program.
• 8 January 1990 Harvard Crimson article "Faculty Starts Debate On ROTC's Status".  Note:  Harvard College Dean L. Fred Jewett '57 said that ROTC did not have official extracurricular status on campus, but said that the College had made "special provisions" to allow military drills to take place periodically.  The drills had taken place for several semesters and were open to the public.
• 9 March 1990 Harvard Crimson article "U.S. Reps Slam ROTC For Policy On Gays".  Note:  An ROTC student at Washington University in St. Louis came out as gay in his final semester of college and was told to repay $2,500 of his scholarship money. 
• 17 March 1990 Harvard Crimson article "MIT Students Criticize ROTC".  Note:  "MIT student Robert L. Bettiker wrote last week in The Thistle, a liberal student paper at MIT, that he had been denied a commission and asked to pay back the value of his $38,000 scholarship by Navy ROTC because he was openly gay", a demand later dropped.  About 1500 students signed a petition to "sever all ties" with ROTC by 1994 if it continues to deny scholarships to gay students. At Harvard, "the Faculty's steering committee is considering whether ROTC should be able to continue holding occasional meetings in Harvard rooms, recruit at career forums and hold special Commencement Exercises."
• 19 March 1990 Harvard Crimson article "Defending Their Country, and Reputation: The Reserve Officers Training Corps".  Note:  ROTC students describe the "pervasive anti-ROTC feeling" at Harvard and the Army explains that budget cuts led them to cut scholarships at non-host institutions to 80% of tuition.
• 16 April 1990 Harvard Crimson column "Bok's Deafening Silence" by Adam K. Goodheart '92.  Note:  Goodheart compares the military policy against gays to exclusion of Blacks.  He relates that David E. Carney '89, a Navy ROTC student, came out as gay and terminated from ROTC and given a $50,000 bill (later dropped).
• 24 April 1990 Harvard Crimson letter "Don't Compare Blacks and Gays" by Karl W. Lampley '93.  Note:  A Black student says he cringes every time he hears discrimination against gays compared to discrimination against Blacks.  "Discrimination against homosexuals centers around morality and sexuality. Discrimination against Blacks is racial and holds great historical significance in America."
• 25 April 1990 Harvard Crimson letter "Blacks and Gays" by Matthew M. Shakespeare.  Note:  The writer says the analogy between discrimination against Blacks and gays is valid.
• 28 April 1990 Harvard Crimson article "If Harvard Talks, Will the Military Listen?".  Note:  The Harvard faculty voted on 25 April to "issue a formal statement condemning the military's policy" about homosexuality.
• 30 April 1990 Harvard Crimson editorial "Cut the Ties That Bind: Faculty Council and ROTC".  Note:  The Crimson calls for cutting some Harvard - ROTC ties over the homosexuality issue.
• 4 May 1990 MIT Tech article "Harvard faculty condemns ROTC".
• 9 May 1990 Harvard Crimson article "Navy Reverses Stand On ROTC Funds For Two Gay Men".  Note:  Harvard graduate David E. Carney '89 and MIT senior Robert L. Bettiker, discharged from ROTC because of homosexuality, will not have to repay their scholarships.  At MIT, 47 percent of students participating in a referendum said the school should cut ties with ROTC if its policies did not change within four years.
• 16 May 1990 Harvard Crimson article "College Consortium Questions Military".  Note:  Two weeks previously, "Harvard's Faculty Council voted to sever the University's remaining ties with ROTC in two years unless the military starts allowing gays and lesbians to serve."
• 18 May 1990 Harvard Crimson letter "The Case for Hypocrisy". 
• 30 October 1991 Harvard Crimson letter "Trust Requires ROTC Discrimination" by Richard E. Bennink '38.  Note:  A Naval ROTC graduate says he is "opposed to any discrimination in housing, employment or any other situation where close physical contact and strict discipline is not mandatory--as it is in positions of military command."
• 4 November 1991 Harvard Crimson column "Turning Soft on ROTC" by Brian R. Hecht '92. 
• 11 December 1991 Harvard Crimson column "A ROTC Solution" by Gian G. Neffinger '93.  Note:  The writer suggests that Harvard could have more effect protesting homosexual discrimination in the military by turning down defense research grants instead of opposing ROTC.
• 11 December 1991 Harvard Crimson letter "Rudenstine Should Cut ROTC Ties" by Chad S. Johnson '89.  Note:  The writer argues that the crucial difference between gays and member of racial minorities is that gays are second-class citizens. 
• 14 December 1991 Harvard Crimson letter "ROTC Is No Place for Gays" by Conrad H. Carlson '38.  Note:  The writer argues that mixing gay and straight men in the close quarters of military housing is unwise.
• 16 December 1991 Harvard Crimson editorial "Stick to Your Guns: The Faculty's ROTC Decision".  The Crimson quotes from a 1941 Navy document justifying discrimination against Blacks.
• 29 January 1992 Harvard Crimson article "For Some Students, ROTC Is Much More Than Money".  Note:  Harvard ROTC students discuss their motivation for serving.
• 2 April 1992 Harvard Crimson article "Faculty Council Votes To Delay ROTC Report".  
• 4 June 1992 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Fights for Its Future: Faculty-Student Committee Split on Generational Lines".  Note:  Faculty were leaning more towards severing ROTC ties than students.  Harvard's current ties to ROTC consists of a $132,000 annual payment to MIT to cover costs for Harvard students cross-enrolled in its program.
• 2 October 1992 "Report of the Harvard University Committee on the Status of ROTC".  Comment: The committee recommended restrictions on Harvard paying ROTC-related charges for Harvard students undergoing ROTC training at MIT.  The report expressed concerns that the military discrimination against gays and lesbians was illegal and against Harvard's non-discrimination policy.  The policy reads "Harvard University's policy is to make decisions concerning applicants, students, faculty and staff on the basis of the individual's qualifications to contribute to Harvard's educational objectives and institutional needs. The principle of not discriminating against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability unrelated to job or course of study requirements is consistent with the purposes of a university and with the law. Harvard expects that those with whom it deals with will comply with all applicable anti-discrimination laws."  However, such concerns were substantially modified by the encoding into law in 1993 of the "Don't ask, don't tell" approach.  Another interesting point in the committee report was the comparison of discrimination against gays and lesbians in the military to previous policies to bar "women from military service or to segregate them within the services".  This implies satisfaction with the current role of women in the armed forces, despite discriminatory policies regarding separate housing for men and women.  This suggestion that the gay and lesbian issue could be treated as a gender issue was one that did not receive much attention in the debate leading up to the 1993 law, and might provide a model for gays and lesbians in the military that would be more acceptable than the 1993 law.
• 3 October 1992 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Committee Report Offers Compromise Plan: Harvard Would Accept Scholarships, End Program Subsidies".
• 7 October 1992 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Report Defends Compromise Proposal".
• 9 October 1992 Harvard Crimson editorial "Not Even Close: The ROTC Report".  Note:  The Crimson is "angry" that Harvard will continue to accept ROTC scholarships, and wonders who is expected to pay the MIT ROTC overhead payments.
• 9 October 1992 Harvard Crimson editorial dissent "What Else Can They Do?" by Beth L. Pinsker '93.  Note:  The writer points out that Harvard accepts scholarships from Final Clubs, which have discriminatory practices, so not accepting ROTC scholarships would be inconsistent.
• 6 November 1992 Harvard Crimson article "Clinton May Fix ROTC Problem".  Note:  Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Students Association Co-Chair Rachel E. Cohen '94 said that if President-elect Clinton ended the military homosexual discrimination "My main objection to ROTC will be gone...If Clinton does stop the ban, there will be no moral principles on which there would be no ROTC at Harvard."
• 6 November 1992 MIT Tech article "ROTC Ban on Gays Faces Reversal under Clinton".
• 11 November 1992 Harvard Crimson article "Faculty Discussion Over ROTC Heated".
• 12 February 1993 Harvard Crimson column "Living With Gays in the Military: Postcard From Boot Camp" by David L. Bosco '95.  Note:  Navy ROTC Midshipman Bosco says "an openly gay man serving among other men in cramped quarters for will be a disruptive force. Similarly, a few women living and working amongst a mostly male unit would likely disturb unit relations.  Though the debate over gays in the military has been compared frequently to that over the integration of Blacks, the more relevant comparison is the still continuing debate over women in the military."  
• 23 April 1993 Harvard Crimson editorial "Unwise Decision".  Note:  The Crimson opposed the choice of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Colin L. Powell as commencement speaker because he supported the ban on gays in the military, in conflict with Harvard's policy relating to ROTC. 
• 17 May 1993 Harvard Crimson article "Faculty Will Likely Vote to Eliminate Funding of ROTC: Seen as Signal to Powell on Gay Ban".  
• 19 May 1993 Harvard Crimson article "Faculty Votes to Stop Paying MIT for ROTC: Decision May Prevent Students From Joining Program"
• 24 May 1993 Harvard Crimson article "Indecision On ROTC".  Note:  The Harvard administration ponders what to do about the faculty vote to stop paying the MIT ROTC overhead charge.
• 13 July 1993 Harvard Crimson article "Gay Ban Plan Won't End ROTC Dispute: Support Weak for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'".  Note:  The head of the faculty committee on ROTC, Professor Sidney Verba '53 was unsure of the effect of the military homosexuality compromise.  "We wrote the report very explicitly--if the ban was not removed. Harvard should not continue to participate in ROTC... The report doesn't anticipate something falling halfway in between."
• 27 July 1993 Harvard Crimson article "Provost Says Harvard Should Reassess ROTC: Report Didn't Anticipate Compromise".
• 30 July 1993 Harvard Crimson article "Rudenstine Speaks on ROTC: President Says Faculty to Review Compromise Plan in Fall".   
• 13 September 1993 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Policy Battle Rages".
• 29 September 1993 Harvard Crimson article "Despite Policy Change, ROTC Future Uncertain".  
• 10 November 1993 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Discussion Continues".  
• 17 November 1993 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Payments Debated".
• 24 February 1994 Harvard Crimson editorial "Severing ROTC Ties Would Hurt Students".  Note:  The Crimson takes a very different position from its editorial of 9 October 1992.
• 26 February 1994 Harvard Crimson "news analysis" "Is Harvard Giving Up on Its ROTC Promises?" by Wendy M. Seltzer '96.
• 28 February 1994 Harvard Crimson column "Yielding to Bigotry: Harvard Must Keep Its Promise and Break Ties With ROTC" by Lori E. Smith '96.  Note:  Smith disagrees with the view that ROTC scholarships excluding openly gay people are similar to other scholarships favoring particular groups.  "This argument ignores the distinction between money that by design promotes the presence of certain groups and that which by design excludes others."  
• 11 March 1994 Harvard Crimson column "Proud To Be Harvard ROTC" by Koma B. Gandy '95.
• 18 April 1994 Harvard Crimson article "Dartmouth Decides To Maintain ROTC Ties".
• 28 April 1994 Harvard Crimson article "Rudenstine: ROTC Talks Are On". 
• 29 April 1994 Harvard Crimson editorial "Sever Ties With ROTC".  Note:  The Crimson decides "Under close scrutiny, the arguments for keeping ROTC on campus--arguments we ourselves used two months ago--do not hold."
• 29 April 1994 Harvard Crimson editorial dissent "Don't Limit Student Options".  Note:  The dissenters observe: "the students who comprise Harvard's ROTC contingent by and large oppose the ban on gays themselves. As members of the military, they are more likely than other officers to demand a liberalization of its policies."
• 4 May 1994 Harvard Crimson article "MIT Official Admits to ROTC Talks".
• 4 May 1994 Harvard Crimson letter "Rudenstine, Vest Have Discussed ROTC" by Sarah E. Gallop.
• 17 November 1994 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Decision Nearing".
• 21 November 1994 Harvard Crimson article "Groups Pressure Rudenstine to Dump ROTC".
• 23 November 1994 Statement on ROTC by Harvard President Neil  L. Rudenstine.  Comment: President Rudenstine outlines his decisions on the ROTC issue and announces a fund supported by alumni donations to pay the ROTC-related charges for Harvard students undergoing ROTC training at MIT. 
• 29 November 1994 Harvard Crimson article "Rudenstine Decides on ROTC Funding".
• 1 December 1994 Harvard Crimson article "Report Upholds ROTC Tie, But Without Direct Funding".
• 3 December 1994 Harvard Crimson article "Is Rudenstine's Plan a Solution or a Capitulation ROTC".
• 6 December 1994 Harvard Crimson editorial "ROTC: A Workable Compromise".
• 6 December 1994 Harvard Crimson editorial dissent "Compromise Plan Is a Farce".
• 13 December 1994 Harvard Crimson article "U.C. Committee Endorses ROTC Compromise".  Note:  Committees of the Undergraduate Council supported President Rudenstine's ROTC compromise.
• 14 December 1994 Harvard Crimson article "Faculty Criticizes ROTC Funding Compromise". 
• 16 December 1994 Harvard Crimson news analysis "On ROTC, No Faculty Unanimity" by Jonathan A. Lewin '96.
• 20 December 1994 Harvard Crimson editorial "U.C. Right Not To Donate to ROTC". 
• 9 January 1995 Harvard Crimson column "Keep Tradition Alive: Harvard Should Stop Hiding from the Military" by Bradley L. Whitman '98.  Note:  Whitman argues "forcing heterosexuals to share living quarters with homosexuals would be greatly damaging to morale" and concludes that gays should not be in the military at all.
• 1 February 1995 Supplementary Statement on ROTC by Harvard Acting President Albert Carnesale.  Comment:  This specifies that funding of ROTC be done by a trust separate from Harvard and rejects the suggestion of the 1992 Committee on ROTC to ban the annual ROTC Commissioning Ceremony.
• 2 February 1995 Harvard Crimson article "Altered Plan Cuts Financial Ties to ROTC".
• 7 February 1995 Harvard Crimson article "Governing Body OKs Reforms On ROTC".
• 7 February 1995 Harvard Crimson editorial "Harvard Settles ROTC Well, Finally".
• 7 February 1995 Harvard Crimson editorial dissent "ROTC Merits Support" by David B. Lat '96.
• 7 March 1995 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Bill Introduced in Congress: Would Eliminate Funding of Universities Blocking Program".
• 7 July 1995 Harvard Crimson article "House Approves Pro-ROTC Bill".  Note:  Amendment sponsor Rep. Gerald H. Solomon said "Currently, dozens of colleges and universities across this country, including the prestigious ones such as Harvard and Yale, blatantly discriminate against students willing to serve their country, and it is so aggravating to this member".
• 18 March 1996 Harvard Crimson article "UC Seeks to Ban ROTC Ceremony At Graduation".  Note:  The Undergraduate Council also asked that "the ceremony not be listed in Commencement Week programs."
• 28 March 1996 Harvard Gay & Lesbian Caucus Letter to Dean Lewis concerning the ROTC Commissioning Ceremony in Harvard Yard, including the 7 April reply by Dean Lewis.
• Spring 1996 Harvard Gay and Lesbian Newsletter "ROTC again???" by Robert W. Mack '71, JD '74.
• 3 April 1996 Harvard Crimson editorial "ROTC Graduation Should Stay".
• 3 April 1996 Harvard Crimson editorial dissent "Ceremony Must Go".  
• 5 April 1996 Harvard Crimson article "Lewis Vetoes Plan to Ban ROTC Ceremony".
• 19 April 1996 Harvard Crimson article "MIT Faculty Ask ROTC Program To Admit Gays".
• May / June 1996 Harvard Magazine essay "Soldiers & Scholars: Between Harvard and West Point, a deep - and dangerous - cultural chasm" by Pat C. Hoy II.  Comment:  This article does not address the ROTC issue directly, but it provides important perspectives about differences between universities and the military.  The letters in July / August issue about this article do discuss ROTC.
• 6 June 1996 Harvard Crimson article "Yard ROTC Ceremony Held".
• July / August 1996 Harvard Magazine note "A peaceful commissioning".
• 26 July 1996 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Bills Stalled in Senate Committee".  Note:  "Because Harvard ROTC cadets participate in MIT's program, experts say the University is not likely to be affected regardless of the fate of these bills."
• 6 October 1997 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Students Struggle to Reconcile Careers and Military".
• January / February 1998 Harvard Magazine "The Classes".  Note: David Clayman '38 writes that he has started a mail campaign to convince the administration to bring ROTC back to Harvard.
• 19 February 1998 Harvard Crimson article "HLS Ban On Army Recruiters Stands".  Note:  Harvard Law School's policy faces the Solomon Amendment. 
• 24 February 1998 Harvard Crimson editorial "Standing Firm at HLS".
• November 1998 Book "Harvard Observed" by John T. Bethell.  Note: The book includes the history of ROTC at Harvard in the Vietnam years and beyond.
• 26 March 1999 Harvard Crimson article "Council Sparks Debate With Proposal to Reconsider ROTC".
• 26 March 1999 Harvard Crimson article "Council Sparks Debate With Proposal to Reconsider ROTC".
• 7 April 1999 Harvard Crimson article "Keep ROTC Off Campus".  
• 8 April 1999 Harvard Crimson article "Panelists Debate Return of ROTC to Campus".
• 9 April 1999 Harvard Crimson column "Why We Should Bring Back ROTC" by Noah D. Oppenheim '00.  Note:  Oppenheim argues that ""don't ask, don't tell" is merely a behavioral regulation--one of many in the military that govern the sexuality of all servicemen and women. (For example, the military bans sex between officers and enlisted personnel, and it criminalizes adultery.)".  He suggests "the same logic that demands that heterosexual men and women be segregated in barracks and wash facilities ought to apply in some extension to the matter of homosexuals in single-sex units."
• 12 April 1999 Harvard Crimson article "Council Endorses Return of ROTC".  
• 12 April 1999 Harvard Crimson article "We Asked, They Told".  Note:  The Crimson finds that "It is the cadets and midshipmen, rarely consulted on the issue, who see the gray area in the debate". 
• 13 April 1999 Harvard Crimson editorial "Politicize the Council".  Note:  The Crimson describes the ROTC resolution passed by the University Council as "a watered-down resolution from a strictly "student-services" perspective" that "saw fit to endorse ROTC--however tentatively--on the Harvard campus".
• 15 April 1999 Harvard Salient column "Uncle ROTC Wants You: The UC strikes a blow for patriotism and common sense" by Bronwen McShea.
• 16 April 1999 Harvard Crimson article "Lewis Says ROTC Will Not Change In Near Future".
• 10 June 1999 Harvard Crimson article "ROTC Bill Sponsors".  Note:  A year-end article reviews the University Council push for more ROTC support.
• July/August 1999 Harvard Magazine article "ROTC Resurfaces"
• September / October 1999 Harvard Magazine article "The 30 Years' War".  There were letters in response in the November / December issue.  
• 27 October 1999 Harvard Crimson article "Federal Aid Changes Will Not Affect HLS Students".  Comment: This change to the Solomon Amendment was made in 1999.

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