Right to Serve and Gay Rights Clash
At the most recent Student Assembly meeting, the Gay-Straight Alliance put forth a resolution to encourage the College to reject all support of the ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) on the Dartmouth campus. I encourage the GSA to distribute this statement for all students to read. The statement raises important issues, and I would like to see the College's trustees live up to their promise to put pressure on the United States government to overturn the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. I must, however, strongly disagree with the logic that compels the GSA to call for ROTC's removal from this campus. While in concrete terms it would probably not impact a single gay or lesbian student on this campus, the GSA's resolution will have a direct and dramatic impact on the lives of ROTC cadets and the future of the program. In the event that the GSA resolution is adopted, Dartmouth College will cease to produce U.S. Army officers. The nearest ROTC campus is an hour away, thus making participation in ROTC difficult and significantly hindering training.