Thursday, August 25, 2005
There are many protests that are launched because of an organization’s beliefs. A university law, however, validates protesting against military recruitment on campus.
There are two policies that violate the rights of KU students: the Solomon Act and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The Solomon Act says that if any establishment of higher education prohibits on-campus recruitment, the government can cut defense funds, transportation funds, labor, health/human services and education funds from the school.
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was instated as President Clinton’s response to the exclusion of homosexuals in the military. The statute states: “The prohibition against homosexual conduct is a long standing element of military law that continues to be necessary in the unique circumstances of military service… The presence in the armed forces of persons who… engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion.”
In layman’s terms, the military now allows gays to be in the military, as long as they don’t reveal or talk about their sexuality, because the presence of homosexuals would injure morale.
If the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was truly nondiscriminatory, it would also apply to heterosexuals, meaning that everyone in the military would have to be asexual, banning any signs of sexuality, including wedding rings.
Our membership solicitation policy states: “Discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, or parental status is prohibited. All campus-related organizations are required to adhere to the equal opportunity policies in the selection of their members.” The policy applies to “employment practices, conditions of employment, personnel actions and all other educational programs and activities of the University and its affiliates.” Therefore, any organization that is biased against any minority cannot solicit new members, promote itself or even provide activities on campus.
But if the administration denies the military — a clear violator of KU policy — the right to recruit on campus, the government is allowed to cut essential funds from the school in accordance with the Solomon Act, meaning a poorer education for students.
While recruitment is an essential part of creating an all-volunteer military, the government cannot expect educational establishments to abandon their nondiscriminatory policies. The United States is built on constitutions, contracts and equal rights, and while on-campus recruitment may not be directly responsible for human injury, it is still in violation of a University policy. Should the military’s bylaw concerning homosexuality change to represent all forms of sexuality, on-campus recruitment would not be in direct violation of University policy, and would be a welcome solicitation. The funds the University receives for propagating a setback in civil and equal rights progress sends a clear message that the University’s morals are easily bought and sold.
- Betsy McLeod writing for the editorial board.
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