Post by SirSaxa on Apr 29, 2011 14:29:24 GMT -5
Stanford's Faculty Senate approves process for bringing ROTC back to campus
Excerpts
The Faculty Senate voted 28-9-3 on Thursday afternoon to invite the U.S. military's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) to return to campus. The Stanford ROTC program was phased out in the early 1970s amid concern about academic rigor and opposition to the Vietnam War. At present, Stanford students commute to UC-Berkeley, San Jose State and Santa Clara University for most ROTC instruction.
The Senate was acting on a recommendation by its Ad Hoc Committee on ROTC, which was formed in anticipation of the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gay and lesbian servicemembers. Reestablishing an on-campus ROTC program, the committee said, would allow Stanford to make an important contribution to the development of military leaders and would augment the civic education of other Stanford undergraduates.
President John Hennessy and Provost John Etchemendy, PhD '82, said they would begin conversations with the military based on the Senate vote. "Our country needs innovative, broadly educated military leaders, and we believe that Stanford--as one of the nation's leading universities--has a responsibility to help prepare them," they said in a statement. "We also believe that ROTC's presence on our campus will be mutually beneficial. It will provide all students with opportunities for discussion about civic responsibility, human rights and the role of the military