Despite some universities’ negative feelings about the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward homosexuals, the Supreme Court said the military should be able to recruit on college campuses.
We support this decision from the court. It goes against reason not to allow a federal group on campus because public universities receive federal funding. The government has every right to send military recruiters to college students.
Along with the fact that recruitment on campus is the military’s right and a form of public service, most universities-including MSU-have free speech policies. How could a university make a value judgment like denying the military the right to come on campus? That kind of judgment would openly violate any speech policy.
Opponents of the Supreme Court decision say it’s not fair for the government to threaten to withhold funds if a university doesn’t want the military on campus because they disagree with its values.
The military’s policy toward gays may be “discriminatory” in the eyes of those who oppose military recruitment, but one thing they seem to forget is that it is a legal policy until a court decides otherwise. The real issue here is with the policy-not the military.
These opponents overlook an important issue: protesting and banning are two different things. The Supreme Court didn’t say universities couldn’t set up tables beside the recruiters to protest the military’s position. This would be a more effective protest than a hypocritical stab at the government.
The point is, there are more effective ways to challenge the policy that do not require a school to limit students’ accessibility to legitimate career opportunities with the military. Shielding career options from students defeats the purpose of the institution.
Not only do these students need job opportunities, but our military needs more personnel. College students are a good source for military recruiting. The military needs smart people to work for it. Otherwise, America’s military will be weakened.
Also, it’s odd that a university seeking to change a military policy would hinder its graduates’ chances of working there. If your students disagree with the military’s policy, wouldn’t it make sense to want them to go to work there and have a chance to change things? The approach these schools have taken is practically guaranteeing that people who agree with the current policy are the ones who have the best access to the military.
More than anything, these universities should realize that to change things you have to be proactive. Ignoring something you don’t like and blocking from your campus does not change things.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Jed Pressgrove, news editor Sara McAdory, assistant news editor Wade Patterson, sports editor Ross Dellenger, entertainment editor Tyler Stewart, managing editor Dustin Barnes and editor in chief Elizabeth Crisp.