Now that some type of student vote about bringing the ROTC back to Columbia looks inevitable, CubPub wanted to get the word out about ROTC and save you some Wikipedia clicks. Read on for some background about the issue.

• ROTC banned at Columbia in 1969 to protest Vietnam War.
• Most recent attempt to return ROTC to campus was 2005. University Senate rejects bid to bring back ROTC 51-11: New York Times article on the vote
• Main argument againt ROTC: It violates University's non-discrimination policy because the Don't Ask Don't Tell Statute forbids anyone in the military from only revealing their sexual orientation.
• What exactly is N(aval)ROTC?
• "Solomon Amendment" - 1996 statute that allows Defense Department to withdraw any federal grants to universities that do not welcome ROTC programs
• "Rumsfeld v. FAIR" - In 2006, Supreme Court upholds constitutionality of Solomon amendment, does not violate University's right to free speech
• A site with links to possibly everything ever written about ROTC at Columbia

A sampling of arguments likely to be rehashed in the coming debates:

From a 2004 Town Hall

• "How exactly does anyone believe this policy can be open and nondiscrimintaory towards homosexuals entering the program"
• "Columbia students voted 2 to 1" in the last referendum in favor of bringing back ROTC."
• "Just as one might ask what right does the federal government have to discriminate against homosexuals, I would like to know what right does this university have to impede a patriotic citizen like myself who wishes to serve?"

From the 2005 Senate Meeting

• "Making an exception to non-discrimination policy against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals, the University in effect will sanction prejudicial anti-gay attitudes. Besides being morally wrong, this can have a harmful impact on the health and well-being, and therefore on the education, of lesbian, gay and bisexual students."
• "if we currently allow students to attend another campus ROTC program, aren’t we already condoning the military’s policies? "
• "Columbia’s denial of ROTC’s return is not news. Yes, Columbia’s acceptance of ROTC with a strong affirmation that they do not hold to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell would be a message that would be far stronger. It would be a message that would challenge the system."
• "the only way to combat that type of discrimination was to work within the system in a form of constructive engagement."
• "Of course we discriminate. If we didn’t discriminate, we would accept students by a random lottery. We don’t do that. ...There is no need for Columbia University to adopt the military attitude in order to permit ROTC on campus