Under the auspices of the newly enacted federal budget, federal military recruiters now have the legal right to obtain information such as names, addresses, telephone listings, dates of birth and other personal information from any student at Hunter College, as well as allow recruiters on campus to make use of the information under threat of losing all federally supplied student aid.
In addition to the matter of student information, the legislation also requires that each educational institution change or modify any policy that would hamper the formation of ROTC units on campus. This would apply to all colleges, even those, such as Hunter, which have had a long tradition of excluding ROTC on ethical principles. Certain schools have attempted in the past to exclude ROTC units on the basis that the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding homosexuals violated discrimination laws. This law singles out these cases by noting that all schools must adhere to the accepted military policy regarding homosexual exclusion.
Exemptions are provided only in the cases of educational institutions that have “a long standing policy of pacifism based in historical religious affiliation.”
The legislation, signed into law by President Clinton earlier this year, was part of a larger piece of legislation known more commonly as the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY97. In addition to portioning out yearly appropriations to federal departments, agencies and organizations, the Omnibus Act also covered the vast majority of grants, loans and other federal monies made available to colleges for student aid.
The military recruitment amendment was proposed by Rep. Jerry Solomon (R) of New York’s 22nd Congressional District, Rep. Pombo (R-CA) and Rep. Buyer (R-IN). The amendment contains three separate provisions, that, if not met, would deny federal monies to the school in violation.
The first provision would deny funds to any campus that “prohibits, or in effect prevents (1)the maintaining, establishing or operation of a unit of the Senior ROTC at the institution; or (2)a student at the institution from enrolling in a unit of the Senior ROTC at another institution of higher education.”
Dealing with access to campuses for the purposes of military recruiting, the second provision targets any campus that, “prohibits, or in effect prevents (1)entry to campuses, or access to students (17 years or older) on campuses, for purposes of Federal military recruiting; or, (2)access to the following information pertaining to students (17 years or older) for the purposes of Federal military recruiting: student names, addresses, telephone listings, dates and places of birth, levels of education, degrees received, prior military experience, and the most recent previous educational institutions enrolled in.”
A third provision would deny funds if the institution does not comply with previously established veterans hiring policies.
During debate on the proposal last year, Solomon, who is also Chairman of the House Rules Committee, explained his reason for adding the amendment was to keep campuses from “preventing recruiters from explaining the benefits of an honorable career in the Armed Forces of the United States.” He stated that those educational institutions must not be allowed”to turn their backs on young people who are defending their country.
Solomon’s amendment was not opposed by anyone from the Democratic side of the aisle although House rules allocated equal time for opposing arguments.
The amendment had passed the House unopposed several times before when attached to other pieces of legislation, but never made it to the President. The White House has yet to comment on the recruiting amendment.
A Hunter College Senate sub-committee recently completed a report on the new law and submitted it to President Caputo, making certain recommendations on how to approach the requirements. While the committee recommended full compliance with the laws, they did make certain recommendation that, as yet, have yet to be acted on by President Caputo.
