Anything related to the military, particularly the Air Force, is very near and dear to my heart. That’s primarily because my dad was in the service for over 25 years and my brother is going to begin his first year after he graduates in the spring. It’s also because I’ve grown up on military bases where I’ve seen more patriotism in twenty-two year old cadets than I’ve seen in some politicians.

That being said, I’m a huge supporter of ROTC programs. These college campus programs train students to become officers in the military once they graduate. Not only do they offer students a chance to explore the possibility of joining one of the many well-established branches of the armed service (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps), but it also develops great leadership, discipline and very professional ethics; qualities that I’m sure are wanted – and especially needed – in most, if not all, careers.

So when I read in an article a few weeks ago that ROTC programs were not allowed on some college campuses, I was shocked. There are more than 600 college campuses in the U.S. that allow ROTC programs, including ours. But some of the more elite campuses including Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Stanford, Tufts, and the University of Chicago don’t.

However, opposition to ROTC programs is nothing new. Many college campuses including Columbia have not allowed ROTC programs since the Vietnam War, when many students protested the war and the draft. Nowadays, opposition to ROTC programs extends past the Vietnam War and has a lot to do with the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about homosexuality that was mandated in 1993. The policy prohibits anyone who engages in homosexual acts from serving in the armed forces, and requires that the military discharge anyone who is openly gay. It says that openly homosexual behavior could risk the high morale, good order and unit cohesion which are all fundamental ingredients of the military. That makes sense to me. If leaders, gay or otherwise, break down the order and cohesion of a unit, people will not be willing to follow them. It’s not about homosexuality, it’s about respect.

Most of the campuses that don’t allow ROTC programs argue that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy discriminates against the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) students when the forces prohibit them from joining. But in fact, the LGBT students are not the only ones who are prohibited from serving. Anyone in the military who is found to have an affair is punishable through the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as well as engaging in acts of fraternization, prostitution and unnatural sexual behaviors such as sodomy. Maximum punishments for such conduct include forfeiture of pay and allowances, confinement for five years and dishonorable discharge. The punishments for these acts don’t discriminate against sexual orientation, but rather aim to uphold the morale and traditions that have made the U.S. military the most formidable in the world.

Students at Columbia, a private school, have established the Hamilton Society whose goal for 40 years has been to advocate for the return of military programs like ROTC to the Ivy League school.

On Decemeber 2, the student body voted on a referendum, and by a 39-vote margin, the ban was renewed.

Banning ROTC programs on campuses, especially on Ivy League campuses where many of our country’s leaders originate, would be to disallow those particular students the chance to be affiliated with the services. And today, when the armed forces are coping with a shortage of cadets due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is looking to expand the number of ROTC programs on campus in order to look for its next generation of leaders.

Students who want to be in these programs are being forced to drive, or take a bus to the closest campus that does offer ROTC and the students who do try to juggle ROTC at another campus with academics at their own aren’t receiving school credit for it.

According to The Washington Times, President-Elect Barack Obama does not plan to make any immediate move asking Congress to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy saying that he may even wait until 2010. But ROTC shouldn’t have to wait until then and people on those campuses that want to serve their country shouldn’t have to wait either.

Annie is a freshman in broadcast journalism and she kind of wants to be the next Dee Dee Myers