While many Americans were preparing for holiday festivities, the nation's lesbian, gay and bisexual community had another reason to celebrate: President Barack Obama on Dec. 22 signed into law the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT), the policy barring service of open homosexuals in the United States military.
With preparation for the implementation of the repeal slated to begin as early as this month, questions remain about the policy's nationwide impact on Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, the college−based officer−commissioning program that requires a post−graduation active duty commitment. The military grants ROTC participants merit−based scholarships or living expense stipends.
In addition to prohibiting gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly, DADT created significant tension between the military and colleges across the United States; many universities — though not Tufts — banned on−campus ROTC battalions and courses during the Vietnam War and have cited DADT as a factor preventing the program's restoration.
Part of being an ROTC member in the greater Boston area includes completing training and taking classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which serves as the host institution for the Paul Revere Battalion, encompassing close to 90 cadets from the ROTC programs at Tufts, Harvard University and Wellesley College, among others.
For Tufts, the lack of a separate ROTC battalion and courses is strictly a logistical and fiscal issue, according to Dean of Academic Affairs for Arts and Sciences James Glaser, though both Massachusetts law and Tufts policy prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
"The military isn't interested in establishing a separate unit here on campus," he said. "It's cost−effective that way."
Glaser added that Tufts does not offer cross−registration with MIT, preventing students from procuring credit for ROTC courses taken there.
Despite the lack of direct relation between the DADT repeal and Tufts' ROTC program, Glaser supports the policy's abolition.
"I have been a supporter of ROTC all along, but I didn't like ‘don't ask, don't tell,' and I'm glad it is in the past," he said.
Some colleges that previously banned their own ROTC battalions have now expressed willingness to reconsider. In a statement to the Boston Globe, Harvard President Drew Faust said that she "look[s] forward to pursuing discussions with military officials and others to achieve Harvard's full and formal recognition of ROTC."
Administrators at Yale and Columbia Universities have publicly expressed similar sentiments.
What remains to be seen is whether the opportunity for gays and lesbians to serve openly will impact nationwide ROTC interest and enrollment.
"ROTC develops and trains cadets and commissions officers … to serve as officers in the Army. We have a proven leadership development program. I do not see that changing," Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Hall, commander of the Paul Revere Battalion, said in an e−mail to the Daily. "As far as participation goes, the choice to serve is deeply personal. I have no way to predict whether there will be more participation or not."
Glaser saw a possibility for increased ROTC involvement on the part of gay and lesbian Tufts students who had never previously considered military service as a feasible option given the sacrifices mandated by DADT.
"Maybe more of our students will find the military to be a career path because they won't have to compromise their identity to be a part of it," he said.
Sophomore ROTC cadet Sam Chapin was indifferent to the impact of DADT on the Paul Revere Battalion.
"Personally, it won't really affect me or those I'm around," Chapin said. "I think it has been made more important by the media than it really is."
Senior Sean O'Loughlin, also an ROTC cadet, noted that the distinction between ROTC and actual military service renders DADT somewhat irrelevant to active ROTC cadets.
"We live in ‘cadet land,' not the life of an actual soldier." O'Loughlin said. "We are students first, and it creates a different culture that might not be true to the army as a whole."
