Harvard student on ROTC, post-DADT: 'We're Athenians, bascially, and we'll be damned if we let the Spartans back in'

Almost all Harvard students interviewed support the return of ROTC to Harvard, but one student appears to be keeping the flame of antimilitary sentiment alive.

In respect of recruitment, the Pentagon has for years held all the cards — indeed, banana republic power — regarding its presence on campuses. The Solomon Act and its subsequent amendments allow the Secretary of Defense to act as judge, jury and executioner in cutting all DoD funding to any school which does not provide recruitment assistance it deems satisfactory. As well as funding from virtually the entire federal government. As well as funding to all other schools at the university in question, even if they allow unfettered recruitment.

Donald Rumsfeld once used this power to threaten Yale University with financial destruction.

Universities now must provided military recruiters the following information about students under the current Solomon Act:

(i) Name.
(ii) Address.
(iii) Telephone number.
(iv) Date and place of birth.
(v) Educational level.
(vi) Academic major.
(vii) Degrees received.
(viii) Most recent educational institution enrollment.

If not, the Secretary of Defense can cut off all the following funding to all schools in the university, even those it deems to be compliant:

(A) Any funds made available for the Department of Defense.
(B) Any funds made available for any department or agency for which regular appropriations are made in a Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
(C) Any funds made available for the Department of Homeland Security.
(D) Any funds made available for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the Department of Energy.
(E) Any funds made available for the Department of Transportation.
(F) Any funds made available for the Central Intelligence Agency.

In respect of ROTC, the Solomon Act allows the Pentagon to lower the boom on any "noncompliant" school at any time, despite what you might hear from right wing commentators about liberal schools, their distaste for the militarization of their campuses, and how terribly they bully the timid, defenseless, Department of Defense.

§ 983. Institutions of higher education that prevent ROTC access or military recruiting on campus: denial of grants and contracts from Department of Defense, Department of Education, and certain other departments and agencies.

(a) Denial of Funds for Preventing ROTC Access to Campus– No funds described in subsection (d)(1) may be provided by contract or by grant to an institution of higher education (including any subelement of such institution) if the Secretary of Defense determines that that institution (or any subelement of that institution) has a policy or practice (regardless of when implemented) that either prohibits, or in effect prevents–

(1) the Secretary of a military department from maintaining, establishing, or operating a unit of the Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps (in accordance with section 654 of this title and other applicable Federal laws) at that institution (or any subelement of that institution); or

(2) a student at that institution (or any subelement of that institution) from enrolling in a unit of the Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps at another institution of higher education.