32 Robinson is a series of columns representing the opinions of the summer editorial staff. The columns do not necessarily represent the official views of The Dartmouth.
The College's Board of Trustees vowed to discontinue the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at the College if the ban on homosexuals in the military is not lifted by April of 1994, because of the program's discriminatory nature, which defies Dartmouth's principle of equal opportunity.
If the Trustees wish to uphold the College's principle of equal opportunity to the fullest extent of its meaning, the Board must follow through with its promise to sever ties with ROTC.
The revised plan proposed by the Clinton administration Monday, which would allow homosexuals in the military but require them to keep their sexual orientation and practices private, does not go far enough to acquit the military of its discriminatory policy and allow the ROTC program to continue on campus.
The College's principle of equal opportunity states that "Dartmouth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran in its programs, organizations, and conditions for employment and admission."
Any program that treats a certain group of people differently based on their sexual preferences is discriminatory. To continue to offer a program which does so explicitly is a violation of the College's own principle of equal opportunity and is a disservice to the members of the Dartmouth community.
Due to the ambiguous nature of Clinton's new plan, the Trustees could decide to continue the ROTC program and rationalize it as being in accordance with the College's principles.
Trustees could rationalize the plan on the basis that Clinton's revised policy does allow homosexuals in the military: applicants are no longer asked their sexual orientation at the application level, and thus cannot be denied admission to ROTC.
However, the new plan succeeds only in easing the current ban on homosexuals, rather than ending the discrimination embedded in the policy. Homosexuals serving in the military must remain quiet about their sexual identity, and any homosexual activity on or off the base remains grounds for discharge.
The plan has left many questions unanswered as to how homosexuals may act while serving. While they may go to gay bars, for example, they may not make a private statement of their homosexuality.
The Trustees should support the policies of the College and take a step towards ending discrimination on campus -- severing ties with the ROTC program is a necessary step to take unless the Clinton administration once again modifies the policy of gays in the military.
