2008 Woodie Awards
Military gunning for students
I WANT YOU IN IRAQ!
Kelly Long
Issue date: 4/30/04 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
In 1995, a federal law was passed denying any college or university federal funding or aid if they refused military recruiters access to their campus. On Tuesday, the House revised the law to allow recruiters the same access as other employers. Not only are recruiters given access to any campus of their choosing, they also will be given access to any particular student's information, including address, phone number and school of enrollment, according to The Daily Targum of Rutgers University.
The Solomon Law, named after late Rep. Gerald Solomon, R-N.Y., has caused some turmoil among campus officials who believe that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding homosexuals is discriminatory. The law violates university guidelines, which don't allow an employer access if they have discriminatory rules for employment. All employers are required to sign an Equal Employment Opportunity contract before stepping on a campus. The military is exempt from this rule.
"If the military wants 'equal access' to American college campuses, let them have it. No other employer in the world would be allowed to recruit on college campuses if they forced gay and lesbian employees to hide their sexuality.
It is most fortunate for the military, then, that they have the resources of the American government to strong-arm universities into ignoring their rampant discrimination," stated a staff editorial from the Washington Square News.
Our high schools are in their sights as well. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, high schools must provide private information to recruiters, including the address and phone number of any student, or they face losing millions of dollars in aid. Many believe that the military specifically targets low-performing schools to sell failing students the promise of a future in the military.
The military also has received scrutiny from campuses who say that it is directly targeting minority students. In October 2003, under the campaign "Campus Combat," the military targeted five east coast schools to find minority recruits to help satisfy its goal of 100,000 new recruits a year, reported The Baltimore Sun. How, you might ask? With a rap contest and free magazine subscriptions.