Last month, the AU Undergraduate Senate unanimously supported a resolution that would encourage the full recognition of ROTC on campus. Because most students enrolled in the ROTC program come here at a significant financial disadvantage, the resolution was designed to remove many of the outrageous financial and administrative burdens our cadets face while completing the basic requirements of their program. This was an apolitical resolution that focused solely on enhancing the lives of the brave young men and women who have been cast aside by American University for too long.
Unfortunately, the resolution drew the ire of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists, who were disappointed it did not outright condemn the United States military's discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" policy. During the debate over the original resolution, Class of 2009 Sen. Jillian Rubino expressed her concern over DADT but emphasized that she was voting for the resolution to support the students it directly impacted. This was a point many of us agreed with: While DADT is indeed a discriminatory policy which forced thousands of LGBT individuals to conceal their sexual identities while defending our country, that was not a reason to cast aside this important resolution and - most importantly - the students it affects.
However, many within the LGBT community - led mostly by AU Queers and Allies - were not satisfied with the senate's refusal to address DADT, and pushed for a new resolution that would outright condemn the policy. Though several members of the Queers and Allies executive board made valid points about the importance of denouncing DADT, the senate overwhelmingly rejected their effort to pass the new resolution, and rightfully so. Not only would such a condemnation have no impact on the LGBT soldiers affected by DADT - it would transform an apolitical resolution into a referendum on a federal policy the Undergraduate Senate has no control over.
It should be clear that the Undergraduate Senate vehemently disapproves of DADT, and that the rejection of the new ROTC resolution was not an indication of support for that policy. As senators, we have a responsibility to serve our constituents directly by producing quality legislation that will make a difference in the lives of the students we represent. The clause condemning DADT would not have made a difference in the lives of the LGBT soldiers enrolled in the ROTC program. In the end, the policy would still exist at the federal level. I personally doubt that any LGBT soldier discharged from the ROTC program would gain a sense of closure by knowing that the Senate, in writing, disapproves of that egregious policy.
In the future, the Undergraduate Senate will draft legislation that will encourage the creation of an emergency scholarship fund to assist LGBT students who may be discharged from the military on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This would directly help our students in a time of crisis, and the majority of the Senators who opposed the referendum on DADT have voiced their support for such legislation. Had this been proposed last week instead of the new ROTC resolution, you can guarantee that the Senate would have backed it by a significant margin.
The American University Undergraduate Senate is here to help our students by enhancing their lives here on campus. We are not here to play semantics with federal policies that are not under our purview.
Jordan Boyd, Class of 2010 undergraduate senator
