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December 14, 2004
Letter to the Editor: To protest discrimination, student body should vote to ban recruiters
We are writing in strong support of the “Resolution To Ban the United States Military from Recruiting on Campus,” authored by Graham Lampa and Manney Anderson. The military’s discriminatory policies against gay and lesbian people contradict the mission of our university, and the presence of military recruiters on campus detracts from the inclusiveness of our campus environment.
In September of 2001, the Indianhead Council of the Boy Scouts of America proposed a partnership with
Hamline University that would provide scholarships to students for participating in its mentorship program. After a campus-wide forum and a university-wide debate that included members of the administration, Hamline students voted to reject the offer because the Indianhead Council’s discriminatory policy against gays and lesbians contradicted the university’s diversity policy. Our administration č with an open apology to the campus for even considering the partnership č unanimously acted on students’ recommendations to turn down the Indianhead Council’s offer.
On Nov. 29, 2004, a federal appeals court ruled that universities have a First Amendment right to bar military recruiters from their campuses without penalty. Lawyers in the case argued on the precedence of a Supreme Court ruling allowing campuses to ban the Boy Scouts of America because of similar discriminatory policies against gay and lesbian people.
Let’s follow the federal court’s lead! When students were asked to consider a partnership with the Boy Scouts of America, members of our community revealed how deeply the organization’s discriminatory policies hurt them. Students realized that partnering with an organization that welcomed only some members of the Hamline community while rejecting others would be a violation of our anti-discrimination and diversity policies.
The military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” creates an unsafe environment for gay and lesbian people; the consequences for being openly gay are immediate discharge and loss of all benefits. Imagine if Hamline University adopted a similar policy. Some of our best professors would be fired without compensation.
Students would be kicked off campus. All course content related to homosexuality would be removed from the curriculum. Can we openly endorse this type of treatment by another organization on this campus? The answer is a resounding NO.
The current student congress resolution bans military recruiters from recruiting on campus, but does not in any way prevent students from joining the military or using military funds for their education. As a university, we must take steps to ensure the integrity of our policies by refusing to support organizations that would openly discriminate against members of our student body.
Please join students to support this resolution at the Hamline University Student Congress meeting this Tuesday, Dec. 14 ,at 11:30, in Learning Center 100E
Laura Wilson and Colin Schumacher
CLA Seniors
Posted by msveum at December 14, 2004 10:46 AM