Would former President George W. Bush or former Vice President Dick Cheney have committed the United States to invading Iraq if either of them had done substantial tours of duty in the military?
More than likely not.
With this being the case, one would wonder how it is that the majority of Ivy League universities in the U.S. continue to ban Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs on their campuses. Since the Vietnam War, many Ivy League institutions have closed their doors to ROTC programs in response to the unpopularity of combat during that time period.
While the Vietnam War has been over for decades, many of Ivy League institutions still have not restored their ROTC programs.
There are reasons for this, some openly stated, some not.
One of those reasons is opposition to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy currently in place within the military services. While on the surface this would seem like a justified reason, it is not.
The problem with this reasoning is that the military has no say in policies like "don't ask, don't tell."
It was our elected officials who imposed that policy, and only those officials can repeal it. Punishing the military for something it has no control over is wrong and unfair.
Some would also defend the policy by claiming that letting ROTC come back to those universities would "militarize" the student bodies of those campuses. This argument holds little weight.
UF currently has all of the major branches of the military represented on campus though ROTC programs, yet few individuals would characterize the UF student body as militant.
Instead of making campuses militant, Ivy League universities having ROTC programs would ensure that the men and women that one day will lead our nation have a deep understanding of the sacrifices the military requires, which would make them think twice before unnecessarily putting troops in harm's way or committing foolish military actions.
During my time in the military, two of the most outstanding officers that I knew were graduates of the Ivy League. One was from Brown University, and the other from Columbia University.
How many great leaders from these universities has the military missed out on?
During last year's campaign, President Barack Obama surprised many during a speech held at his alma mater of Columbia by criticizing Ivy League universities for not allowing ROTC programs.
Obama's statements, however, should not have surprised anyone. As a former community organizer, he clearly understands the importance of serving other people.
Thankfully, pressure from the new administration is helping bring about changes.
Schools such as Harvard University and Yale University are currently considering inviting ROTC back - a step in the right direction.
Hopefully, this will continue and result in bringing ROTC back to all the Ivy League universities in U.S.
Edgar Rodriguez is a political science junior.
