In a packed room, Associated Student Government senators voted to pass a resolution to support the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. The emotional debate involved about 45 students who urged senators to either pass or reject the measure.
The final Senate vote of 47-21 narrowly fulfilled the two-thirds requirement to support the resolution. To ensure the accuracy of the final vote, senators stated their individual yes or no votes in a roll-call.
The resolution implies support but not action or financial assistance from ASG, according to Zach Benjamin, secretary/parliamentarian.
Students, senators and representatives from the student groups Rainbow Alliance and NROTC filled the room for the meeting.
NROTC midshipmen asked senators to support the individual students who are serving in the program and refrain from voting against the resolution based on the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
“We stand here today as students,” said midshipman Ash Lorenz, in an address to the senate. “Support us. You don’t have to support the United States Military.”
Lorenz, a Communication junior, referred to the military’s policy that bans openly gay men and lesbians from the Armed Forces. But this national policy should not prevent NROTC students receiving scholarships from attending the NU, several midshipmen said.
The resolution was co-authored by NROTC Battalion Executive Officer Casey Osterkamp and ASG Rules Chairman Dan Broadwell, a Communication junior, because the U.S. Department of Defense may cut the program entirely if it does not attract more students. Some federal proposals call to cut 40 percent of NU’s NROTC scholarships.
Fifty students are enrolled in NU’s NROTC program and only six of them pay for their educations without the help of the program’s scholarships.
Proponents of the resolution hope that with ASG’s support the 79-year-old NROTC program will continue if the Department of Defense recognizes student support.
But Rainbow Alliance members expressed concern that NROTC is a form of open discrimination against gay men and lesbians. Jacob Reitan, Communication ’04, said even if NU midshipmen disagree with national policies, discrimination still will be felt.
“Its effects are very, very local,” he said. “If you say you oppose NROTC, the federal government will stand up and take notice.”
During the course of three-hour meeting, two amendment printouts intended to replace the NROTC resolution were distributed by LGBT advocates. But senators struck them down because both proposals directly contradicted the original resolution.
“Hijacking the process to make a completely different statements is not what I was looking for in a debate,” said A&O Sen. Tarun Patel, a Weinberg junior.
Osterkamp, the Communication senior who co-authored the bill, said she plans to organize an open forum that includes a representative chosen by the LGBT student group, sociology Prof. Charles Moskos and openly gay Congressman Jim Kolbe.
“I think (this resolution and the student support tonight) made a difference to show Senate we care,” Osterkamp said.
Reach Michelle Ma at [email protected] and Jason Prager at [email protected].
An article in Thursday’s Daily misquoted Communication junior Ashley Lorenz. Lorenz told Associated Student Government senators: “Support us. You don’t have to support the United States Military.” The Daily regrets this error.
