Remember when candidate Obama promised to reinstate ROTC on our nation’s campuses regardless of “differences in terms of military policy?" Well, the now President has done little to keep his “promise.” A Young America’s Foundation research survey we released earlier this month revealed that our nation’s top campuses not only ban ROTC programs, but also deny students college credit for military science courses taken elsewhere.

Top brass schools such as Harvard, Yale and Stanford have claimed that they banned ROTC on their campuses due to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy implemented by the Clinton administration. Our survey showed that ROTC has been banned on these campuses long before DADT was in existence – Vietnam was formerly used as an excuse to prevent ROTC students from being treated fairly.

Recently, the Senate moved to repeal the DADT policy, and the President quickly signed it into law. In a Washington Times article covering the ROTC ban controversy that predated the DADT repeal, Yale administrators said that they “may” reinstate ROTC, and they will “follow any federal policy changes with interest.” Well Yale administers, here’s the “federal policy change” you’ve been waiting for.

Will these schools follow their promise and reinstate ROTC on campus now that DADT is gone? Will they allow military recruiters on their campuses? It is unlikely that we will know the answer to those questions anytime soon. 

While the Senate did move to repeal DADT, and President finalized it, it is now up to the military in the middle of wartime to implement it. It is unlikely that the DADT repeal will take effect for at least a year. Young America’s Foundation will continue to monitor how ROTC students are treated on our nation’s campuses, and continue to defend their rights, which are under attack on a daily basis.