ROTC should be welcome at Brown
Issue date: 3/19/07 Section: Letters
To the Editor:
I wholeheartedly agree that ROTC should be a part of the Brown curriculum ("Reconsidering ROTC at Brown," Feb. 15). The full salary of the ROTC instructors, I believe, is paid by the government. Brown only needs to provide space.
Students might attend Brown if ROTC were offered not only for training and leadership skills but also for the free tuition ROTC offers. Presently, Brown likely loses qualified applicants because of its ROTC policy. The few ROTC students we have at Brown now must commute to Providence College for their training.
While some would assert that ROTC is worthless information that does not rise to the level of relevance that all the courses at Brown demonstrate, others believe ROTC is relevant and does add to the breadth of Brown's curriculum. Certainly, there is room at this great University for ideas that are not traditionally "popular." Men and women interested in ROTC who attend Brown would enrich the University's diversity
Even faculty, students and administrators who hate war must realize that America needs an effective fighting force that is well trained and led if we are to survive in today's complex and dangerous world.
Furthermore, Brown graduates who serve in the military would bring a diversity of concepts and ideas that might greatly benefit the military. Gay bashing and an understanding of the importance of diversity would not have occurred if a Brown graduate were Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. How will the military improve if fresh ideas are not introduced by informed men and women from a great University like Brown? Will we continue to lament our military as we simultaneously look for it to defend us from terrorists?
Paul Kechijian MD '61
March 15
I wholeheartedly agree that ROTC should be a part of the Brown curriculum ("Reconsidering ROTC at Brown," Feb. 15). The full salary of the ROTC instructors, I believe, is paid by the government. Brown only needs to provide space.
Students might attend Brown if ROTC were offered not only for training and leadership skills but also for the free tuition ROTC offers. Presently, Brown likely loses qualified applicants because of its ROTC policy. The few ROTC students we have at Brown now must commute to Providence College for their training.
While some would assert that ROTC is worthless information that does not rise to the level of relevance that all the courses at Brown demonstrate, others believe ROTC is relevant and does add to the breadth of Brown's curriculum. Certainly, there is room at this great University for ideas that are not traditionally "popular." Men and women interested in ROTC who attend Brown would enrich the University's diversity
Even faculty, students and administrators who hate war must realize that America needs an effective fighting force that is well trained and led if we are to survive in today's complex and dangerous world.
Furthermore, Brown graduates who serve in the military would bring a diversity of concepts and ideas that might greatly benefit the military. Gay bashing and an understanding of the importance of diversity would not have occurred if a Brown graduate were Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. How will the military improve if fresh ideas are not introduced by informed men and women from a great University like Brown? Will we continue to lament our military as we simultaneously look for it to defend us from terrorists?
Paul Kechijian MD '61
March 15