MilVets respond to heckling at ROTC hearing
The U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University released a statement regarding the publicity surrounding the treatment of student and Purple Heart recipient Anthony Maschek at last week’s ROTC hearing. While MilVets shares a “sense of indignation” about the heckling by anti-ROTC activists, the organization does not place blame on the Columbia community and “professes its full confidence” in Columbia’s support for individuals in or retired from the armed forces. Full release after the jump.
“Columbia Milvets” Student-veterans organization supports university in wake of ROTC controversy
New York, NY – February 22, 2011 – Last week’s heckling of Columbia University student and Purple Heart recipient Anthony Maschek by anti-ROTC activists triggered outrage across the country. The U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University organization (of which Mr. Maschek, an ROTC supporter, is an active member), shares this sense of indignation.
Nevertheless, following the media controversy engendered by this event, Milvets wishes to state that the disrespectful conduct of a few individuals in no way reflects the consensus attitude of Columbia students and faculty toward the student-veteran population. On the contrary, its enthusiastic support of military veterans is precisely the reason why Columbia now hosts the largest veteran population of any Ivy League institution: 340 in total, over 200 of whom are undergraduates.
To those everywhere who have been following this story, and especially to fellow veterans considering the pursuit of higher education at Columbia, Milvets professes its full confidence in the Columbia academic community’s ongoing support for military men and women. The disgraceful actions of a few individuals should not be used to condemn Columbia’s aggregate, of which so many proud veterans themselves are part.
U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University (“Milvets”) is an organization of 140 members comprising every service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. More information can be found at our blog, http://columbiamilvets.blogspot.com, or by emailing us at milvets@gmail.com
http://jezebel.com/#!5766231/the-military-rape-lawsuit-verbatim
Just saying.
Way to keep it on topic.
Just saying… “I am too lazy and/or intellectually ill-equipped to actually enter into a conversation or debate, so here is a link about something only somewhat related to the topic above. I’m going to rely on someone else to fight my battles for me yet claim that I’ve been an active participant. Now excuse me while I go back to watching Family Guy on Hulu.”
There are rapes on campuses across the nation. You would suggest not going to college…
I would suggest talking about rape on college campuses, actually, and what we can do about it (education). I’m not suggesting not joining the military; I’m suggesting we consider that the military is the largest single example of institutionalized rape in the nation.
hmmm I would argue that would be the US Prison system… or the catholic church haha
You can use numbers and policies to argue that rape is no more wide spread in the military as any other institution or in society in general. This is really just a weak argument.
Its likely far more prevalent on college campuses than in the military.
Well said, Columbia Milvets
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marco-reininger/rotc-at-columbia-universi_b_826627.html
Kudos to Marco Reininger!
“30% of women in the military will experience attempted rape.” – LUCHA (anti-ROTC group)
Fact: 25% of women in America will experience completed or attempted rape.
So what’s the magic number to be considered institutionalized rape? 27%? 28?
I noticed most of the other LUCHA posters on campus were taken down in favor of ones that contain shocking words that generally scare people away from intelligent discourse. Who wants to risk sounding like they condone rape? When (your) logic fails, resort to scare tactics. Way to go, LUCHA.
Way to represent, MilVets. Marco’s Huff post was awesome, too. Makes me proud to be a founder.
My experience in the Navy after graduating from Columbia with the help of an NROTC scholarship is that the Military needs liberally educated people to leaven its ranks. The Military is in sore need of the balance that comes with well-educated people who have been exposed to the varied political thoughts of an Ivy League School. At Columbia I was considered a fascist, in the Navy I was considered a left wing pinko. The same guy, the same beliefs.
Columbia needs a leavening of the military mind too. The honest sharing of ideals is an essential part of a liberal education. Don’t shut yourselves out of that experience.
No matter where you stand on the issue of ROTC, the ability to speak without being heckled is necessary, particularly in a university environment. I will therefore withhold my yearly donation to Columbia, until an apology is made by the president.
Why would the Armed Forces want anybody who attended that dump as officers anyway?
As someone who attended college in the 70′s – to all those who heckled the vet, grow-up. We had ROTC then and it’s a choice, it’s not being forced on you. Isn’t that what you learn in college – to be open-minded?
I don’t think the girls at Columbia have to worry about anyone raping them. You then run the risk of getting one of them pregnant, and having one of those things as a mother.