Compromise Plan Is a Farce

When anonymous donors came forward last fall to fund a boost in financial support for women's athletics teams, Harvard patted itself on the back for supporting women's sports.

When donors came forward to fund the continued participation of Harvard students in MIT's ROTC program. University President Neil L. Rudenstine argued that Harvard was effectively removing its money from the program.

Harvard can't have it both ways. The fact is that alumni money, "unsolicited" or not, is Harvard money (the University runs on the stuff). And that fact exposes as a farce Rudenstine's "compromise" plan to have alumni dollars replace general Faculty of Arts and Sciences budget dollars in supporting ROTC students.

Rudenstine's compromise changes nothing. He has endorsed the status quo on ROTC, which means the University will continue to finance a program that discriminates against its own students (namely, bisexuals, gays and lesbians).

That is totally unacceptable at any school, and it is hypocritical at a University with an explicit policy against discrimination.

Rudenstine should cut the doubletalk. And then he should cut all financial ties to ROTC.