DOD Alters Campus Recruitment Policy

The Department of Defense is cracking down on universities that oppose military recruitment on campus, with an announcement last month that requires schools to give all employers the same access to student information.

The policy also closes a loophole that allows schools to ban military recruiters from campus if no students express interest in the military.

Harvard has experienced a sometimes-fractious relationship with the armed forces since the Vietnam War. More recently, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which forbids openly gay people from serving in the military, has conflicted with the university’s commitment to anti-discrimination.

Harvard Law School professors have fiercely contested the 1996 Solomon Amendment, which blocks federal funding of research programs in universities that do not allow military recruiters on campus. In 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that military recruiters have the right to recruit on college campuses.

This time, Harvard finds itself already compliant with the recruiting regulations aimed at enforcing the Solomon Amendment. According to representatives of the Office of Career Services and the Law School, Harvard grants equal access to student information to all potential employers, including the military.

“There’s lots of organizations students or other groups might object to, for whatever reason,” said Deborah A. Carroll, assistant director for on-campus recruiting at the Office of Career Services.

“In general, we feel strongly about equal access and opportunity on a student’s behalf as well so a student can access any kind of opportunity they’re interested in,” Carroll said.

Harvard currently does not provide student directory information, such as names, phone numbers, and concentrations, to any potential employers. Recruiters can access this data only when a student applies for a position or otherwise actively provides his or her personal information.

Law School professors who filed a brief against the Solomon Amendment in 2005 could not be reached for comment.

The new policy will come into effect on April 28.

—Staff writer Athena Y. Jiang can be reached at ajiang@fas.harvard.edu.