At the third and final town hall on ROTC Wednesday night, opponents of the program’s return to campus attacked the town hall process itself.
Students continued to make arguments for and against inviting the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps back to Columbia. But there was a greater focus on the way the University Senate has been soliciting student opinion, with some opponents questioning whether the debate is rigged in favor of ROTC.
Anthropology professor Marilyn Ivy was one of several speakers who criticized the composition of the University Senate task force on military engagement, which has organized the town halls to solicit opinions on ROTC. Ivy noted that task force member Jim Applegate, an astronomy professor, has been a vocal ROTC proponent in the past. Applegate recently signed a faculty petition in favor of the program’s return.
“We are repeatedly told that the task force is impartial and nonpartisan, but surely the person who plays such a central role in these task forces could have at least the appearance of neutrality,” Ivy said.
Read the full story at the Columbia Spectator.
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