Updates

March 5, 2011

The report of the Task Force on Military Engagement has been posted.


March 3, 2011

The transcript of the public hearing of February 23, 2011 has been posted.
E-mails through March 2, 2011 have been posted.


February 26, 2011

The Task Force will accept e-mail submissions for posting and consideration up until 11:59 PM on Wednesday, March 2, 2011. If you would like to express your views, please e-mail the Task Force before then.

February 24, 2011

Audio from the public hearing of February 23, 2011 has been posted. A transcript is forthcoming.


February 22, 2011

The transcript of the public hearing of February 15, 2011 has been posted.


February 21, 2011

The Task Force has released a statement with reference to the events of February 15, 2011. It can be found here.


February 20, 2011

With regard to the recent controversy surrounding audience reactions at the Task Force's second hearing, an audio recording of the speaker/audience interaction can be found here.

Emails received from 2/13-2/20/2011 have been posted.

Mission


The Senate and ROTC in 2011

With the repeal of "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell" in late 2010, the University Senate is revisiting the question of ROTC’s place at Columbia.

The Senate’s role is to formulate university policy that enshrines principles and guides the actions of the administration. As such, it constituted the Task Force on Military Engagement on December 20, 2010 with the mission of:

  • Providing a report to the University Senate on campus opinion regarding ROTC.
  • Informing the University community about the basic facts and history surrounding ROTC at Columbia.
  • Facilitating debate and discussion about ROTC at Columbia.
To fulfill these goals, the Task Force will hold a series of University-wide public hearings. These hearings will provide a forum for individuals to discuss the issues in an open and constructive manner. The hearings will be open to all Columbia University ID holders, and endeavor to address specific segments of the University community. Each hearing will be hosted by a major University leader.

Details of the hearings are as follows:
  • Monday, February 7, 2011 – Focused on the general University community
    Opening remarks by Sharyn O’Halloran, Chair of the Senate Executive Committee
    417 International Affairs Building (Altschul Auditorium), 8 PM – 10 PM
    Audio recording and transcript are available here.
  • Wednesday, February 23, 2011 – Focused on faculty and graduate students
    Opening remarks by Claude M. Steele, Provost and Dean of Faculties
    417 International Affairs Building (Altschul Auditorium), 8 PM – 10 PM
    Audio recording and transcript are available here.
The Task Force will distribute a survey to students of Columbia College, the undergraduate population of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of General Studies, Barnard College, and the School of International and Public Affairs - schools which have participated in ROTC within the last five years - to record opinions about Columbia University's engagement with the Armed Forces of the United States and the Reserve Officers Training Corps program. The survey will run from 8 PM on Wednesday, February 16 to 11:59 PM on Thursday, February 24.

In recognition of the limited nature of the survey, the Task Force welcomes all submissions and has established the rotc-taskforce@columbia.edu e-mail address to collect feedback, statements, and other reactions from members of the Columbia community. The Task Force will accept e-mail submissions for posting and consideration up until 11:59 PM on Wednesday, March 2, 2011.

The Task Force will then submit a final report to the University Senate. The report will include a reflection of campus opinion and a comprehensive record of the debates, discussions, and reactions to the Task Force’s events. The report will be published and made publicly available prior to the University Senate meeting of March 4, 2011.

Task Force Membership


The Task Force is comprised of nine members, five students, and four faculty. The membership is as follows.

Students:
  • *Ron Mazor, CC '09, Law '12
  • Mollie Finkel, Nursing '12
  • Alex Frouman, CC '12
  • K. Scott Saverance, SIPA '11
  • Tim Qin, SEAS '13
Faculty:
  • *#Roosevelt Montas CC '95, MA '96, PhD '04, Associate Dean for the Core Curriculum, Columbia College
  • Jim Applegate (A&S/NS), Professor of Astronomy
  • Peter Awn (Administration), Dean of the School of General Studies, Professor of Religion
  • Julia Hirschberg (SEAS), Professor of Computer Science
* Co-Chair
# Non-Senator