State of the Union 2011: Obama says 'don't ask, don't tell' to formally end this yearBy Ed O'Keefe
Posted at 9:03 PM ET, 01/25/2011
President Obama vowed Tuesday to formally end the ban on gays in the military this year, offering the most details yet on how quickly the military plans to end "don't ask, don't tell."
"Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love," Obama said. "And with that change, I call on all of our college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and the ROTC. It is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past. It is time to move forward as one nation."
Several of the nation's top colleges and universities, including Harvard, Columbia and Stanford, have blocked military recruiters from using campus buildings and offices, but have said they would eventually provide full access once the military ends its "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"This has been a difference of principle that I think no one has wanted, but it has been a longstanding and very difficult matter," Columbia University President Lee Bollinger said in an interview last year. "If it were resolved with the elimination of 'don't ask, don't tell,' there would be an enormous feeling of gratitude and openness, more openness to the relations with the military."
Bollinger, who also sits on the board of The Washington Post Co., did warn, however, that allowing ROTC recruiters back on campus might take some time. "It would have to go through a process and people would have to discuss it. It's not just a matter where the president can order this to happen," he said.
unhappycamper comment: "And with that change, I call on all of our college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and the ROTC." :(