Harvard: An American Institution?

Harvard joins the Yellow Ribbon program

By Andrew Badger

The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, University President James Bryant Conant pledged all of Harvard ‘s resources to the “single end of complete victory over the Axis.” For example, the Business School offered the first graduate Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), trained the Army Air Corps in statistics, and taught logistics to soldiers and seamen. Harvard led its peers in the nationwide war effort.

But, that was then and this is now.

At this year’s Commencement, President Drew Faust announced that Harvard would participate in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program. She called the bill, “an opportunity for us to show our gratitude to the citizen-soldiers who have given so much for our nation.”

Under the program, the Veterans Administration will cover Afghanistan and Iraq War veteran’s tuition and fees at any school up to the level charged by the most expensive public university in the state. For private schools, like Harvard, whose costs exceed that level, the VA will equal the amount the school pays for the remaining expenses.

It is fantastic that Harvard will participate in this program to support our veterans. But some schools have made only partial commitments. The Law School will commit the full $21,000 for each veteran’s tuition, but the College and Kennedy School of Government will contribute smaller amounts. The Business School, once the flagship of the University’s support for the military, currently intends to only contribute$5,000.

There are valid reasons why some schools have chosen to cover only part of the amount. Harvard offers generous financial aid and fellowships. And the new program’s complexity coupled with administrative nuances pose challenges. Financial officials say that Harvard may give more funding to Yellow Ribbon in later years after it becomes more familiar with the program.

Despite these concerns, other schools, including Dartmouth, Columbia, and Georgetown have all committed to provide the full amount possible this first year.

If these other private schools can overcome these challenges and fully support the program, why can’t Harvard? The problem seems to be one of will, not bureaucracy or lack of funds.

Supporting the military is just not a priority at Harvard.

Unlike in 1941 Harvard considers itself an international institution free from the parochialism of an “American university.” On campus, memorials honoring American soldiers abound, yet the thought of supporting the military too strongly, and thus alienating a particular group sends shivers down the administration’s spine.

Harvard can allow people from around the world to debate their views and respect minority groups on campus, but also be proud of its American heritage.

Thomas Paine once said, “[T]hose who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must…undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” From the federal aid it receives, to the freedom of speech it exercises under the Constitution, to the physical security it enjoys thanks to the military, Harvard has reaped greatly the “blessings of freedom.” But it sometimes shrinks from the “fatigue of supporting it.”

The barrier to coming out “American” is the liberal fringe of Harvard’s faculty and students who fail to distinguish between elected officials who set policy and the military who implement that policy. Unlike any other military, American servicemen and women don’t pledge their allegiance to a particular party, person or ideology. They commit solely to the Constitution.

You can disagree with how the military is used. But you must express your opinion through the proper venues, like voting for your favored candidates—not busing ROTC cadets to MIT. Opposition is part of the game, and playing by the rules even when you disagree with a certain policy is a test of our character.

About 400 private, non-profit schools out of the 954 represented by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities will enter Yellow Ribbon agreements this year. Harvard bears significant clout among other colleges and its full participation in the program would encourage other universities to follow suit.

Harvard is an American institution. Just as it did in the days following Pearl Harbor, Harvard should lead its peers in supporting the military on college campuses.