ROTC DISCUSSION ON WEDNESDAY

This invitation received today:

I'm a GS student writing to invite you to a discussion this Wednesday, at 8 pm in the Carman Lounge, that will be facilitated by ROOTEd. We're reaching out to the campus as a whole; undergrads at CC, Barnard, GS, and SEAS, as well as graduate students, but we're putting an emphasis on inviting groups that have been most involved in the debate over ROTC. 

Over the past few weeks each of us has been asked to take a position on the return of ROTC to Columbia's campus. Perhaps because the decision will ultimately come down to a "yes" or a "no," much of the debate has taken on that tone, and the debate has been markedly polarized.

We will not be continuing that debate this Wednesday. Rather, by providing a space for guided, supportive, and critical dialogue we are hoping to explore the debate from a different perspective. We will be asking participants to focus their attention on how this debate has both revealed and shaped our community on campus: Who has participated in the debate, and why? What does the debate tell us about our position within the institution?

This will be a discussion in which we are each encouraged to explore nuance-- both within our own views and the views of others. And it is our hope that through open dialogue we will be better able to recognize and value the diversity of views, backgrounds, and experiences that have informed the debate over ROTC's return to campus.

Obviously, veterans have an important voice within the discussion, and we hope that you'll send this out to your members. And in the chance that this isn't the right place to send this email to, are there any suggestions you'd offer as to how to get veterans involved?

Thanks, and we hope to see you Wednesday.