“I think on both sides the points are sometimes valuable, but more often than not are just about making a point rather than having a disucssion,” he said.

ROTC cadets, many of whom also participate in the National Defense Forum, will be sending postcards to the troops abroad, and selling ribbons to show support.

Peter H. Brooks ’06, a midshipman from Weston, Mass., challenged the image of the “militaristic, hair-trigger people” that he says many associate with ROTC.

“War is a terrifying thing and I pray every night that Iraqi forces will lay down their arms,” Brooks said. “Nobody in the military wants to go to war but at times it seems the best course of action.”

Brooks himself has changed his habits. As a Navy midshipman, he was required to wear his uniform to classes every Monday. But fearing the backlash against the war and the U.S. armed forces, he says he has been instructed to keep the uniform in his closet until further notice.

But Brooks, who attended last week’s anti-war rally in front of the Science Center to observe, said that he does not mind the protests.

“I am a firm believer that the protestors are a main thing we are fighting for. That freedom of expression...is worth fighting for,” he said.

The Home Front

As students debate the ideology of the war, administrators are tackling practical issues of campus security.

In Cambridge, several teams of planners have been reorganizing the emergency preparedness plans for the University in reaction to the threat of terrorism.

Michael N. Lichten, assistant dean of physical resources for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, has been a part of an emergency planning initiative that began over a year ago.

“September 11 has caused us to be more exact in our planning, more specific about who will do what,” Lichten said. “We need to be sure we have identified resources to deal with emergency situations.”

At yesterday’s Faculty Council meeting, Lichten briefed the Council on the state of emergency preparations.

“It was an up-to-date message regarding security and emergency and crisis management at Harvard,” Lichten said.

Lichten said that the increased presence of the Harvard University Police Department as well as the stringent restrictions on vehicles in the Yard are part of the heightened security measures the University is taking.