CORRECTION APPENDED

Members of the Harvard Republican Club staged a small protest in front of the Science Center yesterday to push for the University to change its policies on students in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, who currently do not get course credit for ROTC classes taken at MIT. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

Harvard originally banned ROTC from campus 40 years ago, amid anti- Vietnam War sentiment. Since then, Harvard has continued to ban the program citing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prevents openly gay people from serving in the armed forces.

But Rachel L. Wagley ’11, one of the protesters and secretary of the Harvard Republican Club, said policies toward ROTC should not be affected by the military’s treatment of people who are openly gay.

“Harvard University has no right to put down ROTC as an institution because of a Congressional policy ROTC students have no control over,” she said. “The Harvard Republican Club believes ROTC should be included on campus regardless of federal policies.”

The protesting students said their goal was not a return to campus for ROTC, but rather that the University begin giving course credit for ROTC classes. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

Last year, 29 Harvard students participated in the Army, Navy, or Marines ROTC programs.

“There are still students involved in ROTC but they must go to MIT,” said Mark A. Isaacson ’11, a vice president of the Harvard Republican Club. “It is not that they now want classes offered but that Harvard officially recognize and help with the cross-registration program.”

Over the past year, University spokesman John D. Longbrake has said repeatedly that Harvard currently has no plans to change its policies toward ROTC.

But the rationale for the standing policies could change if President Obama follows through on campaign promises to reevaluate the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policies.

In the meantime, the Harvard Republican Club is trying to draw attention to Harvard’s current policies with the hope of eventually convincing the University to officially recognize ROTC.

The organization is asking students to take an online poll to gauge awareness of the issue and has devoted a week of events to ROTC, including a ROTC Student Panel tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in Emerson Hall 105.

Tad J. Oelstrom, a scheduled panelist and retired Air Force Lieutenant General who now directs the Kennedy School’s National Security Program, said in an interview yesterday he hoped Harvard would become more open to ROTC.

“What is needed here at Harvard is a more open buy-in by the administration,” Oelstrom said. “Harvard students are interested and should be supported.”