Military recruitment on college campuses has been a hot topic, especially given the current political climate. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that schools receiving government funding are required to allow military recruiters on campus, conflicts concerning the military’s authority on school grounds still exist.
Our campus, which has an active Reserve Officers’ Training Corps unit, has seen some disagreements of its own regarding this topic. Organizations against recruitment, such as the Campus Anti-war Network, have been strong proponents of removing the military at San Diego State. C.A.N. members wielding signs in front of a recruitment table is a common occurrence on campus.
However, regardless of government funding and objections by groups such as C.A.N., the military deserves to recruit on campus. The military is here with the same purpose every other company that comes to our school has: to find qualified applicants to fill jobs.
The military is an occupation. It has employment requirements, it trains new-hires to fulfill daily responsibilities, and, like most jobs, every two weeks its employees receive a paycheck. And just like every other profession, it’s completely voluntary. Nobody is forced to enlist in the armed forces. If you do not want to join the military, don’t. It’s that simple. But objecting to one organization recruiting applicants, and not to the myriad of others that do so on campus, is somewhat hypocritical.
For example, anti-army recruitment groups working to prevent unfair employment on campus should also help ban the Peace Corps appearing on campus. After all, the Peace Corps employs people, sends them to third-world countries ravaged by disease and conflict and pays them next to nothing to do it.
As for the misconception that the U.S. military and Peace Corps are deceiving students in order to fill positions, those of us who have interviewed for a position, visited career fairs or held a job know that every employer leaves out a few details. It could be the 80-hour work week, the five days of vacation a year, the fine print in the employee handbook, the relocation involved or the jerk boss. Obviously I’m exaggerating, but there are corporations that use great pay or decent benefits as bait and hook for potential workers. People who join the armed forces know what they’re signing up for and know what military duties entail. No one joins the army and says, “Whoa! You never told me there was a war in Iraq.”
What the military does for this nation is valuable. Soldiers have important jobs, but what they do isn’t for everyone. Recruiters come to campus to educate and find new members willing to join their organization – just like every other company that comes to SDSU. If you don’t agree with recruiters’ presence on campus, or if you know military life isn’t for you, don’t join. No one’s forcing you to.
–Matt Cerezo is a marketing senior.
–This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your full name, major and year in school.
