EDITORIAL: No Threat

If Rodin accepts the UniversityIf Rodin accepts the UniversityCouncil's ROTC recommendations,If Rodin accepts the UniversityCouncil's ROTC recommendations,she will have trouble pushingIf Rodin accepts the UniversityCouncil's ROTC recommendations,she will have trouble pushingthe "arm's length" policy.If Rodin accepts the UniversityCouncil's ROTC recommendations,she will have trouble pushingthe "arm's length" policy._________________________________ But the Council rejected the committee's final recommendation -- that ROTC be terminated if the Department of Defense does not agree on a compromise. This was supposed the administration's ace in the hole that would force the military to negotiate. This arm's length agreement would allow students to continue receiving ROTC scholarships, but would distance the University from the program, which violates the school's non-discrimination policy. If Rodin accepts this proposal, she will essentially be painting herself in a corner. Without the threat of termination, there is no incentive for the Department of Defense to accept the "arm's length" compromise. And as any diplomat knows, without a credible threat, you won't get very far at the negotiation table. We therefore urge Rodin to stick to the original proposal and ignore Council's recommendations. If she doesn't, she won't have much leverage if the Department of Defense adopts a hard-line stance.