ROTC Cadets Accept New Policy

The commanding officer of the ROTC program on campus said little will change for her students with the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy yesterday.

Lt. Col. Tracy Koivisto, an 18-year Army veteran who commands the ROTC units on our campus as well as at UALR, Arkansas Tech, Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State, said the Army had been preparing for the change. She said she has held several briefing and taught awareness classes to her students. The classes and curriculum were mandated by the Army.

Treating gay and lesbian soldiers with respect isn't a difficult concept for her students, she said. The Army has always demanded respect and honor from soldiers, she said.

“We treat everybody with respect, regardless," she said. "I think we've been trained to do that for years, and we will continue to do so.”

A 21-year-old upperclassman cadet said the repeal of the rule didn't change anything for her.

“No, not for me and I don't think it changed anything for the military either," she said. "We are all officers and we are going to respect each other. Just like I would never discriminate on the color of someone's skin, sexual preference does not matter to me either.”

A 22-year-old senior cadet agreed.

“It's all about respecting others and working as a team, and treating others just like you would any other soldier,” he said. "Once you start working with people and getting to know them, it's that teamwork that matters more than who they choose to be with.”

Robert Raymond-Prather Harper, who serves as president of PRISM, an RSO that represents gay and lesbian students, said his members have never reported any incidents of intolerance or discrimination by ROTC cadets but PRISM endorsed the repeal of the policy.

“We are glad it's gone but interested in seeing the effect in not just the short but long term," Harper said. "We remain cautiously optimistic.”

The "don't ask, don't tell" policy was adopted in 1993 to end a controversy about allowing homosexuals to serve in the military. The policy didn't repeal the ban against homosexual in the military but it shielded gay soldiers and sailors from being identified and discharged.

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