Harvard Wants No Strings Attached Federal Money

The Harvard Crimson – Harvard Law School will actively cooperate with military recruiters this fall, despite the Pentagon’s refusal to sign the school’s nondiscrimination pledge, Dean Elena Kagan announced this evening.
Kagan’s announcement marks a reversal of her November 2004 decision to bar Pentagon recruiters from using the law school’s Office of Career Services. For most of the last 26 years, the office has only provided its resources to recruiters who promise not to discriminate against gay and lesbian employees and job applicants. The Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy prohibits gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.
In an e-mail to students and faculty this evening, Kagan wrote that the Pentagon had notified the University this summer that it would withhold most federal grants to Harvard unless the Law School altered its policy to allow military recruiters access to the resources of the career services office. Harvard receives more than $400 million per year in federal grants.

I don’t see where Harvard has any standing. If you want government money, you must follow certain rules and laws. Harvard has restricted their own freedom here. One of the laws that must be followed is a very common sense and easy one – the allowance of military recruiters on the campus. If Harvard doesn’t like that, then they can stop sucking the outrageous amount of $400 million dollars per year from the government tit and try, for a change, living in the real world and dealing with the realities of the market.