Military recruiters create campus debate

Students question ethics of No Child Left Behind Act-sanctioned lunchtime military recruiting

posted November 19, 2007

by Tyler Blake and Kevin Harvey of Campanile

Mika Ben-Shaul

Military personnel frequently arrive on high school campuses to distribute pamphlets and encourage students to join the military.

Pro

Businesses advertising for student work is a familiar sight among veteran students of Palo Alto High School. The familiar tables encircle the Quad, students mill from table to table and employers hand out free pens to attract students to hear their pitch. Always among these potential employers are the major branches of the United States Armed Services: the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There has been a movement in the past to remove these tables from the Quad to "protect" our children from the "menace" of Army recruiters. However, these attempts are misguided at best and severely prejudiced at worst.

Though many in the liberal haven that is the Bay Area would not like to admit it, the military is a legitimate career choice for many young Americans who are making their way into the workforce for the first time. The armed forces offer many benefits not found in other entry-level jobs, including guaranteed lifetime employment, medical insurance and a pension plan upon retirement. Of course, the military is not the career for everyone, but for some, it may just be the best available option. Students at Paly deserve the right to be exposed to all possible career choices when making a decision about their futures and the military is just as legitimate as the myriad of other options advertised on Paly's campus. Allowing the biases of a few to inhibit the choices of the many would make a mockery of the free exchange of ideas that Palo Alto High School promotes.

Disallowing the military to recruit on campus is not only an unwise decision, but may also be an illegal one. Under President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, military recruiters must be provided "the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to post-secondary educational institutions or to prospective employers of those students," which simply means that military recruiters must be offered the same ability to advertise on campus as other businesses. If the Paly administration wanted to ban military recruiters from campus, they would have two options.

One, ban all employers and colleges from advertising in any way on campus. This would end the College Fair and Career Day, among others, limiting Paly students' exposure to post-graduation opportunities immensely.

Two, forfeit all federal money that Paly currently uses in its day-to-day operation. One can clearly see that banning recruiters from campus would cause undue hardship for the Paly community, no matter which option the Paly community chooses under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Although the members of the Paly community may have only the best of intentions when trying to remove military recruiters from campus, the drawbacks are immeasurably harsh when compared with the relative innocence of allowing military recruiters on campus.

The severely limited options or the potential decrease in funding that would be a reality at Paly in the absence of military recruiters would unfairly disadvantage students who are still deciding on their futures by eliminating a legitimate career choice from consideration and undermine the mission of the school as an institution.

Con

Military recruitment officers frequently arrive on the Palo Alto High School campus to offer students the services of the United States military. Like all government organizations, the military has the undeniable right to enter public vicinities, such as the Paly campus. However, once on campus, officers misrepresent their branch of the military as they attempt to recruit students.

Pamphlets, fliers and stickers lay on one or two tables erected by the recruiting officers. Around the tables, several of them typically construct a small area where students can compete in short activities to test an individuals' endurance and strength. On occasion, a small car or motorcycle engine is placed inside the booths and is activated to display its pure and raw power.

After witnessing the engine's irrefutable power and participating in the rigorous events, testosterone is in the air. Boys are ready to become men — ready to give their lives to the United States government.

Recruitment officers use these types of techniques to lure students, particularly males, into joining the Unites States military. Officers convey an image to students that competition, endurance and strength are what the military is all about. However, what they don't disclose to the students are the painful and harsh aspects of war.

The decision of whether or not to join the military is a complicated and difficult one. Students trying to decipher their goals for the future need to know unbiased facts about the military. It is imperative that military recruiters on campus have strict guidelines and boundaries that best benefit the students and the campus environment. Recruiting officers need to disclose all the details about military lifestyle, duties and obligations.

In addition, when other different organizations for post-high school options come to Paly to recruit students, they have a set time within an enclosed room, such as the English Resource Center, where they can talk about their institution. However, the military is an exception. Military recruiters set up their booths around the quad, which is the main thoroughfare on the school campus.

Through this arrangement, the military is better able to force students to recognize the military presence and is better able to target a larger number of students to recruit.

It is easiest for recruiters to talk with students at lunch because it is when most students have free time to talk. However, the quad is an inappropriate setting to discuss such a vital issue as to what a student should do with his or her life after high school. In a lunch setting, there are numerous opportunities for students to pressure one another into giving their personal information to the military.

As military officers are always going to be allowed on campus and the military is a career some Paly students may choose, advertising for their cause should be permissible. However, to prevent students from being pressured, recruiting officers should not be allowed to request students' information on campus.

As an alternative, students should be encouraged to sign up for a mailing list from home where they would be sent more information about the military after discussing their career opportunities with their parents.