This Is Encouraging

From the Army's web site:

Late in 2012 the academic community saw the return of ROTC to several college campuses where it was perceived to have been unwelcome. But for all of its Vietnam era stigma, the University of California, Berkeley has been welcoming the military for several years now.

Dr. Kathryn Scott, director of physical education at the university, said that although the Vietnam War protests may have given the school an anti-military label, such was not really the case. And Scott should know. Not only is she a UCB graduate, she has been on the faculty since 1970 and for the last 11 years as a member of the Military Officers' Education Committee that is charged with the academic oversight of the ROTC programs.

"Berkeley was part of the original (group) of universities that came into being in 1916 with the founding of the Army ROTC program," she explained. "The protests (of the Vietnam War) were not against ROTC, but rather the war. Today, the three ROTC programs on campus are viewed in a positive way and are very visible to the entire campus community."

She said when ROTC instructors and cadre are assigned to the school they do so with apprehension because they expect a negative climate.

"However (the cadre) have been pleasantly surprised when (they are) actually immersed in the campus community. Many find general students taking the Military Affairs courses alongside the Cadets and Midshipmen," she said.

To illustrate her point about the positive relationships ROTC now has on campus, Scott tells a story about an event that happened 12 years ago and how instead of protesting ROTCs presence another UCB group acted to defend it.

Could it be that the UC Berkeley campus is more tolerant than the City of Berkeley?