Back in 1987, as the United States government overtly excluded homosexuals from the military, Amherst College devised a policy to deal with potential military recruitment on campus. The policy, one that stood in place until last week, stated that any organization, whether affiliated with the government or not, must sign the official non-discrimination statement of the College. If the organization refused to sign the statement, the College would oblige the organization to hold an open forum at which it would explain its policy and members of the College community could challenge such a policy.

However, President Tony Marx announced at last week’s faculty meeting that this policy needs to be changed in light of the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Solomon Amendment. As Dean of Students Ben Lieber explained, the Solomon Amendment “ties receipt of all federal funds of colleges and universities to openness to military recruiting.” He went on to say that “no college or university can set restrictions on military recruiters” if that college wants to continue to receive government funding.

Losing federal funding would be a difficult financial burden for the College to endure. The College would lose all federal financial aid money, including Pell grants and Stafford loans. In addition, the College would miss a crucial $6 million in funding for scientific research.

As a result of this dilemma, two weeks ago, the College’s “Committee of Six [the Executive Committee of the Faculty] agreed reluctantly but definitely that we have no choice” but to change our policy, Lieber explained. As Marx announced, the College will not force the military, if they come to recruit on campus, to hold an open forum to defend their policy if they refuse to sign the College’s statement on non-discrimination. Rather, the College will hold its own open forum, to which the military representatives would be invited but not required to attend, in order to allow the College to formally explain its non-discrimination stance and to allow members of the College community to voice opinions on the issue.

Such an open discussion, if it ever occurs, would be within the limits of the Solomon Amendment, since it would merely be a demonstration of the First Amendment-guaranteed right to peaceful protest, not interfering with the military’s right to recruit, but purely stating individual opinions.

Since 1987, the military has not even come to the campus to recruit, and only one organization, according to Lieber, has come to campus and refused to sign the College’s non-discrimination statement. This organization, the CIA, came to recruit in the early 1990s and held an open forum with the College community when it chose not to sign the statement of non-discrimination. Since then, the CIA has returned to campus, and, having changed its policy, has agreed to sign the statement. It is yet unknown whether the College’s change of policy regarding military recruitment will encourage recruiters to visit Amherst. “It’s a policy that’s been in existence but hasn’t been tested,” Lieber remarked, “because the military has never wanted to come to campus.”

Sam Huneke contributed to this report.