Now that President Barack Obama has signed a repeal to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, and as implementation of repeal proceeds forward in the next year, how should colleges prepare?  As a former U.S. Army officer commissioned through ROTC (and very proud of both), I tried to put myself back in time to think about what I might have needed had this repeal occurred during my college/ROTC years.

The Department of Defense (DOD) December 2010 report on DADT repeal implementation pays little attention to how colleges should prepare for the DADT repeal and the impacts on ROTC programs and cadets at civilian colleges.  Although ROTC programs were mentioned briefly in parts of the report, e.g., repeal would not likely increase ROTC candidate numbers or recruiters’ access to college campuses, there are no clear implementation steps for college administrators to follow in that report.  Leaders at universities will need to create their own implementation plans to ensure a smooth a transition on campus post-repeal.

Recommendations to College and University Leaders

The impact to colleges and universities will depend on campus leadership.  Following are some tips on how college leaders (at institutions with or without ROTC programs) might begin to plan for any impacts following the President signing the DADT repeal into law.  This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but offers some “action steps” that administrators and student leaders can think about as repeal becomes a reality.

Read the recommendations, after the jump...

Review:  Review the DOD report.  It is publicly available and includes a wealth of data on which college administrators and student leaders can rely to structure a campus conversation.  And, it always helps to understand the issues from the primary source.

Assess:  Now might be a perfect time to consider launching an LGBTQ campus assessment to help determine what issues may need to be addressed for the campus community (faculty, staff and students).  The national expert is Dr. Susan Rankin, Ph.D., associate professor of Education Policy Studies and senior research associate at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at The Pennsylvania State University.  College leaders may want to reach out to Dr. Rankin, who co-authored Campus Pride’s landmark 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People, to discuss how best to launch a campus LGBTQ assessment.

Train:  Just as the military is struggling with how its chaplain corps will counsel openly gay soldiers and what new training they may need, so too may campus counselors need training to develop new skills to counsel openly gay ROTC cadets.

Review:  Depending upon an institution’s current policies regulating housing (e.g., same-sex halls), facility use (which authorized clubs, e.g., the new ROTC LGBTQ Club, may use them) and judicial rules (e.g., will infractions have heightened penalties for hate-related actions based on sexual orientation), it may be a good idea for campus lawyers and student affairs professionals to review pertinent policies that may be impacted by the DADT repeal.  Or, it may simply be time to reconsider policies like the institution’s anti-discrimination policy and, if it does not include LGBTQ categories, consider revising it.

Talking Points:  Campus leaders may want to take a position on the DADT repeal or remain agnostic on the matter.  Either way, developing a set of talking points and media statements about how the campus will react to the repeal may be a good idea to keep communications flowing and the message on campus clear and consistent.  Developing a set of talking points with the help of the military leaders on campus, student government leaders, staff, faculty and those from the LGBTQ community will help foster engaged discussion on campus and likely will raise questions and issues not yet considered by campus leadership.  Some (parents, administrators) may wonder how the campus will meet the needs of its LGBTQ students (ROTC cadets and others).

Survey:  One of the best ways to determine what help students may need is to ask them, via open focus groups and anonymous surveys.  Campus leaders can easily launch a 10-question survey of military cadets on campus via a free www.surveymonkey.com account or via the institutional research office (if an institution is fortunate enough to have one).  By assuming that the campus may have closeted ROTC cadets on campus and asking them about their social, emotional and mental needs, a campus may avoid unnecessary and/or harmful situations in the future.

Involve:  Faculty represent the greatest wealth of knowledge on any campus and many may have expertise in areas that do not appear on their curriculum vitas.  Ask the faculty about their knowledge on issues ranging from the LGBTQ community to the military, and find ways to leverage that skill and talent.  This can be done simply: An email from the Provost asking, “What are your thoughts about what our campus could do to leverage faculty talent to respond to the military’s DADT repeal?”  It is likely that some faculty are researching these issues from social and civil rights perspectives.

Revisit:  If your campus does not currently have an LGBTQ center or office on campus, this might be a prime time to revisit that need and consider opening one to help meet the needs of all students, faculty and staff—not just the gay and lesbian military cadets.

Town Halls:  Foster campus communication with campus leaders (student, staff and faculty) as well as military/ROTC leadership by hosting town halls on campus where anyone can ask questions about the DADT policy, its repeal, and raise questions about LGBTQ issues on campus.  Yes, this may open a “can of worms” on campus, but isn’t that what higher education is about, i.e., tackling difficult academic, social, and political issues?

Reconsider:  Many institutions do not have ROTC on campus because of DADT.  Others simply do not see ROTC as a “match” for their particular environment.  Perhaps with the repeal of DADT, institutions that do not currently have ROTC on campus may want to reconsider that decision given the many benefits ROTC brings to a campus.

Meet: Given that the DADT repeal may trigger backlash on campus and/or in the local community, hosting a leadership summit where campus leaders can meet with the president and dean of students about the impacts of repeal on campus )in general and for ROTC cadets) is a great first step.  Even if a campus does not have an ROTC unit, organizing a summit or meeting is a positive way to discuss the many issues that this repeal may mean for our military, our campuses and our society.

LEARN MORE: Efforts to create safe learning, living and working environments for LGBTQ students, faculty and staff aren’t just concerns for universities with ROTC programs. Campus Pride’s 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People outlines several, in-depth best-practice solutions and guidelines for programming and policy changes meant to foster inclusion and equality on campuses. Learn more at www.campuspride.org/research/.

Photo Credit: David Clow, via Flickr.