You are here: Â鶹ÊÓƵ Provost Communications July 31, 2019

Â鶹ÊÓƵ Office of the Provost

Memorandum July 31, 2019

To:
Â鶹ÊÓƵ Community
From:

Daniel J. Myers, Provost
Fanta Aw, Vice President of Campus Life & Inclusive Excellence

Subject:
Military Recruiting on the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Campus

Each semester, Â鶹ÊÓƵ attracts many public, private, and nonprofit organizations eager to recruit Â鶹ÊÓƵ students and alumni. Â鶹ÊÓƵ is committed to partnering and working with organizations to understand their unique recruiting needs and outreach efforts.

The fall recruiting process will again welcome many prospective employers, including the US military to our campus to recruit students and alumni. At Â鶹ÊÓƵ, we’re extremely proud of our veteran and military-affiliated students and appreciate the experience and intellectual diversity they bring to our campus. 

Earlier this year, the secretary of defense issued , which prohibits transgender individuals from serving or enlisting in the military. This policy and the upcoming recruitment season are an opportunity to educate our community about Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s nondiscrimination recruitment policies and our commitment to inclusive excellence.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ policy and the District of Columbia Human Rights Act expressly prohibit discrimination based on protected traits, including gender identity and expression, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy or parenting, age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information, or any other bases under applicable federal and local laws and regulations. 

Employers who come on campus to recruit Â鶹ÊÓƵ students must follow institutional policies, including those prohibiting discrimination, and Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s policies on nondiscrimination in recruiting. While the US military’s current policy conflicts with Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s values and our policies prohibiting discrimination, the university is compelled by a federal law known as the  to allow military recruiters on campus. To ban military recruiters would otherwise risk losing access to federal funding, including federal student financial aid and institutional research grants. 

Â鶹ÊÓƵ, therefore, expects the US military to continue recruiting students on campus. As such, Â鶹ÊÓƵ will continue to support activities to educate the community about Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s values and policies, our commitment to nondiscrimination, the protection of freedom of expression and dissent for all members of the community, as well as related issues which arise under federal law or US military policy, including the Solomon Amendment and Directive-type Memorandum (DTM)-19-004.