To the Editor:
In your online coverage of President Ruth Simmons' recommendation that Brown explore off-campus Reserve Officers' Training Corps partnerships ("Simmons recommends against lifting campus ban on ROTC," Oct. 19), you neglect to mention a critical fact: There are no Navy or Air Force ROTC programs in the state of Rhode Island.
Should students really be forced to travel two hours round trip to MIT's campus for training? It's safe to say that even Demi Moore's character in "GI Jane" would hesitate to make that commute.
By worrying about being a follower and opening its doors to ROTC as all the other Ivies have done, Brown is missing an opportunity to be a leader in improving civil-military relations in the state of Rhode Island and nationwide.
Jonathan Hillman '09
