CCNY Student Activists Demand ROTC Program Be Shut Down

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

Leftist student activists at the City College of New York are calling for the elimination of the school’s ROTC program.

The Young Democratic Socialists of America student organization at the City College of New York is calling for the end of the school’s ROTC program, according to a recent report by Campus Reform.

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a staple of many American university campuses. But students at the City College of New York are demanding a change. Posters from the Young Democratic Socialists group have started to appear around campus with the slogan, “the rich will never die for you, don’t die for the rich.”

https://twitter.com/emmacaterine/status/987291447199137794

The poster contains a quote that is attributed to the American Enterprise Institute. “The absence of ROTC in CUNY prevents the military from taking full advantage of their large, ethnically diverse populations,” the quote reads.  “The plan is to put the diversity of the CUNY student body in service of the U.S. military, especially as military engagements are increasingly in the Middle East and the global South.”

Users on Twitter quickly pointed out the quote is falsely attributed to the American Enterprise Institute. Rather, the quote is a summarized extract of an AEI document written by members of CCNY’s Young Democratic Socialists group.

The group has a history of pushing to eliminate the school’s ROTC program. According to Campus Reform, the group tweeted out a call to eliminate the program in February. “Let those who wage war, fight war. ROTC off our campus,” the tweet read.

The City University of New York School of Law, which is associated with CCNY, came under fire last week when a group of students attempted to derail a guest lecture from South Texas College of Law Professor Josh Blackman.

A horde of protesters shouted, “shame on you!” at Blackman as he entered the room to begin the lecture. After a while, the protesters ultimately dispersed and Blackman gave the rest of the lecture to a room filled with only a handful of students.

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