I was at Stanford University for college (1978-82) and grad school (1982-88). I remember multiple issues over the years with ROTC, and my memory was that ROTC was not allowed because they did not accept gay persons.
Stanford simply adopted this position, and we didn't have ROTC on campus. Washington never threatened to close or bankrupt the university in response.
I clip below what I got from Chat GPT, which I assume is mostly (if not entirely) correct.
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Here’s what I could find from contemporary Stanford sources and credible reporting:
🕰️ Historical Timeline & Key Reasons
1. ROTC Ban in the Early 1970s
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Stanford’s Faculty Senate voted in 1970 to ban ROTC as a formal on‑campus program. The decision was based on concerns about academic quality, punitive scholarship clauses, and philosophical misalignment with university values—not primarily Vietnam War protest. The majority committee explicitly stated they aimed to avoid letting Vietnam War sentiments dominate their reasoning.(The Stanford Review)
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By 1973, all Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC programs had been phased out on campus.(The Stanford Daily)
2. Mid‑1980s to 1990s: Don't Ask Don't Tell - DADT & Institutional Conflict
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The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, enacted in 1993, barred openly gay and lesbian individuals from serving in the military. That policy directly conflicted with Stanford’s nondiscrimination standards. As a result, discussions about reinstating ROTC repeatedly stalled because the military—via DADT—continued excluding LGBTQ+ individuals.(The Stanford Review)
3. Debate & Reinstatement After DADT Repeal
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In December 2010, Congress and President Obama repealed DADT, removing the ban on openly gay individuals serving in the U.S. military.(The Stanford Daily)
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Following the repeal, Stanford formed an ad hoc committee chaired by Professor Ewart Thomas, tasked with assessing whether ROTC could return to campus. David Kennedy ('63) and former Defense Secretary William Perry ('49) played prominent roles in advocating for re‑examining the ban.(Stanford Magazine)
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The Faculty Senate voted on April 28‑29, 2011, to invite ROTC back to Stanford. The vote was 28 in favor, 9 opposed, and 3 abstaining. The remaining resistance was focused on the continued exclusion of transgender individuals by the military.(The Stanford Daily)
✅ Summary: Your Recollection
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You correctly recall that Stanford did not host ROTC programs on campus during your time (1978–1987).
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The initial ban was not about Vietnam War protests alone, but centered on concerns about academic values and ROTC’s institutional fit.
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Discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, especially under DADT, became a central issue in later decades and was a barrier to reinstatement until its repeal.
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Your recollection of Stanford’s refusal around LGBTQ+ exclusion, not just war opposition, aligns well with documented history.
📄 Sources & Articles for Further Reading
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Stanford Magazine, “ROTC Redux? A Quiet Debate” — background on the early ban and the 2011 return.(PBS, Stanford Magazine)
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The Stanford Daily, January 2011 Town Hall coverage — student debate highlighting LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination concerns.(The Stanford Daily)
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The Stanford Daily, April 29 2011 Faculty Senate vote article — coverage of the decisive Senate vote restoring ROTC.(The Stanford Daily)
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The Stanford Review, ROTC debate history and quotes from the 1969 Ad Hoc Committee.(The Stanford Review)
If you’d like, I can help locate digital archives of the Faculty Senate minutes, student group documents from the late 1960s onward, or even interviews with key individuals involved. Let me know!
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See blog, How Bad is the Columbia Settlement Agreement?
Michael C Dorf. July 24, 2025.
https://www.dorfonlaw.org/2025/07/how-bad-is-columbia-settlement-agreement.html
