A group of socialist students are calling for the end of a college ROTC training group, citing the desire to prevent students from going to die at war while the wealthy sit at home.
Last week, a representative from the Young Democratic Socialists of America student organization of City College of New York posted a flyer attacking the campus ROTC scholarship program, implying that the existence of such an organization is merely a tool for the wealthy to take advantage of lower-income students who participate in the program.
According to onlookers, the flyers featured the quote “R.OT.C. Off Our Campus: The Rich Will Never Die For You, Don’t Die For the Rich.”
Hell yes @CityYDSA. Also that @AEI quote is so intense and so so on point. pic.twitter.com/O3XTRdY28J
— Emma Caterine ?⚖️? (@EmmaCaterine) April 20, 2018
Historically, ROTC has enabled students to receive a college degree for free or at a greatly reduced cost in exchange for a commitment to a career as a military officer. In addition to the financial benefits, the program also offers students an opportunity to develop a healthy lifestyle while attending college through weekend training and various activities. Many students who are unwilling to take on six figures in college debt join the ROTC or a similar program in order to obtain a college degree at less cost.
This is not the first time the Young Democratic Socialists of America at CCNY have taken action in protest of the police or military. Last month, in solidarity with the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the Young Democratic Socialists of America participated in National Walkout Day to protest a lack of gun control, but seized on the opportunity to also promote an agenda that was both anti-police and anti-military.
No PD!
No army!
Stop the violence in CUNY ?#NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/eg3evC9KWA— City College YDSA ? (@CityYDSA) March 14, 2018
The Young Democratic Socialists of America at CCNY have also hosted a number of events in which they call for the disarming of all Americans, including the police and military, as a solution to violence. The group recently hosted an event titled: “Disarm White Supremacy Disarm the Police Disarm the Military.”
