The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell on Dec. 18, while still not officially enacted, still marks a milestone in the progress toward equal rights.
Here at UNC, it hits especially close to home. It is a bright spot in the struggle of Sara Isaacson to serve her country openly. Isaacson was asked to leave UNC’s Army ROTC program when she came out as a lesbian last year, in addition to being saddled with a nearly $80,000 tuition bill.
The repeal also highlights the importance of UNC adhering to its institutional values, even when it is forced to capitulate to contradictory policies.
Until a month ago, the most pronounced asymmetry between UNC and the military was a commitment to nondiscrimination — even on the grounds of sexual orientation. And yet UNC, especially as a public institution, was essentially powerless to disassociate or change policy.
Isaacson’s experience tested this tenuous balance between the school’s values and its obligations to the military. Here was a student who was forced to leave UNC because of who she was, and with few discretionary funds, it wasn’t possible for the University to cover her debt.
Faced with this dilemma, the administration acted admirably, if not conspicuously.
Public outcry by the University’s or the system’s leaders was effectively non-existent. But, according to Isaacson, the relative public silence belied an incredible concern by an essentially helpless administration for her own welfare.
She says she received e-mails from both former UNC-system president Erskine Bowles and Chancellor Holden Thorp. She was also in close contact with members of the Dean of Students Office.
A more outward expression of solidarity would have been appreciated. But Isaacson had a point: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was a national policy that administrators could simply not have changed.
