When veterans are given a list of participating institutions, and Princeton is not among them, they may make the reasonable assumption that their service is not as highly valued as at other schools. Consequently, they will be less likely to apply. Princeton will lose students who can provide important perspectives on the world due to their unique vocation if veterans choose to attend Harvard or Yale because they will receive more aid and because they perceive those schools as offering a more welcoming environment.
It is an unfortunate fact that Princeton is seen as an elitist institution, one that sends its students to investment banks and consulting firms but rarely to the military. This stereotype will be reinforced with the news that Princeton is the only Ivy to forgo the program. The majority’s nuanced position will not be heard; Rather, upon learning that the University has opted out of the program, people outside the campus community will simply assume that Princeton is unsupportive of the military.
Furthermore, Princeton should join if only because veterans deserve this sign of gratitude. The majority argues that Princeton should not decide what forms of service are more commendable than others. American society, however, has always done exactly that, giving military service a privileged position over other ways of serving. We salute all who give back to their country, but we argue that there is a salient difference that sets the military apart. The armed forces demand a person to risk his or her life daily — it would be difficult to justify to a veteran that our devotion to a completely need-based aid program outweighs the value of this sacrifice.
By joining this program and allowing a handful of veterans to take part in it, Princeton will sacrifice some of the purity of its aid program. Yet this seems a small price to pay in order to combat negative stereotypes of the University and to express our deep gratitude for such excellent service.
— Joshua Abbuhl ’10, Christine Emba ’10, Mary Marshall ’10, Oliver Palmer ’11, Shivani Radhakrishnan ’11, Zayn Siddique ’11
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