Colleges should refund money

Re “Yale Law yields on military recruiters,” Sept. 20

Yale Law School will end its policy of not working with military recruiters after a court ruling that jeopardized about $300 million in federal funding. I believe Yale and several other schools have barred the military for several years from recruiting students while at the same time accepting federal funds.

Under federal law, colleges are free to bar military recruiters, but they may not at the same time receive federal funds if they do so.

The government should recoup from Yale, and any like schools, all the federal funds they received during the time military recruiters were barred. To not do so rewards their behavior and encourages future such behavior.

Congress passed the law on federal funds being conditioned on recruiter access for the purpose of giving recruiters access to students.

To not pursue such legal action defeats the purpose of the law and the will of the American people that Congress represents. It also endangers the national defense. Colleges are free to bar recruiters, as long as they forfeit federal funding.

Wayne L. Johnson

Alexandria, Va.

The writer is a retired commander in the Navy Judge Advocate General Corps.