Protesters challenge university's move to bar military recruiters

Flag-toting students who want military recruiters to remain at the University of California, Santa Barbara, gathered signatures opposing a proposed campus recruiting ban. About a dozen students, including members of the UCSB Campus Republicans, circulated petitions Thursday. "We're trying to back away from the drama and say that a lot of students want the military to be here," said group president Nancy Marois. A small faculty group led by professor emeritus Robert Scheff proposed earlier this year to bar recruiters and, separately, to launch a critical review of the campus ROTC program. The faculty members contend that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays and lesbians is discriminatory and therefore violates the UCSB antidiscrimination policy. The 76-member faculty legislature was scheduled to vote Friday on whether to banish recruiters. The petitions of support for recruiters were to be presented to UCSB chancellor Henry Yang, who would make the final decision. (AP)