Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
This summer, the Supreme Court ended a long battle between American 
law schools and the Department of Defense over whether schools could exclude military recruiters from campus. Most law schools – following the nondiscrimination policy of the American Association of Law Schools – limited recruiter access because the military considered sexual orientation and disability status in hiring. The Supreme Court sided with the government in upholding a federal law requiring all universities receiving federal funds to give military recruiters access to campus.
Accordingly, we will allow military recruiters to participate fully in our on-campus interview program. However, I want to emphasize USC’s commitment to building an educational environment free from discrimination. Our core educational goals cannot be met without civility and mutual respect, and our ambitions for a supportive community require that each of us recognize the equality of all those who study and work at USC.
I support our law school’s nondiscrimination policy: “USC law is firmly committed to a policy against discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, disability, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or age. Accordingly, the career services facilities of the law school are available to employers whose practices are consistent with this policy.” We will enforce this policy for all employers, except for the military. And we will continue our efforts to ameliorate the harms of military recruiting by supporting the gay and lesbian members of our community, and by encouraging discussion of discrimination.
Nothing in these comments should be taken as a criticism of our students who want to interview for jobs with the military. Although I do not support the discriminatory employment policies of the military, many of our students have found good careers as lawyers in this setting, sometimes working for change from within. Just as our community of tolerance and equal respect requires us to oppose discrimination, so too it requires respectful treatment of our students who seek varied career options.
If you have questions about the history of this issue at USC, I urge you to view the materials posted in Student Connections. I look forward to working with you in fostering a supportive learning environment for all USC law students.
Very truly yours,
Edward J. McCaffery
Dean and Carl Mason Franklin Chair in Law
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