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AALS SECTION ON ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN GAY AND LESBIAN LAW SCHOOLS LEGAL ISSUES December 15, 1998 TO: Members and Friends, Section on Gay and Lesbian Legal Issues All Law School Deans and Faculties of the United States FR: Executive Committee, AALS Section on Gay and Lesbian Legal Issues RE: On-Campus Military Recruiting - Balancing AALS Rules, Other Nondiscrimination Policies and the Solomon II Amendment On September 15, 1998 the Section on Gay and Lesbian Legal Issues (Section) of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) issued a report with recommendations (Report) on military recruiting at law schools, and on law school responses to recent federal legislation known as the "Solomon II" amendment. That amendment threatens to cut off three specified types of financial aid funds, mainly loans, to students at law schools that do not provide the military with reasonable access to campus, to students, and to certain information about students. The amendment therefore poses twin threats— first, to the ideal of a bias-free education environment and, second, to the availability of federal financial aid for needy and deserving students. This report ("Supplemental Report") supplements the original Report to help schools manage proactively these twin threats. This Supplemental Report serves three primary purposes. After first summarizing key points of the original Report, this Supplemental Report analyzes new regulations governing Solomon II's implementation, which were issued on October 23, 1998, and concludes that the October 23 changes do not alter our prior understanding of the law's requirements. Secondly, this Supplemental Report provides and invites new ideas for amelioration, while also urging schools to consider acting on one recommendation of the original Report: law schools should review and if necessary revise their career services policies to ensure compliance with this law and avert unnecessary entanglement with the 1 1201 Connecticut Avenue. N.W. Suite 800 Washington, D.C. 20036-2065 PHONE 202/296-8851 FAX: 202/296-8869