Societal obligations to soldiers and the gap between academia and the military and were among the messages speakers embraced at the Columbia Military Veterans’ annual Military Ball.
The second annual military ball—hosted by U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University and Student Veterans of America—took place in Low Library on Thursday night. The event sold out 200 tickets and sought a crowd of veterans and non-veterans, exploring the theme of service and scholarship.
Guest speakers included English professor Marianne Giordani and Colonel Brian J. Reed. Giordani spoke about the similarities between academia and the military, citing a time in which a professor criticized her for including the “Iliad” in her curriculum because it was “too violent.”
“One of my colleagues started up a conversation and we both happened to be teaching ancient and classic literature and I said, ‘Homer, of course,’ and she frowned and said, ‘The “Iliad”?’” Without hesitation, Giordani replied, “‘Of course the “Iliad,”’ and she said, ‘I don’t teach that. It’s too violent.’”
She responded, “I didn’t know whether to punch her in the face right then and there or call the police.”
She condemned what she said was the lack of appreciation for veterans but was pleased that they have had a more increased presence on campuses.
“I would rather have Achilles flying at me, spear in hand, than a lawyer armed with sophistries,” she said. “And this is what we’re kind of dealing with, I think right now, with a sort of lack of appreciation for the military, which I think we will resolve because so many really amazing men and women are now flooding the campuses.”
Reed emphasized that military service has enabled citizens to learn skills and gain experiences “throughout the history of our nation and more so since World War II.”
“Our society has the moral obligation to ensure treatment for physical and mental disabilities and to address circumstances that lead to homelessness and its consequences,” Reed said.
Azar Boehm, GS and Milvets vice president, served as master of ceremonies. He said that the event sought to cut across all sectors of the University.
“The goal is pretty much bringing not only our veterans together, but also to include the entire Columbia community in the ball,” Boehm said.
The event, Boehm said, was meant to give people “a sense of the military traditions and to also honor the service of our veterans at Columbia.”
The event also featured a cake-cutting ceremony celebrating veterans’ commitment to their service. Reed, the guest of honor, was given the first piece of the cake.
The second piece was given to the oldest veteran, Michael Taylor, GS, born on May 27, 1964—who started the ball last year. He then passed a piece of cake to the youngest veteran, Ben Robinson, GS, born on April 8, 1988, as per ceremony tradition.
Before Milvets President Dan Lagana, GS, made his toast, Peter Meijer, CC ’12 and the only veteran at Columbia College—said that the number of Student Veterans of America chapters in the country increased from 30 to 556 chapters. Meijer is member of SVA's board of directors.
Boris Beltinov, GS—who was on activity duty until March 2010 and has been a member of the National Guard ever since—said he was struck by Giordani’s speech, as an “unusual view of a civilian on military people.”
“I did not expect a person outside of the military to understand and appreciate the military as she did,” Beltinov said.
“I think all the speeches encapsulate what we were trying to do,” Lagana said. “The speeches represented the theme of the event: service and scholarship. It’s symbolic of our integration within the Columbia University.”
Non-veterans said they were moved by the speakers’ emphasis on the role of the military as well.
Elizabeth Satarov, BC ’14, said she met Boehm in a small seminar and their friendship is her first-ever experience interacting with a veteran. The ball was the first time she said she had contemplated what a veteran’s post-war life is like.
“I’ve never been to anything like this before,” Satarov said. “I’ve never experienced this.”
Casey Bresee, BC ’12, said she discovered the veteran community at GS because her boyfriend is a member of the Marine Corps.
“I met him and a group of his friends my freshman year, so that’s been my introduction to this community and this group of friends,” Bresee said.
Ben Paladino, GS and Milvets treasurer, who served in the Marine Corps for four years before he came to GS, said he appreciated Reed’s emphasis on “bridging the gap between service and society.”
“I think it’s an important part of what the veterans do,” Paladino said. “They can use that experience to have a better understanding of world politics, individual cost of war.”
Meijer, who attended West Point before he transferred to Columbia in the fall of 2007, said he was struck by Giordani’s emphasis on “the way in which Columbia’s academic and military traditions are entirely compatible and mutually beneficial.”
“For what the event is, it’s a celebration but also a renewal of purpose to reflect on the past while keeping an eye on the future,” he said.
Gesel Mason, a choreographer and dancer, who is a friend of Taylor’s, said she was struck by the reading aloud of veterans’ names during the last roll call.
The moment when the crowd remained silent at the reading of a deceased veteran’s name “was a reminder of the service that the vets have given this country, because it is life or death,” Mason said.
For Reed, the event was ultimately about “the quality of the veterans in this room, and those that are currently serving,” noting their willingness to make a difference.
“They wanted to give and continue to serve and for that I am grateful and proud,” he said.
madina.toure@columbiaspectator.com
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the number of Milvets chapters, rather than the number of Student Veterans of America chapters, increased from 30 to 556. Spectator regrets the error.
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