Both John McCain and Barack Obama criticized American universities that do not allow the military’s Reserved Officers’ Training Corps on their campuses. The candidates made their points during a forum on public service last night at Columbia University, which has banned the ROTC.

“Do you know that this school will not allow ROTC on this campus? I don’t think that’s right,” said Senator McCain, whose daughter graduated from Columbia. “Shouldn’t the students here be exposed to the attractiveness of serving in the military, particularly as an officer?”

“I think we’ve made a mistake on that,” said Senator Obama, speaking after Senator McCain and referring to the decision by some institutions to ban ROTC. “I recognize that there are students here who have differences in terms of military policy. But the notion that young people here at Columbia or anywhere, in any university, aren’t offered the choice, the option of participating in military service, I think is a mistake.”

Both candidate’s statements were greeted with applause by an audience that included Columbia students, despite the fact that ROTC, which has been banned at the university since 1969, has been a source of numerous campus protests.

ROTC was active on most college campuses prior to the Vietnam War, with some institutions requiring mandatory enrollment for male students. But many colleges tossed the organization off their campuses as antiwar sentiment grew, and some institutions have recently argued that the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding sexual orientation violates their antidiscrimination policies.

The Army lists some 270 colleges and universities that host ROTC programs. Others allow their students to attend ROTC at nearby institutions. For instance, cadets at Columbia can take ROTC courses at Fordham University.