Big things are happening in Vermont, and they have nothing to do with maple syrup. The Vermont Law School moved to the forefront of the fight for equality recently when it decided to forgo federal funding in order to be able to keep armed service recruiters off campus. The reason for the ban is the fact that the military still follows its discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Pragmatically, the University of Michigan can't follow suit - but it should use this opportunity to assess how it could do more to voice its opposition to this antiquated policy.

"Don't ask, don't tell," enacted in 1993, was a mistake from the get-go. It prohibits people who are open about their lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender orientation from serving in the military, effectively encouraging secrecy while sanctifying and fostering prejudice based on sexual orientation.

Which is why it's important to take a stand against the policy. Not that that stand will necessarily come cheaply for colleges - according to a 2006 Supreme Court ruling, the government may withhold some federal research money from institutions that don't allow military recruiters on campus. As a result, the Vermont Law School's loud-and-clear statement didn't come cheaply - forgoing federal aid cost the school an estimated $300,000 to $500,000 per year.

But for a small independent institution - which, unlike other state law schools like the University of Michigan's, isn't connected to the flagship university - this sacrifice might make things tight, but not unbearable. That's not the case here at the University of Michigan, where federal funding is essential to keeping the school afloat.

But that doesn't mean the University should sit on its hands. It should find a way around the Supreme Court's ruling and actively try to break ties with organizations or companies related to military activities. It could, for example, break development contracts with Halliburton and Raytheon, and refuse to let these companies recruit on campus. It may also try to emulate the Vermont Law School's decision to send students to Washington, D.C. each year for a day of lobbying to protest "don't ask, don't tell."

Such a policy is baseless prejudice at its worst. The University should applaud the Vermont Law School's efforts and get creative to find ways that it, too, can help bring this discrimination to an end.