 "Photo: Daily File Photo")
By Jake Spring The Daily Northwestern
Due to a relapsing case of prostate cancer, Northwestern Professor Emeritus Charles Moskos will not teach Introduction to Sociology or Armed Forces and Society for the first time in 40 years.
But the 72-year-old sociologist, best known for devising the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, said he hasn't left campus for good.
Moskos was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August. He informed the sociology department that month that he would go on leave and he began receiving treatment two weeks ago.
"I very much expect to be back next year. I want to stress that," he said.
He has had similar health problems in the past but not since January of 2005, he said.
"It's a real bummer because there won't be students to laugh at my jokes," Moskos said.
Moskos has been receiving radiation therapy and is scheduled to begin receiving chemotherapy next week. He said his doctors are upbeat but are reserving judgment until chemotherapy begins and further testing has been done.
Moskos said he is receiving good care and has had "the same hand up my ass as (Ronald) Reagan."
"Generally, survival rates are excellent," said Dr. William Catalona, professor of urology and director of the clinical prostate cancer program at NU's Robert H. Leary Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Prognosis is less good for someone who has relapsed. There are many patients that can still live for 10 to 15 years."
The exact course of the disease depends on the nature of the specific patient's tumor, Catalona said.
Moskos retired to emeritus status in 2003, but he continued to teach Introduction to Sociology and Armed Forces and Society each Fall Quarter.
Both classes regularly filled some of the largest lecture halls on campus with as many as 600 students some years. His Introduction to Sociology had 300 students registered to take the class with him this fall.
"I've got very big shoes to fill," said sociology Prof. Albert Hunter, who will take over instruction of the class for Fall Quarter. Hunter is another veteran NU lecturer and has also taught the class for the past 30 years.
Armed Forces and Society was cancelled due to difficulty in finding a military sociologist to fill Moskos' position. About 180 students had registered for the class when it was officially dropped on Aug. 30.
"We spent a couple weeks trying to find a replacement," said Mary Pattillo, sociology department chair. "I know there are others, but it's not a large field."
No official reason was given to students in August for the class' cancellation, leaving many students disappointed and frustrated.
"They canceled the class three weeks before, but I'm wondering why," Weinberg senior Neil Khare said. "It showed a little lack of respect."
Khare said he decided to take the class because he knew Moskos was a great lecturer. He was left without an open class to fulfill his minor requirement and now is on the waiting list for several classes.
Communication freshman Courtney Horton registered for Introduction to Sociology based on an upperclassman's recommendation of Moskos, she said.
"She said this guy is supposed to be really famous," Horton said. "It's a great class. She didn't say he wasn't teaching it."
Moskos is still mobile and continues to write and conduct interviews in the Santa Monica area. He is continuing his research on international military cooperation and American advisory to Iraqi military and police forces, he said.
Moskos helped concoct "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" during the Clinton administration as a compromise between gay rights activists and the military, he said. The law prevents openly gay individuals from serving in the armed forces.
As recently as Sept. 12, two gay NU students tried to enlist at a Chicago recruitment station as part of a protest by the Right to Serve group. On their second attempt, they were arrested for trespassing but were later released without charges.
But despite protests, Moskos has stood by the policy, recognizing that it's not perfect but better than any other option, he said.
Moskos chuckled when asked about students protesting his role in crafting policy. The policy was passed into law under the Clinton administration, he said.
"They should go to Congress and tell them to change the laws," Moskos said.
Moskos is credited with other work under the Clinton administration, including inspiring the former president to create the AmeriCorps program, he said.
Moskos was recently honored by one of his students, who began the Moskos Chair for Visiting Professors of Military Studies. Stephen Kinzer, a former New York Times bureau chief, is the first to hold the position.
Contact Jake Spring at j-spring@northwestern.edu.
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