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The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) program is seeing a dramatic increase in numbers over the last four years. Cadet Paul Kolars, AFROTC wing commander, said this year’s freshman class is the largest class size he has seen.
St. Thomas’ program isn’t alone as the other 273 ROTC programs across the country have also seen an increasing trend in numbers, according to the Associated Press. While St. Thomas had 43 freshmen in the program 2005, this year the number hovers around 70 members.
“I think it’s a number of reasons,” Kolars said. “I know a lot of people that come to college want to be a part of a team. A lot of people are looking for careers after they graduate college… I think ROTC is a good way to accomplish college and have an exciting career when you graduate as well.”
The AFROTC program, which started at St. Thomas in 1984, is an educational program designed to give men and women the opportunity to become Air Force officers while completing a degree.
The AFROTC program offers student scholarships, which may contribute to the increase in numbers. But Kolars says that out of the 70 new members, approximately 20 of them are on scholarship.
“Obviously the scholarship helps, but it shouldn’t be the main reason you join,” said freshman Cadet Christen Furlong. “And if there are cadets [who did that], which I’m sure there are, it probably wasn’t the right choice.”
Are the large numbers affecting the program?
The AFROTC program has had to reorganize because of the increase in numbers.
“When I go to my Air Force classes, we’re in this huge room with all of these cadets, and it’s surprising,” Furlong said.
The wing commanders are aware of the large numbers, and they are trying to change the program to fit these concerns.
“It’s definitely a challenge for us, but we’ve raised to meet that challenge,” Kolars said. “We had to reorganize organizational structure in terms of our cadet wing [and] in terms of our freshman; making sure that they don’t slip through the cracks [and] that they’re being trained properly so they know who their supervisor is and that they have someone to go to when they need help.”
Construction brings more challenges
The construction of the new Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex has been an inconvenience for many clubs and teams on campus, and the AFROTC program is no exception.
“The field house has been demolished, so what we’re doing to compensate for that, we’ll be going over to Concordia University starting next week for our physical training sessions for the morning [and] for the duration of the school year,” Kolars said.
Physical training is held in the mornings three times each week, and cadets are required to attend at least two of those sessions. A shuttle bus will be provided for students who do not have a vehicle on campus.
“I’m not looking forward to going to Concordia because it’s going to make me get up way earlier, and cut down my studying time the night before,” Furlong said.
Michael Ewen can be reached at mtewen@stthomas.edu