New policies implemented this fall by the College's Reserve Officers' Training Corps aim to strengthen group solidarity while increasing awareness among non-participating students and community members, according to Major Matt Aldrich, who supervises Dartmouth's ROTC program.
ROTC's 17 student participants are now required to wear their uniforms to their military science classes, which take place between two and three times a week, First Sergeant Dan Harritt '13 said. The uniform regulation, implemented on Oct. 1, is one of several new policies that also include regular one-on-one meetings with Aldrich and a greater emphasis on punctuality and more efficient use of class time, Harritt said.
Aldrich believes that wearing one's uniform enables students to maintain the image of an army officer outside of class and training, according to Harritt.
"In the past, it just hasn't been very efficacious in terms of representing ROTC to walk around in civilian clothes all day and then hide in Leverone Field House, put on your uniform for two hours a week and that's it," Harritt said.
Some ROTC members choose to wear their uniforms beyond military science class, which Harritt said stems from a desire to raise awareness for the ROTC program.
"It's tough because for one reason or another, military service isn't on the radar for most people," Lieutenant Jacob Wijnberg '12 said. "It was never really something most students thought about as an option. The more students we can have on campus in uniform, the more that people see how ROTC cadets compose themselves."
Seeing uniforms around campus boosts non-participating students' comfort with the idea of serving in the military, Aldrich said.
ROTC student Monica Wagdalt '15 said that people often thank her for her service when she wears her uniform on campus and that she feels a "very welcoming" attitude toward the program among Dartmouth students.
Recently, The Stanford Daily reported discomfort among students with the ROTC program at Stanford University. However, Wagdalt said she has never heard any negative comments at the College.
Wijnberg said that the cadets' discipline and standards are more visible in uniform, which is a "strong selling point" for ROTC on campus. Seeing a classmate or friend participate allows students to picture themselves in the program, he said. Participants also usually have a traditional college experience and can participate in other campus organizations, such as Greek life, he said.
Implementing a standard of wearing uniforms to class is part of a larger effort to solidify the ROTC program at the College, according to Harritt.
"[Aldrich is] doing a lot of things to tighten up, like spending more one-on-one time with people who are deficient in areas like, say, punctuality, or are not showing up to certain things," Harritt said. "He's taking steps to meet one-on-one with them and say, Hey, here's where you have to do to correct yourself.'"
Professors now maximize class time in military science courses by using extra time to discuss operations orders, plan events and discuss field training exercises rather than leaving early, he said.
"For people on the inside, things have become more serious, like, This is what you're actually going to be doing,'" Harritt said. "It prepares us better for the future going in. Everything is at a new level of intensity."
