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Corps commander, senior political science major Jordan Reid, and Deputy Corps Commander, senior international studies major Andrew Davis, stand at the Academic Building.

Commanding a campus presence

Corps seeks to involve freshmen in University life

By: Nathan Ball

Posted: 9/8/08

Student leaders are bringing different priorities to the Corps of Cadets, starting with the freshmen.

Jordan Reid, a senior political science major from Whitehouse, Texas, is the Corps commander, the highest ranking officer in the Corps and Andrew Davis, a senior international studies major from Longview, Texas, is the deputy corps commander. They want to make the Corps a more outreach-focused organization.

Reid and Davis said that Corps life, especially for freshmen, is time-consuming. The freshmen can get so wrapped up in Corps activities and classes that they do not benefit from the diversity of people and student organizations Texas A&M has to offer. Reid and Davis said that Corps members who do not get involved are missing out.

Reid said the Corps staff previously focused on raising academic and professional standards in the Corps. "Last year's Corps Commander, Nick Guillemette, did lots of really great things," Davis said.

This year, Corps staff is encouraging Corps members, especially freshmen, to get involved outside the corps in student organizations. Reid and Davis said that Corps life, especially new freshmen, to get involved outside the Corps in student organizations.

Reid was a member of Aggie Hosts - a student-mentoring program - his sophomore year, and said his experience with the children at Fannin Elementary was a period of personal growth.

"The first semester of my freshman year, my old lady [roommate] quit. I moved in with Bryce London, whose roommate had also quit," he said. Freshman year was hard for us - in our company, 14 of 28 freshmen quit in one semester. Just about every night we would ask each other if we would quit…the answer was always 'No.' London is now the company commander for F-2."

Reid said there were times during his freshman year that he could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, but he hopes that his example, and that of all of the upperclassmen, will inspire this year's incoming Corps freshman to persevere.

Still, the Corps of Cadets may not be cut out for everyone.

Former cadet Matthew Cheesman, junior aerospace engineering major, said that in his sophomore year, a conflict with some other Corps members began to boil over. There were no longer any benefits to remaining part of a community where he was being put down and kept from succeeding, he said.

"I thoroughly enjoyed my two years in the Corps," Cheesman said, "I don't regret my decision to leave. It may have worked out in a different outfit with different personalities involved, but I am not going to lose any sleep over it."

Reid said this year is an opportunity to build on past accomplishments in addition to starting freshmen initiatives: "Corps staff focus last year was on raising our academic performance to the same level as the rest of the University."

Reid and Davis said that the skills and toughness freshmen learn their first year are necessary for them to become effective leaders on the battlefield, or in the workplace.

Cadet graduates who contract with the military have high chances of being deployed to a war zone like Iraq. If they stick together through that first year, Davis said, the freshmen become like brothers. "They will always be there for each other."

To become a good leader, one must first learn how to follow orders, Reid said. The freshman year is necessarily hard; without difficulty, he said the Corps experience would be much less effective.

Reid would like to change some people's perspective of the Corps of Cadets. "There are a lot of negative stereotypes," he said.

That is one of the reasons Reid said it is imperative for Corps members to increase interaction between Corps members and "non-regs."

"They are just as important to A&M's future as we are to its history."

Reid and Davis have both signed Army contracts and will commission as officers after graduation.

"Texas A&M was the only place I applied to. From age 9 I attended Aggie football games - this is the only place I ever wanted to be," Reid said. "I joined the Corps of Cadets because I wanted to be at the heart of the University."