University of Virginia Library

A Few Corrections

I would like to correct a few of
the glaring misconceptions in the
article by Messrs. Bishop and Pape,
in The Cavalier Daily of November
14.

The article castigates the ROTC
units for teaching what are described
as "academically-oriented"
courses, which could better be
taught by the College. In the case
of Navy ROTC, such courses are in
fact no longer taught. Other courses
have been substituted from the
College.

The article also attacks the
"professionally-oriented" courses
offered by ROTC. They say that
"Department of Defense manuals
for instructors...explicitly state"
how the courses must be taught. This is simply not true, for
although outlines given to each
instructor for his courses prescribe
the objectives of each course, about
the only thing they explicitly state
is that the "manual" itself does not
have to be adhered to.

The article further states that
ROTC courses are in effect shoved
down the throat of the University;
the University has no say as to
whether a course is up to its
standards. Untrue again: by the
same act of Congress that established
ROTC, all ROTC courses
must stand the same review and
evaluation as any other course at
the school in which they are being
taught.