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The Battalion
Page 3A • Thursday, September 26, 2002
Ma’am, yes ma’am
Wemale students work to find their places in the Corps of Cadets
By Kelcey Reiger
I THE BATTALION
ssica Richardson, a junior English major and
aember of Company P-2, decided to join the
’orps of Cadets because she wanted to be
to make a difference in people’s lives and
take advantage of the leadership opportunities.
“The connections ! make with people in the
Corps now are connections that I will carry with
me after college and possibly through my entire
life,” Richardson said. “I am part of the living
history and the lifeblood of A&M and the
things I do now directly affect the lives of my
subordinates, both spiritually and morally. As a
member of the Corps, I help keep the traditions
and the camaraderie, which are the heart and
soul of this school, alive and well.”
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Marching in my first football
game freshman year was a great
experience. There is something
about inarching down a street
lined with people and
knowing they are all
watching you.
— Jessica Richardson
junior Corps of Cadets member
Women were first admitted into the Corps of
Cadets in 1974. Since then, a woman’s role as a
cadet has become an increasingly integral part
of the Corps and its history. Although women in
the Corps have struggled to be considered
equals in the male-dominated organization,
women have found their place and have taken
pride in their role in the Corps.
Richardson said a woman’s experience in the
Corps can be slightly different than a male cadet’s
since there are fewer women in the Corps. Women
are sometimes held to higher standards, she said.
pi‘‘When we make mistakes, we are more like
ly to stand out simply because people take a
specific interest in women in the Corps,”
Richardson said. “We are constantly under the
microscope. This can be a good thing, however,
bec ause it gives us a chance to represent the
Corps in a a special way.”
BAlthough being a woman in the Corps can be
different in many ways, women in the Corps expe
rience the same exciting experiences as their male
counterparts.
“Marching in my first football game my
freshman year was a great experience,”
Richardson said. “There is something about
marching down a street lined with people and
knowing they are all watching you. That makes
you straighten your shoulders and raise your
chin a little higher. It was then that the knowl
edge of what I was doing really hit me — I was
following in the footsteps of thousands of
cadets who had passed under the reviewing
stands before me.”
A cadet’s first march-in can be a memorable
experience for any member of the Corps, but
Richardson said there are some people who
would prefer not to see women participating in
march-in or the Corps.
Richardson said, “I think the treatment of
women in the Corps has greatly improved and
will continue to improve over the years, but I
know that we do still have a long way to go.
“I, unfortunately, cannot honestly say that I
never experienced problems with people both in
and out of the Corps who believe that women do
not have a place in the Corps.”
“These incidents, however, are few and far
between, and the overwhelming majority of male
cadets treat females equally, hold them to the
same standards and give them the same amount
of respect as male cadets.”
Female cadets may experience criticism for
their involvement in the Corps, but male cadet
David Torres Jr., a senior construction science
major and member of A-Battery in the Fightin’
Texas Aggie Band, said the criticisms are
unneccesary. He said cadets need to acknowl
edge the benefits of having women in their
outfits.
“I believe it is a good idea to have females in
the Corps,” Torres said. “It can be a good learn
ing experience on how to work with the female
gender. There are many cadets who are going to
be commissioned into the military and they are
going to have superior officers that are going to
be female. So why not get used to working with
(women in the Corp) now?”
Emily Porterfield, a senior recreation, parks
and tourism sciences major and member of
Squadron 16, said most men do not know how to
treat women in the Corps.
“They (men) either degrade (women)
because they feel threatened or they may treat
them too nice because they don’t want to mis
treat them,” Porterfield said. “Either way most
girls are treated differently by the guys and
resentment builds accordingly.”
Porterfield said although male cadets may
treat the female cadets a little differently, the
Corps, in general, treats females equally.
“I feel it is a privilege to be one of the few
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Carrie carter • THE BATTALION
Freshman Corps member and Animal Science major Shawna Adams waits to march into Kyle Field on
Saturday afternoon. She is a member of Company V-l.
girls on campus wearing a uniform.”
Porterfield said. “1 like the extra challenge of
the Corps and 1 really enjoy the military
lifestyle. 1 didn’t want to look back 20 years
from now and wonder, ‘what if...?’”
Although adversity is a common hurdle in a
woman’s experience in the Corps, there are
quite a few advantages to being a woman in the
Corps.
“My favorite part about being in the Corps
is the challenges I have faced that have
strengthened my character and the many
friends I have made along the way,” Porterfield
said.
For Denise Phillips, a senior business
administration major and member of the
Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, being in the Corps
has been an asset to her personal development.
“I joined the Corps because I wanted to be
in the band. But, in the process I became a
more outgoing person and now I am able to
confront people and meet people because the
confidence in myself has improved.”
Phillips said being a woman in the Corps
has its incentives when it comes to the little
things.
“Female cadets do have the option of keep
ing their hair long, as long as it is above the
collar when in uniform,” Phillips said.
“And we also have our own bathroom with a
lock, which comes in handy when living with
hundreds of guys. And we get to wear skirts,
which can be a nice break from those un-flat-
tering uniform pants.”
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