To motivate cadets to seek leadership positions in the Corps of Cadets at Norwich, this year the base rank for those without corps jobs has been standardized from sergeant to private, according to the regimental command sergeant major.
“The biggest idea behind it was to get rid of the lackadaisical mentality that a typical sergeant in the Corps of Cadets would have,” said Ryan Moore, 21, a senior criminal justice major from Amesbury, Mass. This adjustment was established by the senior cadet leadership with assistance from the commandant staff.
“It’s in line with the structure of the army,” said Col. Russ Holden, deputy commandant. “It reflects what the military structure is and it’s based on holding a leadership position, not just being a squad member.”
As a military school, Norwich strives to function as closely to the actual military as possible. “A sergeant in the actual military would be held to a much higher standard,” said Moore, the regimental command sergeant major. As of this year, the cadets who do not have jobs are given the rank of a private; the rank they would receive in the real military.
The rank of private in the military is one that consists of little responsibility for anyone besides one’s self. Therefore, the cadet leadership decided to give private rank to those who are not in charge of others, according to Moore.
“They want people to strive for rank rather than just being given it,” said Melissa Jensen, 21, a senior architecture major from N.Y. City
The hope is that this change will encourage rooks to work harder because now, “The younger generations now have a goal to work towards,” Jensen said. After receiving the private rank during the first year, the new class will be required to seek out jobs in order to maintain rank throughout their remaining years at NU.
Although it is still early in the year, this alteration to the rank structure has already caused mixed emotions among the Corps of Cadets.
“It makes sense that if you are not doing anything in the corps that you should be a private,” said Zach Pierog, a 21-year-old senior mechanical engineering major from Chester, N.H.
This works out well for the cadets who don’t desire a position in the corps, for they can complete their degree and move on, according to Moore.
In another respect, “People that are putting the time into the corps aren’t necessarily given any rank at all, such as seniors who are privates, who have been here for a while and have more experience,” said Doug Makl, a 19-year-old sophomore criminal justice major from Connecticut.
“My four years mean nothing now,” Jensen said, who was a staff sergeant last year, but now as a private is being outranked by cadets who have been here two years less than she.
Some of the seniors who don’t have rank are not satisfied and therefore are not being entirely productive, which is ultimately “lowering the morale of the corps” Makl said.
“It was a little demoralizing at first,” Jensen said, as she described the change in atmosphere of the corps as a private.
“The rank change hasn’t seemed to increase the motivation, so I don’t understand the point of it,” said Michael Visbeck, 20, a senior history major from Newburg, N.Y.
On the other hand, some juniors who typically would not seek out a job did so last year solely to avoid having to be a private, according to Moore.
As an alternate system, the corps should have “implemented the change with the new generations, rather than demoting half of the corps,” Jensen said. An idea to establish a sort of petition for senior private cadets to petition for jobs held by sophomores or juniors in the past was suggested by Jensen.
With this rank change, rules follow. As a private, “We are not allowed to spot correct recruits, yet someone who may have rank as a second year can, even though they have less experience than me,” Jensen said.
When it comes time for the freshmen recruits to earn their private rank, they will have the same rank as some students who have been here four times as long as them. “I’m kind of bummed about it,” Jensen said.
Every fall, the incoming rooks speak the words of the Cadet Oath, “to obey the legal orders of Norwich officials and my seniors in the Corps of Cadets.” Despite this rank change, seniors are still shown proper respect, according to both Pierog and Visbeck.
“Rank is on your hand with your ring,” Jensen said, “people show respect because I have been here for four years.”
According to Jensen, it feels strange to have the honor to wear the senior Corps of Cadets belt buckle and the NU ring at the same time she wears lowest rank on the campus.
“I think it’s working great,” said Holden. “It’s merit based. People who get rank have to compete for it. They are in bonafide leadership positions. Rank is awarded based on performing the duties of the leader. In old system, students got ranked for doing nothing.”
With academics as the prominent focus at NU, rank is rarely ever deployed in the classroom, according to Kathleen McDonald, assistant professor of English.
“I respect performance in the classroom. It’s not a year thing, certainly not a civilian versus corps thing, and it’s not a rank thing. I try to take everyone for what they present to me. I look at each student individually in the classroom, even if you are the cadet colonel,” McDonald said.
McDonald ensured that, “In the classroom, everyone is just a student,” and regardless of the rank change made this year, Visbeck describes, “everyone is still just a cadet.”
“Teachers do not look at rank,” agreed Jensen.
“If it doesn’t work out this year, we can always go back and the next leadership can change it,” Moore said, recognizing that the change may or may not work as they wished.