Administration responds to anonymous letter

The Friday of homecoming weekend, an anonymous letter that criticized the Norwich administration and the Corps of Cadets was posted all around campus.

"Anonymous letters are not appropriate in the military and corporate worlds," said Norwich University President Richard Schneider in a prepared statement, "and they have no place at our university."

The letter said how the commandant chain of command is irresponsible and "should be relieved of their duties" and asks why "members of the corps of cadets [have] not seen any of the $80 million in donations" from alumni.

In his statement, Schneider said, "At the parade on homecoming weekend, I addressed some misunderstandings about the capital campaign which needed to be clarified. From this point on, I have no further comment on the content of the anonymous letter in question."

The letter also touched upon the training conducted in the Corps of Cadets. According to the letter, the corps has gone soft and the reputation of Norwich producing great officers will be diminished in six years.

"I have asked the professors of military science, air force science, and naval science to use their ROTC training time to review proper protocol when raising questions and expressing concerns," Schneider wrote.

The entire naval battalion was talked to by Colonel Delatte at PT one morning about how unprofessional anonymous letters are, according to CDR Mark Hagenlocher, executive officer of the Norwich University Naval ROTC program.

"I talked to some of my classes about points in the letter," Hagenlocher said. "Anonymous letters do not have a place in the military. If what you have to say is so important, you need to have the courage to come forward and say, ‘This is so important to me, I have to get it out.'"

"People who wish to raise legitimate concerns should stand behind their convictions and be willing to have an open dialogue." Schneider wrote.

It is disappointing for somebody to attack the president of the university after all he has done, stated CDR Hagenlocher.

According to the president, if students would like to know what is going on in the school, they are more than welcome to come to the open forums that he holds from time to time.

"I would be more than happy to meet with the author of the letter to discuss issues raised if he or she is willing to come forward and present them to me." Schneider said.

The author of the well-distributed letter still remains unknown, but an invitation to sit down with the president is still open for him or her.