by Lydia Fielder
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Of the 111 cadets in the University of Arkansas Army ROTC program, 18 are women, making up a minority of the group.
Cadets in Reserve Officer Training Corps, or ROTC, take military leadership electives while pursuing their academic degrees. It is not a major. Men and women cadets take the same courses and train together.
“I personally think we as women make more sound leaders because guys react very emotionally, and we think more logically,” said Zena Garcia, senior biology major and U of A Army ROTC cadet. “We’re able to just bring a different perspective to the table.”
Sixteen percent of University of Arkansas Army ROTC are women, compared to 52 percent of total women on campus.
Men and women cadets take the same physical test, but the standards are different. While men have to do 42 pushups to pass, women have to complete 19. Men must complete a two mile run in 15:54, while women have a whole three minutes more. They both have the same sit up standard, completing 42 to pass the tests.
Lt. Col. Elias Otoshi said that while diversity is important to the force, there is no specific skill to either gender — ROTC is just looking to recruit qualified leaders.
“It provides a great avenue for students of all backgrounds — whether white male, white female, Asian male, in my case — to, within a diverse organization, grow, learn, understand and really flourish, practicing those leadership skills with a cadre really focused on producing the best Second Lieutenants that we can for the armed forces,” Otoshi said. “Often we see those students of diverse backgrounds they thrive in this family, and really run the program by the time that they’re seniors.”
Garcia said she is expected to be more of a leader because she is a minority.
“Honestly, I think I have more of an advantage in ROTC being a woman because you do stand out, so you get those opportunities get noticed by cadre and your peers,” she said.
Upon successful completion of the Army ROTC program and graduation from college, cadets receive a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, the Army Reserve, or the Army National Guard.