AROTC Leaders Hit Charges Of Forced Dance Payments

Cadet and regular officers of the College's Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps yesterday vehemently denied charges of "blackmail" and unfair pressure methods in attempting to force "100 percent, not 99" subscription to the May 16 unit dance.

"Asinine" was the term the officers used to describe complaints from a number of A.R.O.T.C. freshmen cadets that certain dance committee members were "forcing" them to contribute a dollar to the dance fund. Charges that failure to do so would be "detrimental to (their) being accepted in the advance course" were made to the CRIMSON by mail.

Denying the charges. Major Emil A. Kremer USAF, associate professor of Air Science and Tactics said. "The question of paying the dollar has no effect on a cadet's standing in the unit at any time. The charges in the letter are probably the result of over-zealous salesmanship by a cadet on the dance committee."

Many of those making the charges including the author of the letter, are members of one freshman Air Science class. These men claim that the dance committee representative in that class quoted Cadet Colonel Jack L. Wagner '52 as stating that failure to contribute to the dance fund would show a lack of interest in the unit and would cost against a cadet when his name came up for admittance to the advanced course.

The allegedly cited representative, James E. Jones '55, insists that he never made such a remark. Wagner also denied that he had ever even hinted at such policy. He pointed out that the criteria for acceptance into the advanced course are 1) actions on the drill field, 2) the number of general demerits, 3) grades in R.O.T.C. courses and 4) Inter- est in the unit. He stated that the contribution of a dollar would not be a determinant of interest.

The question of promotion to the advanced course has just come up this year because of the possibility that the unusually large freshman group might not be accommodated.

The dollar which the cadets are being asked to contribute is 1) for those who are going to the dance, a deposit towards the full $2.50 ticket which they will buy later, and 2) for those who are not going to the dance, a contribution to a special "reserve fund" which the AROTC is establishing this year.

This reserve fund will go towards payment for the insignia changes which