Only 19 Freshmen Join Air Force ROTC Unit; 49 Juniors Drop Out

Once a course with 235 freshmen, Air Science 1 this year has an enrollment of nineteen, the smallest number of entering students in its history.

Army and Navy ROTC units here meanwhile show slight gains over last year in first year classes.

At the same time the Air Force dropped 49 members of the class of '56 from its program. This was per order of the Defense Department, which found the Air Force short on pilots and long on ground men. It ordered a cutback on non-flying cadets more severe than the previous spring's limitations.

47 Disqualified

Forty-seven of last year's cadet sophomores were disqualified from the program because they could not pass the flight physical. Two more refused to fly.

Only two non-flying science majors were retained with but one single other non-flyer. This compares with three science concentrators and four other non-flyers in the class of '55.

AFROTC enrollment has been dropping ever since 1951. That autumn 235 members of the class of '55 signed up. In 1953, the number of '56 freshmen enter- ing the program fell to 140.

But the next year, when the Defense Department announced that the Air Force was overstaffed with officers and that it could not guarantee commissions to those who were completing the four-year ROTC program, only 34 freshmen enrolled.

Last spring 35 seniors were forced to take or leave Air National guard commissions, which do not carry the benefits of regular commissions.

"That factor and the Defense Department order to cut back the non-flying enrollment are undoubtedly the unfortunate reasons that are scaring the freshmen away this year," said Col. Frank P. Bostrom, professor of Air Science.

The Army ROTC unit has a freshman class of 70 this fall, ten larger than the group that first enrolled last year.

The Navy reports 91 entering members of the class of '58, a slight gain over the 88 from '57