Air Force Considering Modifications of ROTC

The Air Force is now considering a plan which would alter its ROTC program so that student can take selected courses outside the regular reserve program, an Air Force official revealed yesterday.

Col. Robert P. Halloran, Deputy Chief of Operations of AFROTC, said that the Air Force was experimenting with the plan at Ohio State University. "Air Force students at Ohio State are permitted to take a few courses outside the usual curriculum for ROTC credit," he said.

Under the plan, students would be permitted to substitute a limited number of non-military courses in place of the usual four course ROTC program. But the Air Force has not yet decided exactly what type of courses will be approved for credit in the reserve program.

Similar to Bundy's Plan

"The plan is similar to the one which Dean Bundy proposed to the Army," Halloran said. He added that the Training Air Command had received a copy of Dean Bundy's program and was examining it.

Dean Bundy's plan, which allows Army students to take certain courses given by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for ROTC credit, was adopted by the Army Department in a modified form this fall.

Several other changes in the AFROTC program are also under consideration. "We would like to have a scholarship program similar to the Navy's, but of course that requires Congressional action," Halloran said. He declared that "it would be very helpful in obtaining superior officer material."

Halloran pointed out that the Air Force was already taking steps to make the reserve officer's program more attractive to prospective cadets. "Future graduates will be permitted to choose their own assignments on the basis of their class standing in flying school," he said.

He also predicted a rise in the number of non-flying candidates for the ROTC program. "We always need technically trained officers and will probably begin accepting a larger number in two or three years," Halloran stated.