Dear readers,
Last month The Battalion published the first edition of our three part series: Corps Values. This is an in-depth project about the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, which we chose to pursue when we were selected to participate in the Poynter Institute’s 2018-2019 College Media Project. The program gives extra funds and advising resources to student newspapers to report on a subject of their choice.
Our goal for the project is to tell the full story of the Corps. We want to help non-Corps students better understand the oldest organization on campus and to dispel misconceptions that Corps members often confront. We also want to dig deeper and answer any lingering questions students may have about the Corps.
We were pleased with the feedback we received after the first editions. Some of this included former students calling the office to learn how to get involved and congratulating us on taking up the subject. Others’ comments were less positive, including emails from people telling us no one was going to talk to us or saying we did not accurately portray the Corps in our articles.
However, we were happy to see all of it because we had suggestions of what people wanted to see throughout the rest of the semester and it meant that Aggieland was taking note of our reporting. We also had students reaching out to be interviewed for stories about their experience in the Corps, and it was great to see how Aggies want to be heard through our publication.
While the first edition covered the history and structure of the Corps, Aggie involvement in various wars and much more, the edition you are currently reading takes a look at the experiences of students in the Corps and different perceptions of the organization.
Our staff enjoyed meeting students who have loved their time as a cadet, but also hearing from others who made the difficult decision to leave was equally intriguing. I believe The Battalion staff has done a great job of displaying what cadet life is like for students, past and present. However, we still have many stories to tell.
The last edition of Corps Values will be released at the end of the semester and will address ongoing issues in the Corps, including instances of hazing. As with our first round of content, we are opening the door to anyone who has a story to share or feedback to offer.
The Battalion is the voice of the student body, so don’t hesitate to come to us for the last edition of this series. You can email me at [email protected] or come to our newsroom in the Memorial Student Center room L400.
I hope part two of Corps Values will give readers an inside look at cadets’ experiences and encourage others to speak up if they have personal stories they would like to share. Thank you for reading.
Respectfully,
Megan Rodriguez
Editor-in-chief