Corps to Withdraw From Front Row of Lecture Halls

Last night, the Commandant announced all cadets in the front two rows of the lecture halls will be fully withdrawn by December 1, 2021. This announcement marks a historic end to the Corps’ decades-long occupation of the coveted seats and raises questions about what has been accomplished since the front row turned khaki.

The cadets’ invasion first took place after the Commandant deemed fraternity rule of the front row a threat to the classroom dynamic. Corps leaders then pledged to help non-regs set a culture of arriving on-time and engaging with professors during class, but the occupying force quickly found itself in a quagmire, plagued by cadets falling asleep at their posts. Although the Commandant has expressed confidence that the general student population is prepared to be disciplined without Corps occupation, pundits have expressed concerns that the seats may fall back into the hands of groups that prioritize creating good PR over good member GPR.

In the eyes of critics of the Corps’ involvement in academic affairs, this withdrawal was long overdue. “This regime has caused irreparable damage to generations of Aggies who were robbed of the chance to connect with professors in the front row,” said senior English major Jenna Rivera. “These students missed out on many of the privileges we take for granted in non-occupied classes, from grade bumps to rec letters.”

The first cadets will leave their front row posts next week, but the impact of this decision has already been felt by Corps graduates who served on the front rows. “Was it really all for nothing?” said Timothy Connolly ’98.  “I used to think we were helping the non-regs build a culture of academic excellence, but I can’t help but think about how all those extra minutes spent in the classroom were wasted.”

At press time, pledges from the Kappa Omega Beta fraternity had assumed control of the front rows in Heldenfels and Mitchell, and Zachry is expected to fall soon.

 

— MSC ALITTLE