When senior Claire Henkel reunites with friends from her all-girls high school, most of them don’t know how to broach the subject of her career goals. The battalion commander of Washington University’s ROTC program, previously a member of the varsity softball team, doesn’t come from a military family.

The repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that barred gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military could help mend a historically tenuous relationship between the military and some top-tier universities.

Senior Rachel Atkins has challenged the male dominated Army establishment with her appointment to cadet battalion commander for Washington University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Atkins is the first female to attain the rank in the Gateway Battalion’s history.

Social entrepreneur Eric Greitens inspired students to pursue public service through his lecture, “Inspiring Leadership in Challenging Times” on Tuesday, March 30. Greitens is more than a “social entrepreneur,” however—he is an Angier B. Duke Scholar, a Rhodes Scholar, a Truman Scholar, a U.S. Navy SEAL officer and the award-winning author of “Strength and Compassion” as well as a White House Fellow.

Sasha Fine’s (Oct. 12) report on ROTC recalls a time of great tension at Washington University. There is reference to this in the quote from a current student: “The last bad thing that happened was [in 1970] when the ROTC [building] was burned down.”

During the school year, students see signs and advertisements for a variety of student groups, organizations and associations. One small yet significant force on campus that is conspicuously absent from this list, however, is the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).