UCSB’s ROTC Program Saved

Army brass announced late last week that UCSB’s ROTC program will be spared for the time being, along with the officer training programs at 13 other schools across the country. The UCSB program, which dates back to 1947, was slated to be cut as of September 2015 in response to budget concerns. Campus administrators reacted with quiet — and not so quiet — outrage at the suddenness with which the cuts were announced as well as the cuts themselves. In response to the political backlash, military brass has reconsidered and is placing the UCSB program — as well as the other 12 — on probation instead. “We don’t know exactly what that means now and what we’ll have to do to get off of it, but probation is better than closure,” commented Lt. Col. George Davis, commander of the campus ROTC program. Davis said 65 students are currently enrolled in the ROTC program, which graduates about 10-12 commissioned officers a year.