The Ohio State University's Army ROTC Program at Converse Hall

It may just be an unassuming building swallowed up by the increasingly urbanized Ohio State campus but, Converse Hall has been the location of the "Military Science Shop" for 8 decades now. Named after Commandant George L. Converse Hall, this building has been dedicated to the Army ROTC program since 1941. Today, thousands of men and women have graduated as a Buckeye, and as an accomplished Army Officer serving valiantly all over the world. Specifically, during the late 1950s/ early 1960s, the Army ROTC program was confronted by the same social change issues that the rest of the country faced, like women leaving the household and entering the workplace (or, higher education), and the widespread anti-war sentiment.

The mission statement of The Ohio State University’s Army ROTC program reveals a motivated attitude toward commissioning our nation’s future leadership, and notably, teaching these students to be the best citizen and Army soldiers that they can possibly be. Now to add some context to OSU’s connection with the US government, in 1862, President Lincoln signed the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, which contributed to the State of Ohio’s inclination to found the Ohio Agricultural, Military, and Mechanical College in 1870. This meant that young Ohio men could learn agricultural, mechanical, and tactical skills which were vital to their job fields during this time period. Thus, that school was considered a “Land Grant College” and subsequently, would become known as The Ohio State University that we all know and love today.

With that “Land Grant” status as an institution of higher education, the school was entitled to teach mandatory classes on civil-war-era military tactics, strategy, and other drills; however, that only lasted until the United States Army’s presence was officially established on OSU campus in 1876. “Professor of Military Science, COL Converse, established a structured program of study (known as the “Ohio Plan”) which became the blueprint for a nationwide program of developing military junior officers.” As time went on, and more Buckeyes fought in more conflicts, like the Spanish American War, WWI, and WWII, the military interest grew on campus and in 1943, some 1,100 ROTC students earned the rank of lieutenant. Moreover, as WWII concluded, the Army ROTC program was progressing with the times by offering students a variety of different specialties to study, like artillery, chemical defense, or engineering. Today, the program that was placed in Converse Hall in 1948, is where the Army ROTC program still calls it home.

A vital point in the university’s Army ROTC program was the “voluntary Coed Cadet Corps” that was created for the inclusion of women into the Military Science department, which, surprisingly enough, was a decision inspired by another university. According to an article from the Lantern on February 10^th, 1958, the deadline for women to apply for the Coed Cadet Corps ended that day at 5pm where applications were accepted at the celebrated Converse Hall. A panel of 9 fellow students and Army officers would soon judge the candidates and pick the 16 most qualified women at the Hagerty Hall Auditorium. Nonetheless, common, misogynistic standards were still being held against these women candidates and that is clearly seen by the panel’s instruction that “Girls will be chosen on the basis of appearance, poise and personality.” Nonetheless, according to Professor and Colonel Kenneth A. Cunin, “The idea of the corps is the expressed desire of the entire department and cadet corps,” which suggests that OSU’s Army ROTC program was much more open-minded at that time compared to other universities. This choice was vital for the future of women in ROTC, specifically at OSU, because the nationwide integration of women into the Army ROTC program was not until 1973.  

Another critical piece from the Lantern was published on January 10^th, 1957, and was titled, “Questioned ROTC Students Lack Military Enthusiasm”. This article stuck out to me because the Korean War had recently concluded for the US and the US was not involved in the Vietnam War until 1965, almost a decade later. However, I believe that unenthusiastic attitude can be attributed to the popular opinion of Army ROTC falling over the years, as we can see a lack of popularity from this quote from the earlier mentioned article, “The reason he is in a branch of training at all is clear—the law requires it. The average student wouldn't join at all if he could help it.” Moreover, the Army ROTC interviewees revealed that they chose the Army ROTC over the Air Force’s program because it was less physically demanding, and the obligation was only 2 years compared to 4 years. Not one of the Army ROTC students interviewed wanted to move forward with a career in the Army and none of the men believed that they were providing a “great service” to their country.

[1] “The Ohio State Army ROTC History,” OSU Army ROTC (The Ohio State University, 2021), https://arotc.osu.edu/history.

[2,3] Ohio State School of Journalism, “1 St Honorary Coed Corps To Be Picked,” The Lantern 10 February 1958- Ohio State University Newspaper Archives (The Ohio State University Libraries), accessed November 21, 2021, https://osupublicationarchives.osu.edu/?a=d&d=LTN19580210-01.2.3&srpos=2&e=------195-en-20--1--txt-txIN-Coed----1958--.

[4] Barney Laeufer, “‘Questioned ROTC Students Lack Military Enthusiasm,’” The Lantern 10 January 1957 - Ohio State University Newspaper Archives (The Ohio State University Libraries), accessed November 21, 2021, https://osupublicationarchives.osu.edu/?a=d&d=LTN19570110-01.2.43&srpos=1&e=------195-en-20--1--txt-txIN-ROTC----1957--.