University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 31, May 15


           Schwarzkopf Leadership Community gaining interest
     
     The Gen. (Ret.) H. Norman Schwarzkopf Leadership
Community is one of the fastest-growing special interest
housing groups in the Ray Street Complex.
     In its first year, the leadership community has 14 Army
and Air Force ROTC cadets, and 17 are signed up for next
year. Its goal is to provide opportunities for developing
leadership skills, to promote teamwork and to provide
comradeship for cadets who share common interests and
experiences.
     The current Leadership Community commander is  Brian
Mehan, a sophomore Army ROTC cadet.
     "We're learning about leadership vertically and
horizontally-within the group and without-interacting with
other interest groups, administrators, faculty and each
other," Mehan said. "It's been a good learning experience-
planning and organizing activities, assessing and budgeting
our resources, learning to delegate and accept
responsibilities."
     Junior John Cantera, an Air Force ROTC cadet,
concurred. "One of our early activities was planning and
carrying out a Ray Street open house so that students and
others could visit and find out first hand about the
different communities housed here. We also were involved in
organizing the Ray Street Fair, working to benefit the Food
Bank of Delaware, and providing other services such as
tutoring," he said.
     The group's advisers are Capt. Shawn Phillips, military
science, and Capt. Stephen Olds, Air Force ROTC.
     Phillips initiated the community. "There had been some
discussion of such a group a few years ago. I thought it was
a good idea so we polled the cadets and found there was
interest. Our next step was to talk to the presidents of the
other Ray Street communities, who vote on admission," he
said. "We explained to them that the purpose was not to be a
military presence in Ray Street, but to be an active
participant within the complex and they accepted the group."
     "In order to receive a commission, cadets must maintain
good grades and graduate, so that academics are an important
part of the community as well as ROTC," Phillips said.
"Studying together, setting an example for new students and
friendly competition resulted in an overall improved GPA for
group members."
                                         -Sue Swyers Moncure