Interview Notes Question: Why did you choose to be a part of this community?

I knew around high school that I wanted to do what ever I could to give back to my country that had given so much to me. I just didn t know how I wanted to do it. !pon graduation" I had decided and had been accepted to the !nited #tates $ilitary %cademy at West &oint. I was pursing a degree in political science to one day become an officer in the '%( corps. )hen one day my mother asked if this was something I truly wanted for myself. It wasn t. I am a person that is big on family and my faith. *eing in West &oint New +ork would have taken me away from my family. I know had a decision to make" what was I know going to do for ,ollege and life. !pon long hours of contemplation and research I chose to accept the ,hallenge )he ,itadel" )he $ilitary ,ollege of #outh ,arolina was offering. What led me to this community was due to a couple of reasons. -irst it was in the great location of ,harleston #outh ,arolina only . hours away from my family. )his was just short enough for a family get away but long enough to become emerged in college. %nother reason I chose the citadel was because of its prestige honor of being a #enior $ilitary ,ollege. -or the third straight year !.#. News / World 0eport selected )he ,itadel the top public college in its category in the #outh. )he college was also designated a 1*est 2alue3 and recogni4ed for 1strong commitment to undergraduate teaching. $ore importantly )he ,itadel gave me the option I was looking for" to serve my country. )his time around however" I will be serving my country as an %ir -orce 5fficer with a 6egree in 7lectrical 7ngineering. Question: 6uring &arade e8plain the types of communication that is involved in this process? ,ommunication during parade is very comple8 and formal. 6uring parade communication is practiced in both verbal and non9verbal forms. )he two main non9verbal ways we communicate to each other during the $ilitary &arade is through music from the 0egimental *and and &ipes and (uidons. )he 0egimental band serves as two main purposes. )he first one is to give important :ueues and commands. -or e8ample" the beginning of the parade the cadets come to attention and begin marching once the band plays the :ueue song called 1%djutants ,all3. )he second important task the bands most uphold is keeping the corps in step. )hey band effectively communicates this to the corps by creating a strong march beat" otherwise known as a strong down beat. )he second non9verbal way the corps communicates during parade is through the use of guidons. (uidons are small flags attached to poles that each company carries at the front. *y raising and lowering the guidons at different se:uences symboli4es different commands for the companies to e8ecute. )he main form of verbal communication during parade is through the use of the adjutant. )his is a designated person whose sole purpose is to give commands at an

e8tremely loud level in order to project the commands across the parade field for the regiment" battalion" and company levels to e8ecute.

Question: What makes this community different than any others? )his community is a very strict military atmosphere. )here are more regulations and restrictions in this community than you would see in most. I would love to e8plain to you all of them but that would consist of me referencing a ;<<9page book. -or now" however" I will just reference a few. %t the ,itadel strict accountability is a must in ensuring safety. With this in mind every evening at ==:<< &$ the barracks gates are locked and full accountability is taken to ensure all cadets are in their rooms and not off campus. )hey gates will remain locked until <>;< the ne8t morning. %nother aspect that sets us apart from most communities is that all the cadets are wearing the same uniform. )here is no such thing as e8pressing your personality by what you wear. )here is only one personality and that is called the uniform of the day. )his is the order that dictates what uniform the corps of cadets wear each day" which is governed by season and temperature. Question: What are the different slang terms or phrases used here that most people haven t heard before or wouldn t know? )he most popular slang term is the one that is given to freshmen or first year students. )he slang term that is given to freshmen is called ?nob. @ike the !nited #tates $ilitary %cademy calls their freshmen plebs were call our freshmen knobs. #ome of the tradition of this term comes from the idea of their heads looking as a doorknob as they sweat from their heads being balled from the strict haircut they must maintain the entire year. %nother slang term you may here is 1all9ins3. )his is a term that relates back to the idea of having strict accountability at all times. 6uring ==:<< &$ accountability right before the gates lock for the evening you will here upperclassmen reporting 1all9in3 which is a statement that a cadet gives to mean that all proper cadets are in their respective room. 7ssential the cadets are 1all9in3. Question: Why is the parade such an important process this school goes through? )he importance of )he ,itadel s military parades dates back to the time of %le8ander the (reat and more importantly the !nited #tates ,ivil War. )he parade is used to signify" for the most part" the drill and ceremonies that were used on the battlefield and ceremonies for awards and reviews. )oday the parade is geared more towards the use of an iconic symbol of the school. It is a way for the school to show its precision in marching" drill and ceremonies" and strength to the community. )he parade can also be used for entertainment purposes for visitors to the great city of ,harleston #outh ,arolina.

Question: ,oming into this atmosphere what are some things you needed to change about yourself and your learning styles? 9 What was different

-or one I had to change how I learned and maintained my knowledge. !nlike high school" I had to learn most of the material on my own and be prepared for it before class. In high school you could get by with just what you learned in class. )his was not the case for me in college. I also had to become more independent. -or the first time in my life I was in charge and had to take responsibility for my actions. I had to stay on top of my financial aid and loans" create my own checking account" and manage a credit card to establish my credit. Whenever I broke down in my vehicle I could no longer call my wonderful parents. I had to call !#%% and %%% and pray I knew how to handle the situation. $y life changed for the better. I also had to change the level to which I preformed on everything. It was no longer doing the bare minimum it was all about what more could I do. 9 What has not changed

$y faith" loyalty system" morals" values" and ethics were not changed. ,oming into this community these characteristics of mine where not changed but strengthen from my foundation. I knew this had to be true because these were the items that make up 0yan 6ana -aucher" if I changed those I changed who I am. Question: What are things that you know that this community has to do that other community do not? -or e8ample military e8tracurricular activities 78plain. &lease also reference AQuestion: What makes this community different than any others?B 5ther re:uirements that the corps takes place in is a wide range of leadership and ethics classes and seminars. We are also re:uired to obey an honor system that states a cadet will not lie" steal" cheat or tolerate any one who does. If a cadet is caught in violation of the cadet honor system they are re:uired to go on trial where the ma8imum punishment can be e8pulsion. ,adets are also re:uired to attend each home football game where strict accountability is taken. Question: Cow do cadets communicate towards each other? Is it different than to other civilians? We must communicate is a very formal and military manner. )here is a chain of command that dictates the order of leadership. *ased on this leadership dictates the manner in which the communication happens. -or e8ample" a cadet would talk to an active duty officer in the strictest manner that would include an introduction of the greeting of the day and rendering of a salute. ,adets would talk to cadets in a more informal way such that friends would find friends talking to each other. +ou will also find that !pperclassmen and freshmen have a uni:ue communication style

as well. ,ommunication between the two groups is more of a mentee and mentor relationship. )he upperclassmen also have the role of training the freshmen also called knobs.