Binghamton University’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets have received reprieve from outdoor training conditions.

This reprieve comes in the form of a recently approved scholarship to the FitSpace by BU President Harvey Stenger and will provide the cadets, as well as their master sergeant, with full access to fitness equipment indoors.

The scholarship initiative was started by Jack Kralik, an undeclared freshman within ROTC and a Student Association (SA) Congress representative from Dickinson College. Kralik said training for fitness tests, a facet of the ROTC program, were previously happening on the East Gym track outside for all seasons, which greatly impacted training.

“The most important distinction was that there was no roof over our heads, and until now, no option for one either,” Kralik wrote in an email. “This was a nonissue in the early fall, when the weather hovers around 70 [degrees], and it’s still light out. But dark, snowy, wet and most importantly cold mornings were miserable to do anything other than run in. It hurt our ability to exercise effectively, and in years past made [physical training] unsafe on extremely cold days.”

Looking for a way to improve training conditions, Kralik approached Caroline Sandleitner, BU Council student representative and first-year graduate student studying public administration, about the situation the cadets faced. Sandleitner said she was motivated to help the cadets after this meeting.

“After speaking with [Kralik], I was inspired to represent the ROTC cadets’ needs to administration,” Sandleitner wrote in an email. “[BU’s] ROTC program is independent from any organized sport or student-run club, which means that they do not have designated access to physical facilities or funding on campus. Given the incredible sacrifice that ROTC cadets make for our country, the cadets deserve a welcoming and consistent space to use during their rigorous daily training.”

Sandleitner described the process of deciding the best course of action to take.

“Once I spoke with ROTC Cadet Kralik, [Cornell University’s] ROTC leadership and a representative from [BU’s] Office of [Veteran and Military Services], it became clear that the most pressing issue for [BU’s] ROTC cadets was access to physical facilities for training each morning,” Sandleitner wrote. “President Stenger was extremely helpful in coming up with a solution to meet the ROTC cadets’ needs and graciously offered the scholarship to give the cadets access to a workout space on campus.”

Stenger said the University was happy to help the cadets with the scholarship.

“[BU] Council student Rep. Caroline Sandleitner worked closely with this group and after informing us of the ongoing challenges they face with training, we were able to accommodate those needs via a select number of scholarships to use Campus [Recreation],” Stenger said in a statement. “We are happy to offer that support.”

Luca Giardina, squad leader of the cadets and a junior majoring in environmental studies, said the move to the FitSpace has already impacted their training and how he hopes it will impact the future.

“Access to the gym will be a fantastic asset in scoring well on this fitness test as well as assisting us with current and future training within ROTC,” Giardina wrote in an email. “We conducted our first [physical training] session in the East Gym FitSpace on Feb. 3, and we saw a huge boost in morale and motivation. Additionally, hopefully our new resources will help with retention of new cadets in the program. Overall, we are very grateful that the University is supporting the [BU] ROTC community and enabling our success.”

Jamie Parisi, an undeclared sophomore and a team leader for the cadets, said the scholarship will help the team meet Army standards.

“The scholarships that Kralik was able to obtain for us this semester is a great addition to our training,” Parisi wrote in an email. “As [BU] ROTC cadets, we have very limited equipment unless we bring it back and forth from Cornell [University]. With the new Army fitness standards and the new Army Combat Fitness Test, bodyweight movements are not going to be enough to pass. The fitness scholarships give us the ability to train to the level we need to as a team.”

Kralik said he hopes the scholarship will positively impact the future for the cadets.

“Ideally this will long term inspire more students to come join ROTC and will allow current cadets the ability to train specific muscle groups where they may otherwise be lacking,” Kralik wrote. “I’m hoping that with these resources more cadets will have the ability to go active duty and have the opportunity to serve.”