ROTC
Image slowly changing:
haircuts no big deal,'
regulations relaxed
The image of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) has
been slowly and quietly changing in the past few years. Cadets are
wearing their hair a little longer, enrollment is increasing, and for the
first time this fall, Army ROTC will be open to women.
“We’re trying to get away from the old image,” explained
AFROTC Captain Micael Dolan, “We’re not going out and drilling
back and forth. And haircuts are another myth, there are no bald
heads. Haircuts are no big deal anymore, and regulations have
relaxed quite a bit.”
During the last six years, ROTC has often been a target of ac
tivists and war protest. Dolan said that the ROTC represented the
armed services on campus, and during the Vietnam war, ROTC
served as a “symbol people could shake a stick at.”
“The biggest group against war is us--we have to fight it,”
asserted Dolan, “Anyone who has been in battle knows it’s very
terrifying, hardly romantic. We don’t want extremists--we want well
rounded individuals with a potential to lead others.”
ROTC has beeq the major source of officers for the armed ser
vices for many years. ROTC is designed to qualify men and women
for a commission in either the Army or the Air Force at the time of
their graduation.
Students who join ROTC at the University start in the basic course
with three credit hours during both their freshman and sophomore
years. There is absolutely no obligation during the first two years, and
students may withdraw from the program at any time.
At the end of two years, those enrolled in ROTC join the advance
course and actually enlist in the reserves. They in effect sign a con
tract to serve a specified amount of time either in the Army or in the
Air Force. In both programs, deferment of active duty may be
granted to newly commissioned officers to permit graduate study on a
full-time basis.
Those enrolled in the last two years of the program receive $100 a
month, and for those who have been granted one of the several dif
ferent scholarships offered, books and tuition are paid on top of the
monthly stipend.
“We’re a very tight, closely knit group, especially during the
junior-senior years,” said Dolan, “they really get personalized at
tention that no other department can offer.”
Women have been participating in Air Force ROTC for several
years, but this year will be the first for the Army.
“We had women in AROTC on 10 different campuses in pilot
programs and we got such an enthusiastic response that they opened it
on all campuses,” said Dolan.
The women will attend the same classes as the men and will have
most of the options men have. The only restriction in both the Army
and the Air Force programs pertains to combat units. In the Air Force
this restriction keeps women out of the flight training as all pilots must
be combat ready.
Both ROTC programs have a summer camp, six weeks of training
for the Army and four weeks for the Air Force. ROTC students attend
the camp between their junior and senior years.
“One purpose of summer camp is to find out how good a leader
they are, and to spot any weakness,” explained Dolan, “The army’s
manpower levels are going down, and we’ve been told to reduce our
numbers, so the competition is really stiff. We are looking for quality
rather than quantity--and I believe we’re getting it.”
Kathleen Glanville
What’s in it for you? A chance to obtain a $12,000
starting salary and a commission as a Naval Officer.
If, you’re a college student in good academic
standing, and your vision is better than 20/200,
you may qualify to join the Navy’s flight team as a
pilot or a Naval Flight Officer. To find out more
about Naval Aviation call Lt. Hieter or Lt. Potter
at 221-3041 (collect).
ROTC students have some classes in the field. Above, they maneuver
a heavy drum up a ramp they have built. Below, they face a harder
challenge of building a bridge across a gap, given only three boards
not long enough to reach across. They solved the problem by sand
wiching the boards together.
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