By Angela Nichols
Staff Reporter
While most students are preparing for the semester and coming years filled with football games and parties to accompany their classes, there is a group of students that will fill their time in a different way.
They are members of the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC), and they will spend their college career preparing to defend our country.
"There are two tracks a student can take, one being the scholarship plan, where they compete against other highly qualified students, to get into the program," said Lt. Paul Colston, instructor and recruiting officer for the NROTC. "They will get paid tuition, fees, a book stipend and a monthly allowance to cover living expenses."
There is also a College Program, in which students that did not qualify for the scholarships can fill out an application, see their doctor for a physical and upon qualifying, join the program.
"There are scholarships available for outstanding students that are not on the scholarship," Colston said. "That way, maybe a student that had to work 30 hours a week can cut back and only have to work 15 hours a week."
ROTC students have to earn a degree and be commissioned by the age of 27, unless they have already served in the military, in which case the age cut off is 31.
Students who are members of the NROTC take a ROTC class every semester, adding two to three hours per semester onto their regular class load.
They also participate in training over their four-year college career that prepares them for life in the military after graduation.
"Over four years, they gather information they would get through 13 weeks of boot camp," Colston said.
ROTC students are also required to do physical training at least once a week, and up to three days a week, depending on whether they are in the Navy or another military sect.
"We are not trying to make people qualified for SEALS training," Colston said. "But when you exercise, whether it be on your own or not, you are more alert, you learn better and you are a healthier person."
Because of the physical requirements, not only throughout the program, but also when students graduate and are commissioned onto the Navy, there are physical requirements one must meet in order to enter the program.
"Problems that could hold people back (from the Navy ROTC) are color-blindness ... asthma ... diabetes," Colston said. He also said that these are only limitations for the Navy. Other branches of the armed forces have different requirements.
Students, depending on if they are on ROTC scholarship or not, may participate in summer training sessions.
"It helps them to know what they want to do when they get commissioned," Colston said. Students will either be classified as an ensign in the Navy or a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.
Some of the jobs that they will qualify for after being commissioned into the Navy are naval aviators, naval flight officers, surface warfare officers, nursing and special warfare.
Submarine officer, may also qualify for nuclear training, which entails more money and training in nuclear propulsion and weapons.
