2008 Woodie Awards
Camouflage back on campus
ROTC seeks participants
Chelsea Brown
Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: News
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After a decade without the program on campus, university officials have announced that FMU is becoming a host institution for the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).
The 10 students enrolled in ROTC have been working this semester to become commissioned officers in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve and National Guard on campus.
The program is looking to recruit more enthusiastic and well-rounded students, 2nd Lt. Michael D. Cason said. He said participation in the program is nonstop.
"It's a full career," Cason said. "Once you get going you don't really stop."
Army ROTC is a two-year program for veterans and members of the Army Reserve and National Guard or four years for students with no prior military experience. Two-, three- and four-year scholarships are available for qualified students.
Students participate in the program without any contractual agreements for two years and receive officer training. After that two-year period, however, they must decide whether they want to become officers.
Students who choose to sign the contract receive a stipend.
In addition to the coursework, students endure intense physical training each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
FMU had an on-campus ROTC program from 1983 to 1998, but it was closed while the Army downsized in the 1990s. The program resurfaced in April 2002 when Francis Marion entered a partnership agreement with the University of South Carolina (USC) and Morris College in Sumter to provide ROTC instruction and training for qualified FMU students on the USC campus.
Students enrolled in the program said ROTC has provided them with more assurance for their future.
Seth Willis, junior, said he has become more disciplined.
"It has given me… direction," Willis said. "The program has given me discipline, and it's helped me with my career and financially."
Lynn Burch, sophomore, said the program has helped her figure out what she wants to do once she graduates.
"It will take me really far," Burch said. "You truly learn leadership, and you make more money as an officer."
Whether cadets decide to join the military or not, Burch said they still can learn valuable life lessons by participating.
"The hard work that we do now is just an investment for the future," she said.
For more information, call Cpt. Chad Jones at (843) 661-1836 or e-mail him at cjones@fmarion.edu.
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