THE
DT WEEKE ND E DITION THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 2015 VOLUME 9 0 ISSUE 47
ROTC PROGRAM COMMISSIONS MILITARY OFFICERS
By SHASHIDHAR SASTRY
T
Staff Writer
exas Tech students can earn an officer’s commission in the United States Armed Forces through the elective curriculums offered by the Department of Military Science and the Department of Aerospace Studies at Tech. The Reserve Officer Training Corps is a progression program offered in partnership with the United States Armed Forces at more than 150 universities across the nation. At Tech, students can pursue either the Army ROTC or the Air Force ROTC curriculum in order to get commissioned as a second lieutenant in the military at the end of the four-year term. The commissioned officers from the Army ROTC may choose to serve in one of its three components — active Army, the Army Reserve or the Army National Guard. Commissioned Air Force officers, however, must enter full-time active duty service. The freshman and sophomore level ROTC courses are electives that are open to all students. ROTC cadets must make a commitment, however, prior to enrollment in junior or senior level classes, according to the Tech ROTC website. It is at that point when the cadets become contracted — they raise their right hand and swear an oath of enlistment. “At that point, they will also be recognized. They’ll start to wear their uniform. That’s why you’ll see students in uniforms,” Maj. Christopher Dawson, assistant professor of military science at Tech, said. “So, if you
see a see a student in uniform, that student is either a scholarship or contracted cadet.” Students in the ROTC program have numerous scholarship opportunities, both prior to and post enrollment in the program, Dawson said. Additionally, contracted students in the ROTC program are given a monthly stipend. Overall, the ROTC program serves also as a gateway into the military without the burden of huge college debts. Tech was one of the first institutions in the nation to start the ROTC program, Dawson said. The program began nationally with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signing the National Defense Act in 1916, and it has been a part of Tech since 1925. Through these 90 years, the ROTC program has changed and developed. Today, Tech’s ROTC program not only ranks well nationally, but is also the top-ranked ROTC program in the state of Texas, Dawson said. “A cadet that comes to Texas Tech stands a far better chance of getting what they want at the end of that fouryear period than anywhere else in Texas,” he said. In the Army ROTC program, the first year of classes deal with nutrition, fitness, health, mentorship and other basic life skills, Dawson said. As students progress on to their second year, they start to take classes that explore military tactics and they learn more about the United States Army.
SEE ROTC, PG. 5
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DERRICK SPENCER / THE DAILY TOREADOR
A member of the Texas Tech ROTC program stands at Memorial Circle on Wednesday during the Veterans Day retreat ceremony.