Recruiters say UNM’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corp (Army ROTC) offers a unique opportunity for students to serve their community, get their degree and get paid for going to college, but war protesters told another story.
Answer Coalition and Food Not Bombs, both nonprofit organizations, protested near the ROTC’s welcome-back booth last week hoping to counteract on-campus recruitment.
“War is an extreme waste of resources and a crime against humanity,” said Joe Gallegos, an Answer Coalition member and organizer. “We want people to know they have other options than joining the military, and that by joining the military they will be killing working-class people in other countries.”
Gallegos said protesters distributed nearly 1000 fliers, talked to interested students and circulated a petition urging an end to U.S. occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, Erik Sevigny, the recruiting officer for UNM ROTC, said ROTC’s goal is to serve the students and the community.
“The Army is designed to serve the people of America,” he said.
He cited Operation: Lobo Move-In as an example of its commitment to community service — he said he didn’t know if the service resulted in anyone joining ROTC, but that wasn’t the point.
“The Lobo Battalion’s goal is about getting the message out that we’re not all guns and bullets,” he said. “We’re not all crawling in the dirt; we’re part of the community.”
The program, set up in 2003, started with 30 cadets and is funded by both the Army and UNM. It has since grown and is host to 135 students and 11 instructors.
The program offers two-, three- and four-year competitive scholarships and monthly stipends for those who commit to active duty service after college. Stipends range from $350-$500 and increase each year a student is enrolled in the program.
Sevigny said ROTC also offers student loan repayment up to $60,000. Participants are required to serve as active-duty officers for four years to get a scholarship and one additional year for each $20,000 in loan repayment.
“The ultimate goal is to get a cadet their degree … while teaching leadership” he said.
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PQ: We’re not all guns and bullets… We’re part of the community.
