Have you ever wandered around campus and seen students in uniform and wondered what they were doing wearing camouflage? Well, these uniformed men and women are part of the Johns Hopkins Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), a program geared towards enrolling and training future officers in the U.S. Army.
Although at its base the program is designed to commission officers, one of the main goals of the ROTC is to inform participating students on citizenship values and instill these lessons in the cadets for use in their future as servicemen and women or civilians. The program also focuses on leadership and management.
ROTC can be both a short-term and long-term commitment. The recruitment process begins in a student's senior year of high school, where enrollment officers will scout potential students.
According to enrollment officer Capt. Amy Wallace, "ROTC cadre look for three specific traits in cadets: a scholar, an athlete and a leader."
The ROTC program requires all cadets to graduate with decent marks in order to receive their commissions at the end of college. Additionally, the cadre work with varsity athletic programs to seek out the most physically fit recruits.
However, the ROTC is also interested in those who play intramural sports and who play sports as a hobby, as they, too, can physically keep up with the rigors of morning fitness training.
Finally, each ROTC member must be a leader, whether it be in a formal or informal leadership position, where the member shows the potential to lead well and efficiently. The ROTC program stresses mental and physical fitness equally in order to ensure a well-balanced organization.
As Capt. Wallace explains, ROTC works on a contractual basis. To become a part of the ROTC, students generally sign a contract to actively serve in the U.S. Army upon graduation.
However, freshmen and sophomores are not required to enter into a contract until they have decided that the ROTC program is right for them. In fact, ROTC can be a regular elective class for underclassmen, where they can test out the program.
As an incentive, there are several possible scholarships available from ROTC. These two-, three- and four-year programs are meant to increase the pool of the applicants, help students who may not be able to pay for college, as well as push recruits to do their best.
The scholarships pay full tuition, $900 per year for books, and a monthly stipend between $250 to $400. Not every student receives a scholarship, and not every student remains in the program for the entire four years of college.
If you are a scholarship student, there is a service obligation of four years of active duty. If you are a contracted cadet who is not a scholarship student, you are only required to serve for three years after graduation.
It is possible to apply for a commission in the National Guard or Army Reserves, but the vast majority of ROTC participants fulfill their contractual obligations through active duty.
Class for ROTC is held every Thursday afternoon for two hours. Classes are led by active duty officers and non-commissioned officers. After class, enrolled students participate in a leadership lab, which is a practical application of what was just taught in the classroom.
For example, if students just learned how to read a map, instructors may put together a navigation course. Additional requirements include physical fitness training Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
These sessions typically involve a cardio workout as well as muscular strength and endurance exercises. The program stresses toning all areas of the body to improve agility and response time.
There are currently eighty-five students enrolled in ROTC programs on campus. Of these, 65 are contracted with the army. The remainder are taking the ROTC class as an elective.
The ROTC is also extremely active around campus. The program specifically seeks out sororities and fraternities to participate because they are already community-service oriented. Additionally, the ROTC works to create diversity through working with the different departments located at JHU.
The ROTC also provides the color guard for all home lacrosse, basketball, and football games.
One of the most amazing events coming up this semester is taking place during Homecoming. The ROTC is bringing the US Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, who will Parajump from planes onto the lacrosse field and hand the team captain the game ball.
The mix between the obvious seriousness of the army and the fun experiences such as these are what make the ROTC so attractive to so many.
The ROTC is also supporting the annual Blue Jay 5k race sponsored by the track team. The race raises money to send DVDs and CDs overseas to deployed troops. Students in uniform will be there during Spring Fair cheering on the runners and manning the water points.
For more information on ROTC, or on how to get involved, go to http://www.jhu.edu/rotc, or contact the enrollment officer, Capt. Amy Wallace, at amy.eileen.wallace@us.army.mil.
