Be All That You Can Be in Army ROTC
by Phoenix Wisserman
Every Thursday they appear out of no
where. They scurry around campus just like
other students, taking the occasional moment
to chat with friends. The only visible feature
that distinguishes them, besides a possible
crewcut, is the green camouflage Battle Dress
Uniform (BDU) they wear. They are Penn
State Hazleton’s Required Officers Training
Course (ROTC).
The ROTC (rot-cee) as it affectionally
known, is not just another college course.
There is no added cost for tuition. In the case
of a two, three, or four year scholarship, the
Army will pay $B,OOO or 80% of tuition a year,
which ever is greater. If you apply for a
scholarship and are granted one, you may have
decided you don’t want to take it. You don’t
have to. But why wouldn’t you want to; the
commitment to the Army is only eight years.
You could spend all eight active Army, all eight
in the National Guard, or any combination of
the two.
At the completion of the four year
college degree, you are commissioned as a
second lieutenant in the United States Army. A
second lieutenant in the active army begins at
earning over $25,000 a year. A student may
also get medical benefits and even receive free
Poetry Reading
The fourth annual Poetry month will be
celebrated at Penn State Hazleton with a po
etry reading on Tuesday, March 1. The pro
gram will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Room G-1 of
the Evelyn Graham Academic Building. The
public is invited to attend the program at no
charge.
The featured poet will be Dr. Charles
Cantalupo, associate professor of English at
Semi-Formal Announced
by Scott Lieberman
The Student Union Board semi-formal
will be held on April 29. We are presently
looking at three banquet halls for this event to
take place in. We are trying to keep the ticket
price below $2O so that more of the student
body will be able to attend. As of now we are
housing and food.
If you choose to take the course, you
don’t have to go into the military. The first four
semesters up until the end of your sophomore
year carry with them no obligation. You also
can drop, the course at any time. Why would
you want to though when getting an A in the
course is so easy and will bring up a Grade
Point Average.
You can get up to seventy points aca
demically. The other points can be gained by
attending physical training (PT) to keep in
shape and weekend activities. Common week
end activities include playing paintball, indoor
mountain climbing, helicopter flights, target
practice with M-16 rifles and rappelling. Most
of these activities have no cost attached to
them since the Army covers the cost of insur
ance and other expenses. There’s no need to
worry about not getting an A in the course. At
the end of the first semester, there were stu
dents that had grades averaging over 150
points out of 100.
The labs for ROTC are just as fun.
Some labs include first aid, swimming with
rifles, and rappelling from the upper gym.
Freshman student Kelly Moore is taking Army
102 this semester. “It’s pretty cool and not to
Program To Feature Cantalupo
the Penn State Schuylkill Campus, where he
teaches creative writing.
Cantalupo has published widely. His
first book, “The Art of hope,” was published
in 1983; a second book “Anima/1 Wo/man,
and Other Spirits.” will be published later this
year.
He is known for his dramatic poetry
readings which often include slides and music
trying to get one of the three places to provide
a small dinner and an all night buffet, including
fruit, dessert, and hot food. King Sound Pro
ductions will be providing the entertainment
for the evening. The event will be held from
about 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
hard. ’ ’lt’s not what the average person would
expect of military course; its laid back.
Another way to earn points is by join
ing the Rifle Team or Ranger Club. The
Rangers are the elite members ofROTC. These
high-speed individuals form a team with no
rival. They study small unit tactics, train for
unconventional operations and study and use a
variety of different weapons. Lt. Bill Moylan,
the commanding officer (CO) of the Ranger
Club, explained that Rangers is all about ‘ ‘push
ing yourself harder, and being more than just a
regular soldier. Rangers lead the way.”
Cadet Captain Tom Ehrhart knows
ROTC is a learning experience. “ROTC teaches
young men and women to be the future leaders
of this country.”
Master Sgt. Mitchell, the course in
structor feels ROTC is beneficial because it
helps to develop people skills. “You get to
deal with people from all walks of life, “said
Mitchell.
The leadership skills, the people you
meet, and the education you receive, can help
you as you travel down the road of life. The
friends you make and the things you do are
memories that will last a lifetime. These are
just a few reasons why Army ROTC is the
smartest college course you can take.
as part of the presentation. He has given read
ings throughout the United States and interna
tionally.
Joining Dr. Cantalupo will be a number
ofPenn State student poets who will read from
their own works, which will also appear in the
first edition ofPenn State’s “The Palimpsest
Review,” due to be published shortly.
ville. TN' or even Snrin?field MO Believe it