Thursday, October 28, 1982
Daily Nebraskan
Page 15
ROTC programs attracting more UNL students
By Lori Sullivan
After graduation, Mark Maneely hopes to join the
Euro-NATO program as a fighter pilot as Sheppard Air
Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Maneely, a senior electrical engineering major and
president of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, is also group
commander of the Air Force ROTC at UNL.
One of the biggest misconceptions about ROTC
concerns classes, Maneely said. Anyone can attend the
ROTC classes, he Said.
"I recommend the 100-level course. It describes all
the options, it's open to everybody and you do not have
to make any commitment," Maneely said.
Even when he was very young, Maneely said he knew
what he wanted to do: be a pilot. Joining Air Force
ROTC was just another step toward reaching that goal.
The Air Force now needs pilots more than any other
position, he said.
Even though he will start at a lower salary in military
service than graduates who enter private industry, he
said he will be ahead in the long run.
An ROTC graduate gains extremely valuable exper
ience while serving his or her commitment years, he
said.
If the ROTC graduate should later decide to join
private industry, that experience would place him or her
in a higher salary bracket than people who spent the
same time period solely in private industry, he said.
'No bridges burned'
"I feel that I have a lot of options and no bridges
burned behind me. I don't think too many people can
say that," he said.
Air Force ROTC has many career options, and though
members usually, can't pick their exact job or location,
he said they generally are guaranteed a job where their
interests lie. Everyone should at least learn about ROTC,
he said.
ROTC programs for the Army, Navy and Air Force
have requirements for physical fitness and grade point
averages. All three branches offer scholarships that stu
dents compete for on the national level. Scholarships
vary in length from two to four years and include full
tuition, books and fees. In addition, students receive
pay of $100 per month.
Students not on scholarship also can join ROTC
programs. They may attend all ROTC classes that scholar
ship students attend. Non-scholarship students also
receive pay of $ 100 per month.
During the freshman and sophomore years of ROTC
membership, there is no commitment to years of service
in the military. Students may belong to an ROTC program
until their junior year with no service obligations.
Students belonging to ROTC enroll in various military
science classes and labs. In addition, they attend summer
training courses. After graduating and accepting a com
mission into the military, they make a commitment
for a number of years of service. Commitment periods
vary widely according to the student's field and status
while in school.
Enrollment up
ROTC enrollment in all three service branches is up.
Directors of the programs say there are several reasons
why.
Capt. Darrel Troutman, director of Navy ROTC,
said Americans are "over the Vietnam syndrome."
The negative connotations of joining the military
service have ended, he said.
Economics is also a reason for rising ROTC enrol
lment, Troutman said. Military salaries have risen and
a job position is assured as well.
The majority of Navy ROTC scholarships are awarded
to students in what Troutman called "the technical
Women discuss agricultural careers
The importance of communicatijn skills in achieving
success was stressed by three women who spoke at a
brown bag seminar at the East Union Wednesday.
The topic of the seminar was "Women on the Agri
cultural Front." The event was sponsored by the Col
lege of Agriculture dean's Advisory Council on Women
Student Concerns.
barb Bush, range management graduate student, was
coordinator of the meeting. The panel members discussed
their experiences as professionals in the agricultural
field.
Kathy Votaw, a loanofficer with First National Bank
of Lincoln and a 1977 UNL agriculture honors graduate,
said she didn't realize how important the Lincoln and
Omaha banks were to agriculture. Right now, there are
$60 million worth of farm loans out.
Votaw works as a correspondent bank officer and
travels to other banks in northern Nebraska on loan
inspections.
She said she chose the agricultural field because it was
the field she liked.
Cheryl Westcott, a 1974 UNL journalism graduate, is
the new director of information at the Nebraska Farm
Bureau. She had many different jobs in radio, advertising
and television before joining the extension staff at UNL
in agricultural communications in 1979.
Westcott said she wrote newsletters for the extension
service while she completed her master's degree, which
she received in 1981. She heard about the Farm Bureau
job through another student and composed a specialized
resume to fit Jhe qualifications of the job, she said.
Andre Roberts-Gillaspie, executive director of the
Nebraska Corn Board, was the last panel member to
speak. Roberts-GiUaspie, a 1974 UNL graduate in animal
science and journalism, emphasized how important it is
to get a job that satisfies you. One must interview the
company as well as when they interview you, she said.
Her job includes working on a bill that President
Reagan signed concerning using corn for fuel. She also
does a lot of research, news releases and public relations.
The board recently sponsored a Japanese team in
Nebraska that filmed a documentary on soil erosion in
the United States, Roberts-Gillaspie said. Japan, the
top consumer of American food, is concerned about
the problem and wanted to help find a solution, she
said.
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majors." Engineering, mathematics, chemistry, physics
and computer science are classified as technical majors.
Almost 80 percent of Navy ROTC scholarships are in
those areas, he said.
Many people do not know what ROTC is about, said
Army ROTC director Maj. James A. Thomas Jr. The
acronym ROTC stands for Reserve Officer Training
Corps. The program was established during the Civil
War to facilitate the training of officers.
A provision of the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862
required all land-grant colleges to teach military science,
agriculture and mechanics, Thomas said. Prior to 1964,
all male freshman and sophomores were required to take
ROTC classes.
Program a supplement
The ROTC program is not offered as a major or a
minor, Thomas said. It is offered as a supplement to
normal study and enables a student to be eligible to
receive a commission to military service.
The Army offers a "simultaneous membership pro
gram", he said. ROTC members also may be members
of the National Guard or the Army Reserves and receive
pay for both.
"We offer monthly counseling for our students and
help with problem courses if they need it," he said.
Air Force ROTC director Col. Darrell Grapes said his
program concentrates on technical majors. UNL students
"do very well in winning scholarships in technical fields,'
he said.
The public attitude toward ROTC has gone up and
down during his 21 years in the Air Force, Grapes said.
At UNL, he said, ROTC is very well accepted.
Grapes said he likes classes other than military science
being conducted in the building. Students passing through
become more familiar with the ROTC program.
"We have a lot of people coming in and asking about
programs. Some join and some don't," he said.
The quality of the Air Force ROTC program gives
Grapes confidence that people in ROTC will make a
career in the service, he said.
"Actually, the students sell the program themselves,"
Grapes said.
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RALPH D.
FUOUC SERVICE COF1gVHOSfOf4
L
What will a 17 increase in telephone
rates and a 18 increase in the price
of natural gas do to UNL's budget?
-Ralph Johnson will not vote for
Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph
Co.'s requested 17 rate increase
-Ralph Johnson will work to reg- ,
ulate natural gas prices by the
Public Service Commission
-Ralph Johnson is an experienced
economist and a public interest
advocate
Elect Ralph D. Johnson to the Nebraska
Public Scrvico Commission.
Wtg C. Peyton. Otxrxs. Ofnn tnd I H- I Xmrnunrt. 130 N
37 Sir. Una.N 68503
