With rumblings of war in Iraq growing stronger, many members of the Wisconsin National Guard--including students at UW-Madison--have been summoned for active duty.
Many National Guard members have received orders from Washington to prepare for active service either overseas or within the United States. Under Title X of the U.S. Code, the president can mobilize men and women of the National Guard for various purposes and lengths of time.
According to Lt. Col. Tim Donovan, public affairs officer for the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, Wisconsin has 10,000 men and women in the National Guard. Effective Friday morning, 1,125 members, some of them college students, will be on active duty.
\Since Sept. 11, we've been actively engaged, providing our capabilities and resources to active armed forces all around the world,"" he said. ""We've mobilized maybe 600 additional people in the last two weeks.""
Acting under the partial mobility privilege of Title X, President Bush is allowed to call up to one million National Guard members for service. Donovan said the current mandate is for one year but is subject to change.
""Orders could be, if required, extended up to two years ... We all, of course, hope it's much less than that,"" Donovan said.
Upon hearing of the mobilizations, UW-Madison Dean of Students Luoluo Hong expressed the administration's concern for students called to serve.
""We certainly support students fulfilling their civic duty on behalf of the country,"" she said. ""We hope ... any of our students called to active duty are able to return quickly and safely.""
Hong also noted that UW-Madison has policies in place to accommodate students who must leave for active duty during the school year.
National Guard members may withdraw from the university and receive a full-tuition refund through their dean's office, or they may drop classes and complete their remaining courses in several different ways.
For example, ""they can take an incomplete and finish work afterward in collaboration with their faculty member,"" Hong said.
If students are mobilized near the end of the semester and have performed well in a course, they may negotiate with their instructors for a final grade, she said.
