The Army ROTC is offering college credits to students in return for partaking in a 'Leadership Summer Internship,' a move some students deem a desperate attempt to gain recruits, while others think it is an opportunity for a worthwhile leadership experience.
UW-Madison students received an e-mail in their personal accounts claiming they could 'Earn 6 Credits in 28 Days' Wednesday, through an army 'Leader's Training Course.'
According to Captain Rio Ripberger, the author of the e-mail, the course is 'a program designed for students with no military experience who might be interested in pursuing a future as an Army officer.'
Ripberger also said students would receive cash in addition to credits for their attendance and would not have any obligations to serve following their participation. Ripberger said he thought it would allow students to 'make an educated decision whether or not the military or the Army is the right thing for them.'
Stephanie Jung, a member of Stop the War and a UW-Madison sophomore, said she thought it was 'ridiculous that they would recruit people using credits.'
'I think it obviously shows that the military is desperate right now. They haven't been meeting their quotas,' she said.
But not all students said they viewed the offer in the same light.
'I believe that everybody should experience a drill sergeant once in their life,' said UW-Madison senior Theresa Giorno, who participated in the program two years ago.
Also a member of the ROTC on campus, Giorno attended the 'Leader's Training Course' instead of basic training. The difference between basic training and the course, she said, is that the teachers of the course not only instruct in the basics, but also, 'They want to teach you to be a leader, ' she said.
According to Giorno, the program is broken down into four different week-long sections. The first phase, called the 'Soldier First' phase, is an intense week of bootcamp-like training. The first week pushes cadets past their limits, Giorno said, because it allows instructors to break them down in order to build them back up stronger than they were before.
The other weeks, given titles like 'Warrior Leader' and 'Bold Leader,' all focus on a different aspect of this training. The rest of this six-credit 'Leadership Summer Internship,' as it is called in the e-mail, includes training in skills like weapons, night infiltration and survival.
