Cal State Long Beach’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, part of the Beach Battalion that includes UC Irvine, has consistently had high enrollment numbers, following a trend seen across the nation over the last four years.
The ROTC program is designed to train college students to be military officers after graduation, and focuses on hands-on leadership and military skills.
There were roughly 107 active Beach Battalion cadets for the 2010-2011 school year, though a definite number is difficult to establish because not all cadets are contracted to the Army, and are not required to attend all training events.
Since 2007, ROTC participation has shot up 27 percent, and 56,757 men and women across the country are currently enrolled, according to the United States Department of Defense.
CSULB’s ROTC program peaked in the 1996-1997 school year, with 125 active cadets.
“Enrollment fluctuates due to several factors, like the economy, ongoing world events and politics,” said 2nd Lt. Christian Peralta, criminology major based out of UCI.
Enrollment in ROTC programs increased after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, then steadily decreased because of the invasion of Iraq.
ROTC cadets are entitled to monthly, tax-free stipends of up to $500 ($1,200 annually) for books and various scholarship opportunities. A slouching economy and tuition hikes have made these benefits especially enticing to students considering service in the armed forces.
“The economy is definitely a factor from what I have seen,” Peralta said.
With the recent repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” more campuses than ever before are hosting ROTC programs.
“UCI didn’t have a program until this year. March 21 is when it was officially established,” Peralta said. “There had been a lot of presentations to the faculty, and finally, after the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,’ it got approved.”
ROTC cadets are trained while in school, taking Military Science classes and participating in training exercises meant to prepare them for leadership positions and combat situations.
“On an average week, a freshman or sophomore cadet spends about 9 to 10 hours of ROTC per week, minimum,” Peralta said. “A junior or senior cadet could spend from 20 to 50 hours per week.”
An ROTC graduate is obligated to eight years of military service.
Although recent policy changes have helped ROTC become more widely accepted as part of campus life, not everyone approves of these programs.
“A buddy of mine at Colorado University got spat on while he was wearing his uniform on campus,” Peralta said.
He praised the reception the ROTC program has at CSULB.
“Cal State Long Beach is a really great university that supports ROTC and veterans, and I wish we had it across the entire system,” Peralta said.
The ROTC office can be found in the Health Science and Design building, rooms 108 and 114.
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