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Army ROTC program set to return to Bradley soon

An Army ROTC program will return to Bradley after 30 years.
The ROTC program, which means Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, was first started in the late 1970s and was around for nearly 10 years, Vice President for Student Affairs Alan Galsky said. Bradley was told it had to shut down its Army and Air Force ROTC programs in the late 1980s.
It was a government decision to cut ROTC programs to save money for other necessities the Army needed.
Bradley wanted to keep both programs available to students, but it wasn’t possible for several years.
Now, with the return of the program, Galsky said he’s glad to see it back because of its importance.
“There are three main reasons why the ROTC program is important,” Galsky said. “Young people who want a career in the Army can gain experience. The program provides students with the tools for good leadership, and also it will provide the Army with well-rounded leaders.”
The ROTC program is based around classroom training and hands-on activities. The program is broken down into three parts, which include history, science and leadership of the military.
“We combine these three types because it will give the students a better understanding of how the military works,” Galsky said.
Many goals have been set for the new program, he said.
“We want to build up the program to get students involved. We also want to make sure that if someone is interested in any aspect of the Army, then this program will help them learn more about the field they are interested in,” he said. “Also, we want to be able to have students at every graduation ceremony that were involved in ROTC.”
There are several opportunities for students to get involved with the program.
“The only thing I really worry about is the time commitment with it. I don’t know if I could balance my time accordingly to have it fit in my schedule,” freshman biology major Hanna Muegge said. 
Freshman art major Laura Rosen said while she respected the program and thinks it would be helpful to those interested, she doesn’t see herself joining.
“I think that it would be very beneficial to the people who want to be involved, and that it could help them after graduation,“ Rosen said.
There are many reasons to get involved with ROTC, Galsky said.
“ROTC may be able to help students get into their desired field after graduation, and sometimes it does lead to students becoming army officers,” he said.
A participant taking only the first two years of the program has no military obligation, according to the ROTC Web site, www.armyrotc.com. To progress to the final two years of the program, the participant must contract with the Army, either in active duty or the reserves.
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