Efforts to beef up the U.S. military have hit home as recruiters have targeted the University of La Verne on a few recent occasions.
“I ran into a team of them at a job fair the other day and they were trying to get me to sign up,” said Stephen Thies, a junior Economics major.
Thies confirmed that their main selling point to him at that time was the offering of paying off school loans and tuition by enlisting.
“That is the thing they tried to sell the most to me,” Thies said. “If you join, then this is free and that is free, you can’t help but be attracted to something like that.”
As the war in Iraq rages on and the need for new recruits expands, it’s not surprising that recruiters would make their way here, said Hector Delgado, associate professor of sociology.
“ULV would be a target because of its sizable working class,” Delgado said. “They are going to places (to recruit) that are more financially strapped.”
Greg Becker, spokesman for the Los Angeles area recruitment office said the ongoing war has made his job more difficult.
“Obviously, the help of repaying loans and providing future education is a big sell for us,” Becker said. “There are a whole lot of opportunities that they can have when joining the military."
During times of peace, Becker said, the military life looks more appealing to more young people. Though he added: “Our target generally remains the same,” Becker said. “High schools, colleges, job fairs, anywhere.”
Becker added, however, that he is confident the military will be able to stabilize recruitment efforts despite the conflict in Iraq because of what it can offer recruits.
Delgado is not so confident about the military’s efforts in recent recruiting surges. He believes that if things don’t pick up, there may have to be a draft.
“They have to step up recruiting,” Delgado said. “What happens if we go into Iran or another country, I just don’t see how we can avoid a draft in the future.”
Public colleges and universities are required to provide student enrollment and contact information to the military. Because ULV is a private institution, it is not required to provide such information to the military.
Still, reluctance to enlist in the military has become a much greater obstacle for recruiters.
Education and financial perks not withstanding, when it comes down to it, the military is a tougher sell these days as enlisting today almost guarantees the enlistee will see combat. With projections that we’re years away from pulling out of Iraq, many speculate that a draft could be the route President Bush eventually takes.
Steven Falls can be reached at sfalls21@msn.com.