The U.S. armed forces are stepping up their recruiting on college campuses all over the country, hoping to enlist more students.
With talks of war against Iraq and North Korea, along with the ongoing Operation Enduring Freedom, the need for soldiers is higher than ever and college students are the prime targets.
The U.S. Army made recruiting efforts on campus earlier this month by bringing an interactive tour with activities such as rock climbing walls and motion simulator rides.
Lou Piazza, who came with the tour, said about 160 people showed up for the event.
“We wanted to create awareness of the opportunities available in the U.S. Army,” Piazza said.
Sgt. 1st Class Jill Pearl, the campus recruiting officer, said college-age people are in high demand for many reasons.
“They’re in their best physical shape, they’re single and they don’t have children,” Pearl said.
      Pearl said she does not think a draft is the answer for getting more people to join the armed forces, but it may depend on how bad the situation gets.
Maj. Greg Johnson, a military science professor, said recruiters are focusing on college students because they are better educated than people coming right out of high school.
“Everything is technologically advanced now and you have to be computer literate,” Johnson said.
Sgt. 1st Class Richard Johnson, from the Louisiana National Guard Recruiting Office in New Iberia, La., said they want people who can make a mature decision about enlisting.
“My opinion is that today, high school students have a hard time making up their minds,” he said. “College students are more focused and goal oriented.”
Pearl, however, thinks students out of high school should enlist because it would give them a chance to get serious about their futures.
“They get basic training in the Army Reserves or the National Guard and get trained in a job they select when they get in,” Pearl said. “It better prepares them for college. It’s good for the individual and for the country.”
Pearl said recruiting, especially on college campuses, has been extremely difficult since Sept. 11 because there is a greater possibility of deployment.
“People think, ‘Do I join and get deployed when I’m trying to finish college?'” Pearl said.
She said it also has been hard to make the benefits of enlisting look appealing because many people have other options for financing education, like TOPS.
Richard Johnson said before TOPS the National Guard was a popular way to get money for college.
“We were the only ballpark in town as far as scholarships go,” he said. “But when TOPS came out, it put a crunch on that.”
Johnson said in some cases people will join up after they lose a scholarship and have no other avenues for paying tuition.
“They’ll do a year at LSU and then join the Guard for the benefits,” Johnson said. “A lot of them don’t make up their minds until freshman or sophomore year on what they want to do.”