It’s 5:45 on a Friday morning, and a group of freshmen is crowded outside of the UREC instead of asleep in bed. This group of nearly 30 freshmen participated in Army ROTC orientation, which included an Army physical fitness test comprised of sit ups, pushups and a two-mile run. This year’s orientation is different from previous years, which just included scholarship recipients, said Captain William Conger, scholarship and enrollment officer. The orientation changed so it would no longer separate the scholarship recipients from other cadets, but would give them the opportunity to foster relationships, he said. By 6 a.m., the students began the first phase of the physical fitness test: two minutes of pushups. After the pushups, students did two minutes of situps, followed by a two mile run. The purpose of each test was to evaluate endurance and determine which freshmen will be joining the program. The exercises are a way to discover what needs improvement with each cadet, said Sheena Poole, a senior cadet majoring in renewable natural resources. While the freshmen performed each exercise, they were graded and encouraged by senior cadets who also gave the freshmen advice on how to improve the exercises. “This is not boot camp,” Conger said. Lucas Mehrtens, sociology freshman, said the encouragement from the older cadets was “pretty cool.” “There’s definitely a lot of camaraderie already,” Mehrtens said. Julia Malozovsky, biochemistry freshman, said she feared the senior cadets would yell at the younger class. She said she was surprised by the number of females participating, which eased her fears of being a target of the cadets. Poole said seeing the freshmen go through the test reminded her of her accomplishments and how far she has progressed throughout the last few years. Mehrtens said he decided to try ROTC because being in the military is a family tradition. Mehrtens’ grandfather and uncles have been in the military. “Nobody in my generation of my family has done [ROTC] yet,” he said. “It’s kind of a big deal for me.” For Mehrtens, the two-mile run was the hardest part of the fitness test. “The run killed me,” he said. Malozovsky said she worked out prior to Friday’s test to prepare herself. She said she also found the running portion to be the most difficult. Because her family is from Russia, Malozovsky did not tell her parents at first about her plans to participate in the ROTC. In Russia, women are not usually looked upon as being fit enough to join the Army, she said. “They didn’t believe me the first few times I told them,” she said. “Then finally they found one of my ROTC forms, and it was just total chaos.” Her mother wanted her to join the Air Force instead, but Malozovsky said the Army would provide her with better training for the medical field. “Now they’re OK with it,” she said. Mehrtens said being a freshman can be difficult, but being a part of ROTC makes for different experiences than other college students. Malozovsky said Mehrtens is helping guide her through the process. Poole’s advice for the incoming freshmen is to stay motivated, listen and learn from their superiors, maintain their grades, and remember that they represent the military. Both Mehrtens and Malozovsky said participating in the ROTC would help them achieve their career goals. Mehrtens dreams of driving a tank in an armored division and Malozovsky wants to work as an Army medic. Conger said by opening the orientation to all incoming freshmen, the Army ROTC is helping the University remember its roots as a military school. He said the University has stepped away from its original purpose, but with the incoming freshmen, the program will have the opportunity to be reinvigorated. “A new class of cadets are coming in to carry on that tradition,” he said. Lt. Col. Lawrence Burns said his job is to commission leaders and officers, but students should focus on keeping their grades up so they can be commissioned. Master Sgt. Clay Usie advises freshmen and all ROTC cadets to follow the seven core Army values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. “At the end of the day, if you follow those seven core Army values, good things are going to happen,” Usie said.
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