ROTC and the government shutdown: Training continues on campus

For Lily Rose, a senior biology major, a typical school day starts at 5:30 a.m.

As the Battalion S-4 for Miami University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AROTC), she’s the person who handles the logistics and supply operations for the group, on top of her duties as a cadet and as a student. These duties include physical training at 7 a.m., military science labs and a commitment to join the Army for up to eight years after she completes her higher education. It’s a strict schedule, but one that Rose is comfortable with.

In exchange for this unique college experience, AROTC cadets are compensated with scholarships (covering up to full tuition) and a monthly stipend of $420.

For Rose, being able to attend Miami was a reason why she enlisted.

“I have a full ride to the university, which is awesome,” Rose said. “That makes financial freedom pretty great, and [the scholarship] also covered my room and board for [my first year] and sophomore year.”

Photo by Provided by Lily Rose | The Miami Student
Lily Rose's tuition is covered by the United States' Army.

The financial freedom AROTC provides was uncertain during the record-breaking government shutdown, the longest in United States history.

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Many government-run organizations faced the threat of funding issues, and the military was no exception. While general troops were paid during the shutdown, there were fears that a long period of government closure could result in future missed payments and suspension of ROTC scholarships or stipends.

Master Sgt. Jacob Hill said the military, including AROTC, would continue regardless of payment.

“One of the key Army values is duty, right?” Hill said. “At some point in time, everyone agrees to serve … regardless of what’s going on.”

Rose shared a similar philosophy.

“We do our job,” Rose said. “It doesn’t matter if we get paid or not.”

Luckily for the AROTC cadets, Miami agreed to honor all of the scholarships and stipends.

“The university has done a really great job at honoring the students with our scholarships,” Rose said. “They’re keeping the promise that even though the pay, due to the government shutdown, is delayed … it will be paid at a future date.”

Rachel Beech, the vice president for enrollment management and student success, said it would be rare for cadets to see any bill from the university, regardless of shutdown status.

“If we had stayed delayed into December or even January, they would see the bill be waived, but they wouldn’t necessarily say the account be closed,” Beech said.

ROTC scholarships are broken down into federal and university levels, with tuition being billed to the military and housing being billed to Miami.

Beech said there are two components to how ROTC students receive their funds. Part of it through the federal government and the other part, for housing and meals, is a direct scholarship from Miami, so it wasn't affected by the government shutdown.

“At the end of the day, I head home, like everyone else,” Rose said.

kaltenmg@miamioh.edu

greenpt@miamioh.edu