I am an SMP member that is trying to focus on school (Engineering degree) and ROTC is not helping me have enough time to study. I had applied for a GRFD which supposedly is in effect but I have yet to recieve payment for as well as a SMP Kicker for the GIBILL that I have not recieved.

I spoke with my commander who said he would consider my decision. Today I recieved an email from him saying my grade (that affects my GPA) will be affected for not showing up to class and that I will not be dis-enrolled.

He has refused to submit my request to cadet command.

I just want to return to my enlisted contract which I had extended for the ROTC in the National Guard (Texas).

Who can I contact? Or what should I do?
Thanks

Youre not really giving us enough info. It sounds like youre trying to drop ROTC and youre under scholarship. Am I correct? Dont know about GRFD scholarships, but in the run of the mill Army ROTC scholarships you can wind up incurring a service obligation if you drop.

Before you disenroll, consider this. Ive known a number of people who majored in engineering. All of them barely passed and all of them had employers beggining them to sign on. So Im wondering if you should really worry so much about your GPA. Also, you have to work pretty hard to get a bad ROTC grade. Seems to me your best bet would be to stay in ROTC (for the grades at least) and muddle through your degree program.

I am trying to get a job in automotive engineering. I am already in the co-op/intern process and have realized that everyone's assumption of an engineer with a 2.5 can get in is false. You need a good gpa to get a job of your choice. I wouldn’t want to be using the equipment that a fellow student in the 2.5 GPA range designs anyways. No offense to anyone.

I am a National Guard (E5) that joined the ROTC to get help with school. Instead my program requires high attendance, and volunteer events to make an A. They have been giving C's and B's to several cadets. My first year, even though I scored A's on all academic portions, they gave me a B+ because I did not volunteer for three events. The second semester I had to fight just to get an A- due to insufficient volunteering.

The cadre does not understand that I really do need 5-10 hours a day to study ideally, and do that. Unfortunately that does not mix well when I have to be up at 0430 every other morning to play the ROTC game. It doesn’t make sense to hurt my GPA and then get a crappy grade from the source of the hurting when I want to stay in the National Guard and peruse a civilian occupation full time.

In the future, there are better ways of going officer if do choose to take that path, but my priority right now is school. The ROTC had promised me whatever I asked before contracting and then has forgotten about me after I signed up.

I need to know what my rights are to dis enrolling from the program being an SMP who has been awarded a GRFD scholarship. The GRFD has already made me extend my contract with no sign up bonus since my MOS is a critical skill. I believe I have lost enough financially and academically to warrant for a need to quit the program.

Another thing that is apparent is the fact that I am the only cadet in a junior/senior level that is still an engineer. All other cadets that were in classes ahead of my dropped their engineering majors.

Wow! Youre in one screwed up ROTC detachment ! I had a similar problem with my ROTC cadre (though nowhere near as severe). My school's MSII classes were military history classes which is my forte. I busted my rear on these two classes and finished the year up with almost perfect grades (I got docked 1 point for referring to 18th century Holland as The Netherlands when that entity didnt yet exist ). At the end of the year, I was expecting to get the top MSIII assignment of CSM. Nope! The PMS wanted the cadet ranked #2 in my class in that position. So the MSII instructor docked me on my leadership points just enough to put him one point over me! Grrrr!

I see two options for you to have your cake and eat it too. Neither will likely be pleasant though. First is to transfer to another school. I get the feeling youre somewhere in the last two years of school. If you transfer, youre likely going to loose credits. The other option would be to take the matter higher up the food chain to your ROTC Brigade or your congressman. This option is likely even worse. While it sounds like your school cadre are running a pretty f'ed up operation, the PMS is almost certainly operating within the rules. The end result is likely no change and the cadre being super annoyed at you.

As to disenrolling from ROTC, you can certainly do it. However, I am pretty certain you will wind up with a potential active service obligation. I never saw a GRFD scholarship recipient do this, but my gut feeling says you risk going on active duty. Now from seeing this in action with regular ROTC scholarship recipients, the PMS has quite a bit of leeway in your fate. I had two different PMSs while in ROTC. The first one was very indulgent with scholarship bolos. If they could come up with some sort of DQ, he'd let them off the hook. If they couldnt do that, hed let them serve in the Navy or Air Force. The next one was a hardazz with this. If someone dropped ROTC, he gave them two options. These were to pay back the scholarship or go in the Army with no choice of MOS or duty assignment after graduating. I have a feeling your PMS will be like the latter one. If youre a MOS qualified reservist, I really dont see you getting the "needs of the Army/11B" treatment. However, youre unlikely to be in a position to put your engineering degree to good use.

quote:

Originally posted by DaConfusion:
Another thing that is apparent is the fact that I am the only cadet in a junior/senior level that is still an engineer. All other cadets that were in classes ahead of my dropped their engineering majors.

That is pretty typical.

Have you already been assigned a GRFD control number? If not, I think you will be able to drop out of ROTC. The only thing is you will have to pay back any ROTC stipends you have received. I don't think they can make you go active duty. However, you will be in a deployable status if your National Guard unit deploys. Might be safer to stick with the program and finish school.

i was told last semester that any cadet who cannot fulfill his scholarship obligations will be forced onto active duty and WILL NOT have the opportunity to simply pay back his scholarship.

granted, the cadre didn't specify what would happen to a GRFD cadet, but i would imagine that is a scholarship so it applies all the same.

sorry i can't give you a concrete answer, just keep in mind there is a good chance you will be forced onto active duty.

Ask for a conditional release to put in a NG OCS packet...

the NG OCS program is so much better than ROTC, no freakin fund raising for a grade and all that bs.

But I cant use that as a reason for release since another cadet already tried that.

CadetK how do you know you have to pay back the stipends? That is considered "drill pay" and cant be revoked. I was told specifically that when I signed up (contracted).

I have yet to recieve anything aside from a book allowance for my GRFD so I am thinking ill have to pay back maybe 1200 bucks...

I rather be placed on deployable status than continue half assing my studies. I want to give one thing my all and not 75-25 or something. I am sure you guys understand.

I just dont know who to go for help. I will try and get a hold of my NG commander who can maybe help.

quote:

Originally posted by 300_Spartans:


Before you disenroll, consider this. Ive known a number of people who majored in engineering. All of them barely passed and all of them had employers beggining them to sign on. So Im wondering if you should really worry so much about your GPA. Also, you have to work pretty hard to get a bad ROTC grade. Seems to me your best bet would be to stay in ROTC (for the grades at least) and muddle through your degree program.

The reasons for that is because right now in the United States there is a serious shortage of enginners your pretty much guarranted a job if you get a degree in that right now. Oh and also in regard to the dropping rotc, if your on a GRFD then your smp contract will take play and you then serve enlisted in the Guard or Reserves and not Active Duty.

First off, I find it hard to believe you couldn't find 3 hours out of your semester to volunteer and that you spend 5-10 hours a day studying.

You say that you have a GRFD scholarship. Well then that is what should have paid your tuition this semester. That benefit probably went straight to the school, so you didn't "see it" like you did your book money.

If you have a GRFD scholarship you will probably have to pay back something. Right now Cadet Command expects you to serve if you are in your 3rd year of ROTC, and pay back benefits if you are in your 2nd year.

Hey man, Fight it. I understand you.

It is hard sometimes to be a full time student in a tough major and be in ROTC. Try to go back to being a Guardsmen and go to OCS.

Half assing your studies means you're also half assing ROTC. Why not FULLY focus on a degree then FULLY focus on commissioning via OCS?

**And to the person that said you HAD to go active duty. That's a negative. You can simply pay back the scholarship

Hey daconfusion what did you end up doing. I ask because I'm thinking of switching to engineering as my major. Oh by the way what concentration of engineering are you studying?

SWD
I am an Engineer on the civilian side. I didnt do ROTC while in college for 2 reasons, 1. I chose a school that didnt have ROTC at the time (I could have gone to a different school that did) and 2. I HAD to focus on my studies.
Engineering is very labor intensive and I couldnt imagine doing both.
I went with the OCS route instead.
That is my 2 cents, if you are motivated it can be done and I am sure it is done all the time, but remember that college should be enjoyed.

What school in Texas are you going to? I am at TCU and our PMS runs a few of the north Texas Schools (Baylor, TCU, Weslyan, UNT). Also I have friends with the other program run out of UTA.
Wow, you are getting crapped on it shouldn't be like that. We make all kinds of room for Nursing students and the engineers at our programs since you guys actually do rocket science stuff.

how much longer of an obligation do you incur by taking the GRFD scholarship?

Once you commission, you restart the entire process. Another six years in the active reserves at least.

The problem it sounds like your having is one similar to mine. I tried to drop the program after receiving a GRFD scholarship, so that I could deploy with my unit. The PMS told me that I would be in breach of contract, and that all my GRFD scholarship money would be revoked(its a lot...out of state tuiton for a couple years).

Technically, because you signed a contract, they have your ass, the same way the NG did when you were enlisted. You couldn't just up and quite the NG right? Same thing applies here. You signed a contract to serve, they are expecting you to honor it.