Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-18
ARMY TRAINING CORPS
TO MOBILIZE At V.P. |.
students Over Eighteen Will BE
Enlisted and Given Suitable
Status.
PART OF NATIONAL PLAN
War Departments Policy Is TO Keep
Young Men in College, but he-
serves Right to Call Them to the
ColorS.
rsnaeia1 to rhs Times.Dispatch. !

BIACKSBuRG. VA. August 1T.-As
2 the first step in the plan to mobilize the
colleges of tho country In the ranks Oh
national defense Il students army
training CORPS will be established at
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute this
session This is for the purpose or en-
listing students in the United states
Army and giving them suitable
status. All students over eighteen
years old will he enlisted in the army.
and those under eighteen will be en-
listed. il they SO desire.
The War Department does not desire
to withdraw students from the coiieses.
hut, on the contrary. wishes to Keep
them in school long rs possible.
This students army training corps Is
instituted for the purpose of removing
the prevailing spirit of unrest in the
college and 10 insure the status of the
students. II is not intended through
this TO engage the students in the war
but to keep them at their studies as
the need for educated men is contin-
ually becoming more acute.
The movement is part of the national
mobilization, and will be carried on in
the spirit of the provost generals an
nouncement of work or fight"
STUDENTS STATUS WILL
DE FIRMLY FINED
Parents need have no fear that their
sons are becoming entanEled in the
active army by enrolling in this corps.
as the status of students will be more
firmly fixed than at any time since the
beginning of the war. The War De-
partment reserves the right to call en-
listed students to the colors at any
time. but expressly states that IL is not
its policy to do so until they become
twenty-one years old, nor after their
twenty-first birthday until they grad
uate, in cases where the work OF the
student is of such nature and quality
as TO indicate that he is useful and pre-
pairing himself for a commission.
The Il. Q. T G., the engineers en-
listed reserve corps and the quarter
masters reserve corps Will not be in
terfered with by the establishment OF
the students army training corps. and
will be retained al the Virginia Poly
technic Institute. The college has been
enlisted in spirit in the army since war
sically enlisted The need for techni-
cally trained men cannot be too ear
nestly impressed on our citizens. and
this need will continually increase dur
ing the war and during the reconstruc-
tion period 20 follow. Young men en-
teriug this training corps and their
parents can be confident that they are
being trained and equipped for higher
and more useful service. and that the
superior knowledge gained will render
them much less subject 10 accident
when they Join the fighting forces
CORPS WILL RI OPENED
At TECH SEPTEMBER 3
This coros will he opened for new
students At Virginia Tech September 3.
and for such old students as are called
10 instruct them. The regular college
year begins October :, Both parents
and students have everything 10 gain
and nothing TO lose. both from a pa
triot!c and selfish point OF View, by en-
terins heartily into Ihis training corps.
This should be a banner year in scho-
lastic. technical and military training
Al v +. l.. and earnest work will lie
demanded from both faculty and stu
dents
The commandant Of cadets announces
that action on all applications for
training camps received August Q or
later, Will be suspended pending a set
Element OF the draft regulations ApL
plications will hc received however . :
heretofors, and acted upon as soon as
possible