The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-17
News Of the Old Dominion
v.P.I. PREPARES TO HAVE
STUDENTS ARMY CORPS
To Keep Boys at school They VIII BE
Trained in Students Army
Corps.

Especial to The Richmond Nlrginian)
E4acksburg Va, Aug le.--As the
FIRST step IN the plan 10 mobolize the
colleges OF the country in the ranks
Of national defense a students army
raining corps VIII he established at
the NlrEitAa Polytechnic lns Itute this
session. / his Is tor the purpose of
euhsuns students n the United states
army and giving tnem a suitable
sta tus. All students over eighteen
years old Will be enlisted in the army
and those under eighteen will be en-
listed If they SO desire
The war department does not de-
sire TO withdraw students from the
colleges but. on the contrary, wishes
10 keep them IN school as long as pos
slbie The students army training
corps is instituted for the purpose of
+ removing the prevailing spirit of I'M
rest in the colleges and TO insure the
Status of the students. 1t Is not in
tended through this to engage the
students IN the war, but TO keep them
at their studies. as the need for edu
Gated men is continually becoming
more acute
The movement is part OF the ma
tlonal mobilization and will be carried
on IN the spirit of the provost gene
RAJ IS announcement of work or night"
their sons are becoming entangied in
the active army by enrolling IN this
corps, as the status of students viii
be more firmly fixed than at any time
SINCE the beginning of the war, The
war department reserves the right to
call enlisted students to the colors al
any time but expressly states that it
is not its policy to do SO until they be-
come twenty years old, nor after
= l.
graduate. in cases where the work of
The student Is of such nature and
quality as to indicate that he Is useful
and preparing himself fer a commits
sion,
The r. O T, G. the engineers en-
listed reserve corps and the quarter
masters reserve corps will not be in
terfered with by the esta blishment of
the students army training corps and
Will be retained at the Virginia Poly
technlc institute. The college has
been enlisted IN spirit in the army
since war was declared and it now
becomes physically enlisted. The need
for technically trained men cannot be
too earnestly impressed on our citizens
and this need VIII continually increase
during the war, and during the recon
structIon period to follow. Young
men entering 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 gain
ed will render them much less ubject
70 accident when they join the fighting
forces.
This corps will be opened for new
students a Virginia Tech September
8, and for such old students as are
| called to instruct them. The regular
| college year begins October l. Both
| parents and students have everything
! TO gain and nothing to lose. both from
| patriotic and selfish point of view.
by entering heartily into this training
corps This should be a banner year
in scholastic, technical and military
training at V. F. l. and earnest work
will be demanded from both faculty
and students.
The commandant of cadets an
nounces that action on all applications
for training camps received August o.
or later, Will be suspended, pending a
settlement of the draft regulations
| Applications will he received how
ever, as heretofore. and acted upon as
I soon as possible.