17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø

Following his 2012 graduation from 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø as a major, Ross Pursifull will head toward a different kind of commencement: from stateside military training to possible overseas combat.

Pursifull is one of 15 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø students this year who are enrolled in the college’s ROTC program. He and his fellow cadets are well aware that with the U.S. engaged in wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, active duty likely is in their future.

"Joining a wartime Army means no surprises," said . "I joined with the full knowledge I might have to go to war."

Fellow 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø ROTC cadet Becca Flim is equally pragmatic about what the future might hold for her.

"Right now anyone who either enlists or commissions should realize that they are most likely going to deploy to a combat situation," she said. "It is these type of combat situations that we train for, and it is these type of situations that I want to be involved in."

ROTC offers free tuition, books

The nationwide offers college students, including 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø students, not only free tuition, but also $600 per semester for books and a $300 per month living stipend that rises to $500 a month by the senior year in college.

After college, students are required to complete mandatory military service, usually eight years as a combination of four years full-time service in the Army followed by the balance in the Individual Ready Reserve (students are commissioned as Second Lieutenants upon college graduation).

Pursifull, a Dearborn, Mich., native, fell in love with 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø during a campus visit. The chance to go to 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø for free, courtesy of the U.S. government, made for an easy decision.

"My dad was cool with me joining the military," recalled Pursifull who made his college decision as a high school senior at Lutheran High School Westland. "All he said was that he wanted me to be an officer and to go to college. My grandfather had done it (ROTC) back in the 30s, so I started checking out colleges that had ROTC programs."

Though Pursifull's dad was a 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø grad, he did not push his son toward 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø. But after checking out several other Christian colleges with ROTC programs, Ross Pursifull paid a visit to 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø's campus. The combination of 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø's academics, faith, proximity to Lake Michigan—and ROTC—sold Pursifull on his dad's alma mater.

"17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø seemed like a good fit," he said simply, "but if it had not had ROTC, I would not be here."

Some students join after deciding on 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø

Others among the 15 in the program also came to 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø because of the ROTC, but some cadets found out about the program after deciding on 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø.

Ben Byma, a sophomore from Lansing, Ill., and a graduate of Illiana Christian High School, didn't even know 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø had ROTC when he made his college decision.

"I found out because a guy on my floor last year was in the program and was able to tell me more about it," he said. "I came to 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø mostly because it was one of the few Christian colleges that had an accredited . Both of my parents and my grandparents on both sides also attended 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø, so it was natural for me to consider 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø as an option. When I came to a , I was impressed by the opportunities of a large university, but with the size and feel of a small college."

He joined the ROTC program this year after spending much of his freshman year at 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø working on the paperwork and physical requirements for entry into the program—an option that allows him to combine two interests he had already as a high school student.

"In high school I thought a lot about enlisting in the military," said Byma, one of five majors among the 15 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø ROTC students, "but decided it would be better to finish college first. Then when I came to 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø, I found out you can do both at the same time through ROTC."

Training for combat situations

Byma knows that ROTC will make for a vastly different post-graduation future than his non-ROTC classmates might have.

"Having an engineering degree, I hope to be put in the combat engineers branch," he said. "I have some desire to go active duty and to provide more service to the country. It would be difficult to be deployed overseas in a hostile environment. Sometimes I wonder if I would be prepared to handle a combat situation, but we are receiving some of the best training in the world from our organization, and I am certain that we will be adequately prepared for anything when our training is complete."

17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø's ROTC students take basic and advanced courses at Western Michigan University's campus in Grand Rapids, located about a half mile south of the 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø campus on the East Beltline. As freshmen they take a course called "Preparing for Success as an Army Officer," and as sophomores they take another called "The Role of an Officer." The advanced courses come during a student's junior and senior years and cover such things as leading small, tactical units and transitioning to becoming an officer.

The 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø students also take part in a variety of training exercises on campus, including one in which they are pushed into 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø's pool fully clothed and holding rifles, and they participate together three mornings a week,—Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 to 7 a.m.—in physical training. They utilize 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø's new where they run, jump, stretch and work out, a regimen that students say creates a keen sense of camaraderie among the 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø cadets.

ROTC cadets a close-knit group

"I have gotten to know a lot of great people," said Byma, "and have learned how to rely on them while they rely on me. Sometimes the training kicks our butts, but we always try to enjoy it and do our best at it. Also, the things that we learn about leadership, values and accountability are practical not only in a military setting, but in personal everyday situations."

Across the country some 20,000 ROTC cadets currently are enrolled in colleges and universities, with women making up about 20 percent of that number. 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø is right at that national average as three women are among this year's corps of 15. Hawthorne, N.J., native and Eastern Christian High School graduate Flim is a junior at 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø and a major with a minor. She too planned to attend 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø before ever knowing there was an ROTC program on campus, and she echoes Byma's thoughts about the camaraderie the ROTC creates among the 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø students.

"I came to 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø because I knew that the education was very good here," she said. "Both my parents and a lot of family members have also attended 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø, as well as many students from Eastern Christian. I like how close knit of a group our ROTC program is. We all get along very well and have fun at the labs, class or any other ROTC programs. I also like that our labs can be so close to 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø."

In addition to Byma, Flim and Pursifull, the other students this year in the 17cÆð²ÝÉçÇø program are: Glenn Bulthuis, Adam Card, Dave Eberle, Tom Ellens, John Eske, David Headley, Enoch Kim, Cecilia Krenz, Caleb Perkins, Aaron Rask, Andrew Taylor and Olivia Wenzel.