COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: Student Privacy
High Schools Restricting Military Recruiters
Anne Ryman, Arizona Republic
March 15, 2006
High
schools, long a key target for military recruiters, are placing more
limits on recruiters' access to students because of parents' complaints.
A growing number of schools throughout the country have set
limits over the past year, including two of Arizona's biggest school
districts. The changes come after parents complained that recruiters
were overzealous or were on campus too often.
In Arizona, the Tucson and Sunnyside unified school districts
limited each military branch to one visit per month. Paradise Valley
Unified School District in the Valley is moving to confine recruiters
to the counseling office; they used to roam the campuses almost freely,
talking to students.
The limits are spreading even as the military tries to bounce
back from a tough year of recruiting. The war in Iraq dampened
enthusiasm to enlist in 2005. But active-duty services have met their
goals so far this year, with some reserve services coming up short.
It's not clear whether many more high schools will adopt
restrictions - a few have loosened them at the military's request - but
recruiters are concerned.
Army recruiters in Arizona, for one, have a lot at stake. Last
year, Arizona seniors made up 871, or about 41 percent, of the
enlistments by the Army's Phoenix Recruiting Battalion, which handles
recruiting for most of the state. Seniors made up 12 percent of Army
enlistments nationwide. Even if students don't sign up in high school,
their encounters with recruiters at school often inspire future
enlistment.
The importance of students to the military is borne out by one of
the goals of every Arizona Army recruiter: to contact 100 percent of
seniors in their assigned ZIP codes, in person or by phone. Some
schools are open to recruiters while others are not, said Army Lt. Col.
Kenneth Hickins, who oversees recruiting in most of Arizona, New Mexico
and western Texas.
It's hard to tell whether the recent limits have affected recruiting numbers, he said.
"Does it make work harder for recruiters? Yeah," he said.
Recruiter's day
It's lunchtime at Horizon High School, and Marine Corps Staff
Sgt. Carlos Garcia talks and jokes with students in the courtyard.
Dressed in a spotless uniform and shiny black shoes, the
28-year-old stands out among students in blue jeans and T-shirts.
Horizon is one of several Paradise Valley high schools that plan to
restrict recruiters to the counseling office.
Garcia feels a little apprehensive about the changes.
"Right now, we're holding our breath," he said.
Given the choice, he loves the courtyard because it's easier to
talk to more students. Besides seeking prospects, he answers questions
about the military and checks in with students who have signed up to
join the Marines once they graduate.
Garcia recruits at two other area high schools: Fountain Hills
and Desert Mountain in Scottsdale. His personal goal is to recruit at
least five students from Horizon this year, four from Desert Mountain
and two from Fountain Hills. He is close to his goal at Horizon, with
four, and halfway there at Desert Mountain, with two. He has none at
Fountain Hills. Garcia visits each school at least once a week.
Recruiters must reach out to a lot of students to land a few.
"Everyone is a potential recruit, and I treat them as such," said Garcia, who has been in the Marines for 10 years.
For every 10 students he talks to, three will be eligible for
service and one will be interested. Some won't pass the medical
requirements or background screening, or score high enough on the Armed
Services aptitude test.
Recruiting challenges
Military recruiters face a unique situation: It's the first time
in U.S. history that an all-volunteer force is being used during a long
war.
The operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and for homeland security
have required large numbers of personnel, which magnified recruiting
challenges. In 2005, the military had to retain tens of thousands to
maintain its 2.7 million force.
Last year, five of the 10 services - the Army, Army Reserve, Army
National Guard, Air National Guard and Navy Reserve - missed their
recruiting goals by 8 percent to 20 percent.
The Army came up 6,627 short of its 80,000 recruitment goal. It
made up for it with more than 69,500 in re-enlistments, the highest in
five years.
The Army launched several new initiatives to bolster enlistments,
including adding recruiters, increasing the maximum enlistment age for
Army Reserves and raising the signing bonus for certain jobs.
Since October, when the military's fiscal year began, active-duty
services have met their goals every month, though some reserve services
have come up short. Four of the six reserves failed to meet their goals
in February. One notable exception was the Army National Guard, which
signed up more than 26,000 soldiers in the first five months of fiscal
2006, beating its target by 7 percent, its best performance in 13 years.
The Army's Phoenix Recruiting Battalion reports steady
enlistments in recent years and last year signed up 2,118 people from
Arizona. Recruiters are meeting their goals so far this year, it said.
Reaching students
To reach students, recruiters not only visit schools but also
call them at home. They also attend, wearing their uniforms, school
events such as sports games and concerts. They volunteer to speak to
classes, talking about Iraq, for example, or what it's like to be
stationed in a foreign country.
High schools are priorities because many students are in one
place, said Douglas Smith, spokesman for the U.S. Army Recruiting
Command at Fort Knox, Ky.
"From a convenience standpoint and reaching out to as many people as possible, it's a perfect location," he said.
High schools that get federal funds must allow military
recruiters the same access as they do colleges. If recruiters are
confined to a table in the counseling office, the same will apply to
college representatives.
In 2002, a provision in the No Child Left Behind Act required
schools to turn over the names, addresses and phone numbers of students
to the military unless parents opted out.
This made recruiters' jobs easier because some schools previously
refused to give them the list or made the military buy it. But the
change also had a downside. It stirred up the nerves of some parents,
who complained that schools did a poor job of publicizing the opt-out
clause.
The controversy has helped fuel new recruiting limits at schools.
Over the past year, schools in Washington, Maine and Illinois have
placed limits on military recruiting, from capping the number of visits
to giving equal access to groups that promote alternatives to the
military. Among the groups are the Coalition Against Militarism in Our
Schools and militaryfreezone.com.
Parents object
At a recent meeting in the Paradise Valley District, parents raised concerns about recruiters' access to their children.
John Weimer, an assistant superintendent, said some complained
that recruiters approached students who weren't seniors. The district
decided to require recruiters to stay at a desk in the counseling
office.
"I can recall two conversations where (parents) were really
offended that the military would talk to students of that age because
(the students) are so impressionable," he said.
Parents who want restrictions often prefer their teens go
directly to college or worry they will be hurt or killed in the
military.
A few months ago, Sunnyside Unified in Tucson limited each
military branch to one visit a month after parents complained to the
School Board.
One of those parents, Veronica Ahumada, said recruiters would "bug" students at lunchtime.
Her son, 19-year-old Jesus Ahumada, said he used to see military
recruiters at Sunnyside High School at least three times a week. The
recruiters walked around the cafeteria and talked to students at lunch.
Ahumada said he also has gotten eight to 10 telephone calls at home
from various military branches. Recruiters shouldn't be "going out and
bothering people," Ahumada said, but should be restricted to one area
of campus.
Rachel Ortiz, 16, of Tempe, disagrees. She isn't bothered by
military recruiters at Tempe's Marcos de Niza High School. The high
school junior has not ruled out a career in the military yet, but she
wants to attend college first and become a veterinarian.
Some districts report no tensions. Dysart Unified in the West
Valley, for example, has no plans to put in restrictions. Its high
schools don't limit the number of days recruiters can visit. Willow
Canyon High School in Surprise hosted a military recruiting night
earlier this year.
In Scottsdale, Saguaro High School is relaxing some limits it
established two years ago. Recruiters recently asked for more face
time, so the school began allowing them to visit four times a year,
rather than twice. All branches visit the same day and must meet with
students during lunch in the career center.
"We do it during lunch so it doesn't disrupt instruction," Saguaro Principal Ty Timbrooks said.
Staying visible
At Horizon High School, Marine recruiter Garcia said he plans to
make his recruiting goals this year despite the limits on access. But
he added that he may have to change his approach and recruit more at
shopping malls.
In the meantime, he strolls the courtyard to find future Marines.
One of those is Scott Cianfarano, 18, a Horizon senior who caught
Garcia's attention months ago. Cianfarano says he likes the military's
discipline and the physical challenge. He plans to enter the Marines
later this year.
The soon-to-be-imposed ban on recruiters in the courtyard doesn't make sense to him.
"How will people find them?" Cianfarano said.
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