Science (journal)/Volume 47 New Series/No. 1201/The Enlistment in Engineer Reserve Corps of Technical Students Pending Completion of Studies

THE ENLISTMENT IN ENGINEER RESERVE CORPS OF TECHNICAL STUDENTS PENDING COMPLETION OF STUDIES

With the approval of the Secretary of War, Major General W. M. Black, chief of engineers, has promulgated regulations governing the creation of an Engineer Enlisted Reserve Corps, in which may be enrolled, pending completion of their studies, students of recognized technical schools. The announcement reads:

Under such regulations as the Chief of Engineers may prescribe a proportion of the students, as named by the school faculty, pursuing an engineering course in one of the approved technical engineering schools listed in the War Department, may enlist in the Enlisted Reserve Corps of the Engineer Department, and thereafter, upon presentation by the registrant to his local board of a certificate of enlistment, such certificate shall be filed with the questionnaire and the registrant shall be

placed in class V on the ground that he is in the military service of the United States.

In accordance with the authority given by this modification the following regulations are promulgated governing the enlistment by engineer students in the Engineer Enlisted Reserve Corps.

In order to be eligible for enlistment in the Engineer branch of the Enlisted Reserve Corps, under the above-quoted amendment to Selective Service Regulations, a candidate must fulfill following conditions:

(a) He must be a citizen of the United States.

(b) He must be a student in one of the schools, the names of which are borne upon the list of technical schools approved by the Secretary of War for the purpose of carrying out section 5 of the river and harbor act approved February 27, 1911, relating to appointments from civil life to the grade of second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers.

(c) He must be regularly enrolled and must be pursuing a course required for the degree of chemical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, mining engineer, or some other equivalent engineering or technical degree.

(d) He must have made since his entry upon this course at the school a record of standing which will indicate clearly that he may be regarded fairly as deserving a place among the first third, based primarily on the scholastic records, of the young men who have graduated from that institution during the past ten years.}}

There follow forms of affidavits which are to be signed by the student and the president or dean of the school at which he is studying. The regulations continue:

In order to receive prompt consideration, applications from candidates now at college, and who are over twenty-one years of age, should be submitted so as to reach the office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington not later than January 15. The application from a person who has not reached this age at the present time must be submitted within three months before or one month after he reaches the age of twenty-one.

As rapidly /as possible after the receipt of the applications in the Office of the Chief Engineers, they will be carefully examined, and the candidates whose applications are approved will promptly be sent cards of authorization, authorizing them to be enlisted in the Engineer Enlisted Reserve Corps by an office authorized to make enlistments in the Army, provided, of course, that they pass the necessary physical examination which will be made under the direction of the enlisting officer immediately prior to enlistment.

When thus enlisted the student's name will be placed on the "inactive list" of the Engineer Enlisted Reserve Corps, and he will be allowed to remain on this inactive list in order to enable him to complete his course at the institution.

Immediately after the completion of this course, or upon his discontinuance of the course for other reasons, the student will be given the option of being called into active service under his enlistment and being assigned to some one of the engineering branches of the Army, or of being immediately discharged and taking his place again among those subject to service under the draft.

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