AFROTC AS250 Scholarship Dropout

caswithsass

New Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2016
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4
So, recently I've decided to drop out of the AFROTC program at my college. It's already been made official and the information has been sent up to HQ on the 9th of February. The thing is, ROTC makes me very anxious and uncomfortable and I'm nervous every time I even step out of my dorm room. I know I don't want to pursue it anymore and would rather go to graduate school for my major. I am currently an AS 250 and won a Type 2 scholarship, hence why it takes a long time. The cadre told me it would take from 6 weeks to 3-4 months for HQ to see my disenrollment and evaluate it.

It is recommended that I continue taking the ROTC classes until HQ officially declares me disenrolled, but that's a really long time. I can make it out the rest of the quarter, which is only about three weeks, but I really don't want to take the classes next quarter. They add so much stress to my life and I really don't like them. Our det commander recommended that I stay in the classes because apparently HQ looks at those cases better. There's a chance I may have to pay back the scholarship money from fall quarter that the ROTC already paid, but HQ will decide that. I already had to pay back winter quarter and pay for spring quarter. My question is, is it really worth attending classes that cause me such anxiety when I'd only need to pay back about $2800? Is that all HQ decides? Or do they still have to decide if they will let me go at all? I'm prepared to pay back the money but if not attending the classes means they might punish me in some other way, I want to know.
 
I am confused. You state that you are a type 2 recipient, but have already paid back winter and now are paying spring. How is it that you are not already disenrolled as a scholarship recipient? Are you still receiving a stipend and book allowance?

I would talk to the CoC, and at that meeting state you would like to contact HQ AFROTC at Maxwell to see if they can push you through faster so you don't have to attend ROTC.

I just don't understand this at all because you are not a 200, but a 250, in essence the 1st year. Plus you have already paid not only 1 semester, but are paying the 2nd. Finally, obviously your Command is not sending an SFT/EA packet to Maxwell for your selection, thus HQ would disenroll you the end of this semester for non-selection.
 
A few weeks ago, before we sent it up to HQ, my commander inactivated my scholarship which is why I have to pay back winter quarter. They hadn't yet submitted the money to the college, so I have to pay it instantly. I'm not receiving my stipend anymore or my book allowance.

Because I'm a 250, I've waived my right to have that one year of freedom that freshmen get. So should I drop, the chances of HQ choosing to make me pay back the money for fall quarter are high. Actually, we did submit my EA packet because I hadn't yet officially disenrolled. But even if I get an EA, I obviously won't attend field training. It's really confusing to me too, so I'm not terribly sure how to explain it.
 
I would say that they are going to want the fall semester paid back too.

I am still confused.
The cadre told me it would take from 6 weeks to 3-4 months for HQ to see my disenrollment and evaluate it.

Your scholarship was inactivated last semester. but yet your CoC stated:
Our det commander recommended that I stay in the classes because apparently HQ looks at those cases better.

Huh?
They inactivated you, and you have paid back the winter semester, you have not accepted any stipend. I don't see why as a CoC would want any cadet in their unit that does not want to be there.

I believe you would show up and give your all, but any smart leader would know that forcing you to stay in the program basically equates into a cancer from a morale perspective. You can show up and complain to every cadet that you are only here because of the cadre and HQAFROTC not releasing you. You could show up and run a 12 minute mile or do 1 push up. You could show up with your uniform in disarray and what are they going to do? Disenroll you... exactly what you requested in the 1st place, and according to you, at least 6 weeks ago?
~ Why do you think that they force ROTC cadets to pay back their loan instead of the enlistment option? Yes. they have enough to serve and don't need them from a man power aspect, but they also do not want them creating poor morale within the unit.
 
Yes, they've already inactivated me so I'm not getting any money anymore. The only debate is whether I'll have to pay back the money from fall quarter. It's to my understanding that that's the only thing HQ really has to decide. My commander is very nice and is going to recommend to them that I don't have to pay the money back (bless his heart) but even if I do, I don't want to take the classes. I know it sounds horrible and I do feel bad for wanting out this badly, but it's not where my heart lies anymore. I still do what they tell me and they still put me in leadership positions and whatnot, which I find pointless because a bunch of people know I'm dropping. So I'm confused as to what the point of attending the classes is.

I guess I just didn't know if my chances of having to pay back fall quarter would be greater if I did not take ROTC classes next quarter. It hasn't been six weeks yet I was told it would probably be longer than that before I hear anything because rated slots just came out and now HQ is working on EA's. They probably won't get to mine for a while, so I really will be stuck doing the things I don't want to. I don't mean to sound so negative about this, but I was just wondering if HQ really cared that much about my current enrollments if they know I'm going to drop anyway.
 
I am bowing out now because nothing makes sense and I fell you are trolling.

I still do what they tell me and they still put me in leadership positions and whatnot,

Are you seriously telling me that they have true leadership positions for an AS200 knowing your scholarship was inactivated after fall semester 2015?
 
It's not the cadre that puts me in the positions, it's usually the FTP trainer, one of the cadets. I told him last week I was dropping so he may not put me in anymore positions but we'll see. But that's my point, it seems ridiculous that I still have to pretend I'm a cadet when I'm not. It's eternally frustrating. My commander was basically like "i'm not allowed to have an opinion or tell you what to do" so I'm basically just on my own. Which wasn't very helpful, hence why I'm asking all the questions.
 
It's not the cadre that puts me in the positions, it's usually the FTP trainer, one of the cadets

Again...huh? How is it that the CWC, CVWC or the CFC has a voice? You told the CoC that you were leaving. They deactivated your scholarship, you have received no stipend or book allowance...yes? Yet the POC is ignoring this fact at best because the Cadre did not tell them, or at worst ignoring the cadre and still giving you leadership positions that should go to committed cadets that will be POCs Sept. 2016.
~ Either way it sounds dysfunctioal

Your CoC is right they can't tell you what to do, but if you say I am dropping, than they must submit the paperwork which you sign. AGAIN, you already paid last quarter, and the upcoming quarter. No stipend. No book allowance.

I don't know what det. you are in, but it is mind boggling to me that the CWC would allow the FTP POC to place you in a position of leadership. and that any member of the cadre would bite off on an FTP cadet trainer to have this voice.
Reason why?
~ AFROTC units are reviewed by Maxwell. HQ.
~~ CoC is looking out for their staff that are AD from a promotion perspective.
~~~ Best Small, Medium, large det in the nation is part of ther OPR/OER
~~ CWC and CVWCs are not likely to listen to an FTP POC because they are an FTP.
~~~ Seriously...POCs don't offer positions, the cadre does. You are saying, not only did the CWC, CVWC, CFC, and the FTP POC offered it, but they did so with the blessing of the Cadre
~~ Percentages matter
~~~ SFT/EA are in that %
~ You are saying that the FTP, which maybe a 300 or 400 knows better than the cadre on what the AF needs, and those ADAF officers let through the cadre run the roost.

If this all true as I set out, I will go back to what I said a few posts earlier...talk to them ASAP and during that conversation politely state to them that you will be contacting HQ AFROTC at Maxwell to discuss your case personally regarding how you basically disenrolled at least 6 weeks ago and are willing to pay back your fall semester, but feel for the good of the morale within the unit that forcing you to attend PT, and LLAB would only make you bitter.
 
Just for a different perspective -

As CW/CC, usually I don't hear about when people drop the program until they are completely gone and haven't shown up to events and we start to notice. The cadre try to respect that when people are preparing to drop, they don't want all the cadets to know, so it is entirely possibly that your FTP trainer has no idea that you're dropping the program. If they don't know already, definitely tell them if you don't want to be part of it.

Also I've noticed that cadre do recommend to continue to take the AFROTC classes until the end of the current term. This is usually because you're registered for the class through your university and to withdraw would hurt your GPA - so they recommend to stay in the class, get a grade, then move on. I don't see why your commander would want you to take the class the next quarter though....

Anyhow, hope this clarifies things a bit. It still seems like a messy situation. Let me know if you have any questions for me :)
 
I think that is the most Acronyms I have ever read in one post.
I've been a part of this program for 4 years and even I don't understand all the acronyms Pima just used.

I don't know what det. you are in, but it is mind boggling to me that the CWC would allow the FTP POC to place you in a position of leadership. and that any member of the cadre would bite off on an FTP cadet trainer to have this voice.
Reason why?
~ AFROTC units are reviewed by Maxwell. HQ.
~~ CoC is looking out for their staff that are AD from a promotion perspective.
~~~ Best Small, Medium, large det in the nation is part of ther OPR/OER
~~ CWC and CVWCs are not likely to listen to an FTP POC because they are an FTP.
~~~ Seriously...POCs don't offer positions, the cadre does. You are saying, not only did the CWC, CVWC, CFC, and the FTP POC offered it, but they did so with the blessing of the Cadre
~~ Percentages matter
~~~ SFT/EA are in that %
~ You are saying that the FTP, which maybe a 300 or 400 knows better than the cadre on what the AF needs, and those ADAF officers let through the cadre run the roost.
@Pima
None of what he's said about being in a leadership position is far fetched so I wouldn't jump to the "troll" conclusion.

GMC positions within flights are typically rotational, the Flight Commander (a 3rd year cadet in Ops group) chooses cadets within the flight they're in charge of for positions and evaluates them. How they do factors into their ranking and all the flight CCs (my det has 4 per semester) get together and rack & stack all the GMC. This isn't the official ranking list, but the cadre do look at it when they create the official list. So the cadre don't dictate leadership positions for GMC, the POC in Ops have complete control over that. The OP said he JUST told his flight/CC he was dropping so he was probably already in a position, and if he's a good cadet or if his flight is really small he may keep being put in positions until he is disenrolled.

We had a guy who was on scholarship, really wanted to drop, and was forced to participate in ROTC for 3+ months after he applied for dis enrollment. It was past the "free year" period so HQ was deciding whether he needed to pay back the 1.5 years of tuition, until the official decision came down he wasn't allowed to drop.

The only odd part is why he's a 250 on scholarship. But that's still something that can be explained. He could:
A) Have one a 3 yr Type-2 scholarship out of HS and opted to not enroll for the 1st year. I believe this is an option for 3-yr winners. It's not recommended, but since the AF isn't paying for your school yet you can do the 1st year not in ROTC and then start participating when the scholarship kicks in.
Or B) Have joined spring of his freshman year and earned a scholarship at the end of that semester or the following fall. If you join as a 2nd semester freshman you are technically considered a 250 the next year.
 
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