The 147th Aviation Battalion was called to service this week. Bound for Operation Desert Spring in Kuwait, a number of student National Guard members could be on their way to the Middle East.

Of the 300 UW-Madison students eligible to be called to active duty, eight have formally withdrawn from studies here, according to the UW Office of the Registrar.

Only members of the National Guard or Army Reserves not registered as part of ROTC can be called to service. Once a student is called to duty, they are required to withdraw from the university.

UW is doing everything it can to facilitate the transition from scholar to soldier. For the eight UW students who withdrew from studies in the month of September, the registrar looked after housing, finances and grades.

In one 2001 case, a UW advisor arranged for a student set to be deployed Dec. 4 to stay in Wisconsin until Dec. 20 in order to finish classes.

Under UW’s official Military Service Policy, re-approved by Chancellor John Wiley and his advisors in December 2001, a student called to active duty may withdraw from school at any point in the semester and receive a full tuition refund for all dropped courses.

The policy allows for students who have completed the majority of work for a course to be awarded either an incomplete or a grade reflecting the quality of the student’s performance up to the point at which they were called to duty.

According to the office of the registrar, a UW advisor will even help a student receive textbook refunds from University Bookstore and reimbursement of rent from an off-campus landlord.

“This is probably one of the most liberal adjustment policies in all schools in the United States,” Larry Lockwood from the office of the registrar said of the guidelines, which date back to 1990.

Wiley and the administration reaffirmed the assistance policy last year when the threat of sending students to war emerged.

Although none of the UW students called to fight have returned to school, which requires re-enrollment, it is the university’s goal to make the transition back to being a student as easy as possible.

“We make sure that returning veterans get proper advising and even tutor them in classes or call their landlords if they are having trouble finding housing,” Lockwood said.

Over 300 UW students are either veterans or members of the National Guard or Army Reserves. Roughly the same number of students are involved with the Madison ROTC, though the figures do not necessarily overlap.

“The National Guard is full of students because it is a way for them to offset the cost of tuition–we pay their entire tuition when they join,” Wisconsin National Guard public affairs officer Lieutenant Colonial Tim Donovan said.

Donovan said six National Guard units have been called to active duty from Wisconsin because of Sept. 11, a total of 600 Wisconsin residents. Two more units are being called this week. Donovan said he suspects several students may be a part of the Madison-based 147th Aviation Battalion set to depart for Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Spring.

Another unannounced unit out of Milwaukee may also include UW students and is being called to the Balkans to support Bosnian peacekeeping efforts. UW officials are not yet aware of any students being called in 2002.

Unlike just being a member of the National Guard or Army Reserves, through participation in ROTC, a student is officially exempt from being called to active military service.

However, if a student would join ROTC upon return from active service, they would be offered perks. Six retroactive elective credits are awarded to veterans.

ROTC admissions officer and UW military science professor Major Scott Stucki said roughly 60 students are contracted to join yearly. Although it operates similarly to other departments at the university level, ROTC is not a degree program and does not show up on transcripts or diplomas.

“We freely allow a student to study anything they want, as long as they meet the university’s academic standing requirements,” Stucki said.

Each ROTC student gets specialized advising from a mentor, who is assigned to only 7 to 10 other students.