Students receiving financial aid may recall a question on the FAFSA form: “Does the student want Selective Service to register him?”

I asked around campus and discovered that about 50 percent of those I spoke to didn’t know about the Selective Service, yet everyone was familiar with military drafts.

In the event of a national crisis, the Selective Service would be responsible for the implementation of a military draft.

Or, as former President Bill Clinton said, Selective Service is “[a] relatively low-cost insurance policy.”

Selective Service applies to a large part of our college population. If you’re a male between 18 to 25, you’re required to register with the Selective Service.

If the idea of a draft seems too distant to concern you, consider other registration requirements.

According to the Selective Service, “young men in hospitals, mental institutions or prisons do not have to register while they are committed. However, they must register within 30 days after being released if they have not yet reached their 26th birthday.”

This means former convicts and those who may have psychological problems can be legally drafted and sent into battle.

The requirements continue: “Disabled men who live at home must register if they can reasonably leave their homes and move about independently.”

The Selective Service comforts us by saying, “A friend or relative may help a disabled man fill out the registration form if he can’t do it himself.”

Other students were skeptical about the draft and Selective Service.

Freshman illustration major Carrie Morse said, “I don’t believe in drafting. People shouldn’t have to go to die if they don’t want to.”

On the other hand, “We should serve the country, no matter what. We should think of society as a whole,” said Daniel Yi, freshman business organizational management major.

Whether or not students supported a draft, most said they would support the U.S. military.

Junior business major Brandi Lyons, however, said she wouldn’t support the U.S. military.

“I don’t like Bush … or his policies,” Lyons said.

No matter who you are or how you feel about the Selective Service, the fact remains – U.S. foreign policy is currently managed, shaped and controlled by political leaders willing to do nearly anything to “get the job done.”

Americans, including NIU students, seem to forget that we are indeed at war right now and there is little to no promising talk among politicians on how to effectively end this conflict any time soon.

After all, Iran is still the next foreign country on the neo-conservative drafting table and, as Ron Paul, Republican presidential candidate and Texas congressman, has assured us, if we attack Iran, a military draft is sure to follow.