This semester 34 NIU students have withdrawn so far for military reasons. This is the highest number of withdrawals the school has had for more than a decade and a striking contrast to the two student withdrawals last semester.

Kathy Jahns, administrative assistant for Student Affairs, said there has been a steady number of military withdrawals throughout this semester and she expects the trend to continue.

“Most people who get deployed get called up a week or two ahead,” said Garrett Amick, a senior computer science and management major who is on active duty.

The Gulf War of the early ’90s caused 25 students to withdraw in the spring of 1991.

Jahns said that when considering these numbers, they don’t properly account for how many students were called up for active duty since some were called at the end of the semester and may have chosen to take an incomplete in their classes.

Not all students who withdraw are being called to fight. In fall 2001, ten students withdrew for military reasons from NIU following the Sept. 11 attacks. Jahns said a lot of them were called up for increased airport security.

“Reservists are not allowed to give their opinion and are required to fully support the commander-in-chief’s decision,” Amick said when asked how he would feel if called up.

Army reserve recruiter Sergeant Pedro Ramirez Jr. said it is hard to track what units NIU students in the reserves fall under.

“If you’re a journalist in the army and they activate you, then you’re going to go be a journalist,” Ramirez said. “You do whatever you enlisted for. So someone in the band is obviously not going to get called up.”