As part of Boot Camp 101, students and residents could observe the sleeping quarters of a solider at war, try a push-up and sit-up competition, go on a rope course or see a live action drill.

Lt. Col. Bill Parker, is chair of the Department of Military Science, said he appreciates the opportunity to showcase the daily lives of ROTC cadets.

“Ultimately, we want people to take away an appreciation for what our cadets go through,” Parker said. “This is a good opportunity for us to highlight some of the training our cadets go through.”

Kinesiology senior Alex Shaffer, who also is the ROTC battalion commander, was excited to see ROTC involved with One Book, One Community for this interactive event.

“We were really happy to see that One Book, One Community wanted to focus on the military,” Shaffer said. “Because we are two sponsored MSU programs, we are happy that we got to work in conjunction.”

Doug Mulvaney, scholarship and enrollment coordinator for ROTC, called the event a “win-win,” but encouraged people to look past the physical tests and equipment on display and explore what qualities the cadets gain from ROTC.

“What the cadets learn in discipline and leadership go beyond how many push-up and sit-ups they can do,” he said. “It’s the decision-making skills that they learn that I think sets them apart from other students.”

Human biology and nutritional science junior Ariana Koch said in addition to being able to try the rope course, an appreciation for the military is what brought her to the event.

“My dad is a Marine, so the idea of getting to try bootcamp was very appealing to me.” she said.

Koch said the event gave her a better idea of the daily life of ROTC students.

“The idea that they do this (rope course) everyday is not something I expected,” she said. “You think it would be a little less intense because they aren’t at a base, but in reality they do just as much.”