Despite recent controversy surrounding recruiting and the national drop in military recruits, the Lansing area recruitment stations are thriving.

The U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Station, 6545 Mercantile Way, Suite 12, in Lansing has exceeded its goals for more than seven years, spokesman Jeff Janowiec said.

The lack of recruitments nationally is due to the war in Iraq, the improving economy and a more difficult entrance exam, he said.

The local Army recruitment station has also been meeting its goals, which have not changed much in the last two years, station commander Sgt. 1st Class Craig Russell said. In other words, the goals have not been lowered to make recruitment numbers look more impressive, he said.

"We've been doing very well," Russell said.

But there have been recent cases of recruitment officers using illegal tactics to entice recruits. Three weeks ago, recruitment stations across the nation shut down for a day to create an open forum about it, Russell said.

But he said there haven't been any cases of that in the Lansing area for Army recruitment.

Students for Peace and Justice, a student group involved in peace initiatives, believes students interested in joining the military are not aware of their other options, said Jim Ridolfo, a group member and rhetoric and writing graduate student.

"We're strongly against Army recruitment," Ridolfo said.

He believes that Army recruitment tends to be one sided.

Ridolfo said Army recruiters often leave out statistics. For instance, only 60 percent of those who join get a G.I. Bill for college and one out of three homeless people are veterans, he said.

Russell disagreed, saying 100 percent of recruits who want it can receive the bill.

Sometimes recruits do not get a G.I. Bill because they are receiving money through the student-loan repayment program instead, he said.

Russell was not aware of the homeless veteran statistic and was not able to comment on its accuracy. If it is true though, it could be due to the different practices from the Vietnam era, he said.

Students for Peace and Justice is trying to start a newspaper in the fall to inform students about the military and the university.

Russell said he is not opposed to keeping students informed.

"If someone wants to come in (and register), I want them to come in for the right reasons," he said.

In October, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider allowing universities to ban military recruitment without losing federal funds.

Though this might create another setback for military recruitment nationwide, it will not do much to hinder Lansing Army recruitment, Russell said.