20 Aug 07 Loyola ROTC Frosh Has Scholarship Yanked By Navy

THIS FUCKING SUCKS.

August 20, 2007

Grant yanked, student in a bind

A student thought her tuition at Chicago’s Loyola University was taken care of when the U.S. Navy presented her with a mock check for $180,000.

But the Navy has now rescinded the scholarship, saying she can’t be an ROTC student because of an old back injury.

Danielle Littrell, 18, of Farmington, Mo., turned down scholarships from several schools to enlist with the Navy’s ROTC program.

The Navy presented Littrell with a check for $180,000 in November, but the military later pulled the funds, citing a back injury that Littrell suffered in a 2005 basketball game. The herniated disc didn’t keep the 6-foot Littrell from playing basketball at her high school last year. She also earned a black belt in karate.

Littrell will move in to her dorm at Loyola on Tuesday, but without the scholarship funds. “I love the school; I just don’t know if I’ll be able to continue there,” she said.

Her mother, Lori Littrell, said the family might have to find something more economical. Loyola costs about $27,000 a year.

The ROTC program allows a student to pick a college, and Littrell hoped to go on to a top medical school after graduating from Loyola.

The program offered four years of free college in exchange for four years of service as an officer. If she qualified for medical school, the Navy would pay for that, too, and she would serve an additional two years.

Help possible next year

On July 19, she got a one-page letter from the Department of Defense telling her that she was not fit for duty because of her herniated disc and a “weak or painful back.”

The family protested, and her orthopedist sent additional medical records to the Navy to bolster her case.

On July 30, the military said in a letter that it was standing by its decision. With college only four weeks away, the Littrells took out loans.

Eric Weems, director of financial aid at Loyola, said if Littrell does well her freshman year, she could qualify for partial-tuition scholarships next year.

AP