The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-02-19
COLLEGES GO TO WAR

The Army by lowering the draft
to boys of 18 and 10 threatened to
empty the 1900 colleges and uni
versities in the country. Now, by
contracting with them to use their
faculties and facilities to train men
in uniform for special services the
Army and Navy are filling them up
again. That means at least 200 or
800 colleges will be kept going by
training fighting men.
ITO maintain a steady flow Of
young men suitable for specialized
educational technical training for
the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and
Coast Guard the War and Navy De-
partments will utilize for their
training the resources of the col
leges and universities of the coun-
try said the joint statement of the
War and Navy Secretaries.
Since reducing the draft age to Is
will practically eliminate men coll
lege students, continued the state
ment, 1.-THE armed services have
jointly formulated plans to con-
tract for the facilities of selected
number of these colleges and uni
versities where qualified young men
in the services will be detailed for
educational training. 1t was stated
that in forming plans for this col
lege training of soldiers the armed
services had had the benefit of
fruitful consultation" with educa-
tors-particularly those on the staff
of the War Manpower Commission,
in the Office Of Education, in the
Navy committee of the American
Council on Education.
The first questions to pop out, nat
urally, are these: What schools will
be chosen, and how? What men in
uniform will be the lucky ones to be
sent to college? And what will they
study? How long? Under what con-
ditions? And what disposition will
be made of them when they have
finished school?
Some of the answers to these
questions have still to be worked
out. But it was stated that the rules
and regulations for making the Sc
lection of schools would be prescrib-
ed by the Chairman of the VINO,
Paul McNut, and that the actual
selection would be made by joint
committee representing the War
Department, Navy Department and
the VINO. The first step taken was
the sending out of questionnaires
to all colleges, inviting them to list
their facilities-and warning them
not to resort to any craftsmanship
to obtain selection. That move was
taken before December, and the
replies were soon being studied by
the joint committee and their civil
ian advisors. An early announce
ment of the names of the lucky col
leges was promised. The number
has been unofficially estimated as
high as 800.
In selecting students the Army
and Navy plans differ to some ex-
tent, due to differences in the laws,
requirements and procedures of the
two services. The Army will make
it's selections from enlisted men
who have completed their basic mill
tary training and who apply for
specialized training.
Only enlisted men under % years
of age will be eligible, except for
an advanced stage of technical
training" which may use older men.
When the men have finished var
ious phases of the courses several
avenues will open to them. They
may be selected for further train
ing in an officer Candidate School;
recommended for technical nom
commissioned officers; returned to
troops; detailed for very advanced
technical training, or even be made
available for technical work to be
done out of the Army
Under the Navy College Training
Program high school graduates, or
others with satisfactory education
al, physical and potential qualifica-
lions, will be indicted as apprentice
seamen, or privates in the Marine
Corps, placed on active duty with
pay and assigned for specialized
training. Geographical areas of the
country are to be assigned quotas
of students, based on population.