Evening star., 1951-01-19
.Dr. Conant Urges
Draft Deferment
OF College Students


President James B. Conant Of
Harvard University urged today
that military service for college
students be deferred and that 18-
year-olds not yet in college be
drafted instead.
DR.. Conant. said that drafting
Of 18-year-olds in large numbers
after June would mean that COL
leges would have few freshmen
next fall.
Better Than Interruption.
But in the best interests Of all
our students. it would be better
that this should happen, rather
than those who are now freshmen,
sophomores and Juniors have their
education interrupted" DR.. Con-
ant told the American Council on
Education. He added:
Likewise in our professional
and graduate schools it seems to
me important that men should
be allowed to complete their work
before doing their tour of military
duty.
ut Is quite clear that mans
military training had best be done
before he enters the productive
life Of the country or before he
undertakes his COLLEGIATE or pro-
fessional education"
Urges Policy Declarations.
Charles E. Odergaard. execu.
tive director Of the American
Council of Learned Societies. alst
backed the Defense Department.
manpower proposal.
He said. however, that therl
are some important questions lef
unanswered and that if they were
to be left to administrative de.
cisions. then the President should
now make a policy declaration on
them.
In this category he placed the
selection of $4,000 men for COL
lege and higher education train
ing. The bill does not specify
how these. men are to be selected.
Mr.. Odergaard said that the
Science Committees of selective
service has suggested that this be
done on the basis of intelligence
tests and by continuous perform
ance at a certain level while go
ing through training.
Representatives of rs education
organizations belonging to the
council, here for two days of dis
cussions. were expected to hear
other views sharply opposed to
those Of DR.. Conant.
Deferments Recommended.
Six scientific advisory commit
tees, appointed by Selective Serv-
ice two years ago. have recon-
mended deferments for college
students Of demonstrated educa-
tional aptitude" to enable them
to complete their education.
Leonard Carmichael, president
Of Tufts College, said that only
100000 students would have to
be deferred under the plan of the
committees on selective service
He said it was figured that there
would be 100000 undergraduates
who should be selected to COM
plete their studies and $4,000 in
the graduate and professional
schools.
Another speaker, Alvin c. Eu-
rich. president of the State Uni
versity Of New York, said the
armed services should use all
available educational resources in
the training of inductees. He
added that junior colleges and
technical institutions were espe-
cially adapted to the kind OF
training important to the armed
forces.
Jesse P. Bogue. executive secre-
tary of the American Association
of Junior Colleges. pleaded for a
combining of military training
and education.
A declaration that the United
States was greatly disappointing
the world by lending its educa-
tional facilities to military de-
fense was made by Clarence E.
Pickett. honorary secretary of the
American Friends Service Com
mittee.