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A war-baby in the University family of vocational information and employment services is Law Professor James A. Casner's Defense Advisory Office, which has handled over 125 students so far this year.
His purpose in running the service, Professor Casner explains, is to provide an over-all picture of opportunities in the armed forces, the government, and civilian defense industries, so that a student to whom "defense" signifies only a complicated and incomprehensible confusion will be able to discover the field to which he is best fitted.
The most numerous group of Professor Casner's consultants are those threatened by the draft. To these he explains the procedure of filling out questionaires, the possibility of deferment of postponement, and the advantages of enlistment over induction for students with few qualifications for officers training or advancement in the army.
For Seniors eager to volunteer, the Defense Advisory Office keeps an up-to-the-minute list of all openings in the armed forces, from Naval V-7 and the Intelligence Corps to the Coast Guard.
In civilian defense, the opportunities include openings in the Civilian Technical Corps now in training for work in Britain, the American Field Service for ambulance drivers willing to seek adventure in the Near East, the merchant marine, and countless other fields. Professor Casner keeps a finger on developments in defense industries, so that whenever a sudden demand for men arises, he can transfer the information at once to Seniors who might wish to grab at the opportunity.
Advises Preparatory Work
Many a Junior or Senior is anxious to know what college work will best prepare him for an impending career in the army or in the government. Although Professor Casner has advised no one to change his field of concentration or to shift into Medicine or Engineering, he has counseled many students on the courses and extra-curricular activities which provide back-ground for various defense occupations.
For students still in College whose zeal can only be expressed by some kind of defense activity, Professor Casner has drawn up a list of civilian opportunities at Harvard, at the most important of which is the course in first aid sponsored by Phillips Brooks House.
The Defense Advisory Office is emphatically not an employment agency, but those who consult Professor Casner can take advantage of a wealth of information gained by over a month's study in order to choose their best place in defense.
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