Word to the Wise

Some citizens of the College community are about to make a mistake. They are about to enlist in the armed services. Perhaps their contemplation of this action was induced originally by the newspapers which have been playing the draft situation high on the front page for weeks, or, perhaps they believe they can gain some advantage by their move. Certainly in a few cases this advantage may exist. But for most students enlisting now would be a serious error.

What is the draft situation right now? Congress has not even received the Administration Bill, and will not see the bill until the Armed Services Committees complete their hearings and make their reports. According to the most reliable information, it will be a at least a month before the lawmakers open debate on the floor. For men who have not yet been classified, or who have 2-A deferments, the best policy is to wait and see what provisions finally go into the measure. Forestalling enlistment until the end of the year might mean a deferment through the end of college, especially in the case of sophomores, or men in certain specialized fields.

President Leonard Carmichael of Tufts, a member of the Association of American Colleges, has already asked the Senate Armed Services Committee that men who have completed two years of college study by June be deferred to finish four. Secretary Marshall has stated that he hopes that drafting 18-year-olds will take some of the pressure off college student over this summer. Of course, there can be no guarantee that what goes up the Hill will come down law.

Students planning enlistment should be certain that they have explored every possibility in their individual cases. Many men who are now 1-A may not have attempted to take advantage of the 2-A deferment they may get if they are in the top half of their class. This classification postpones a physical notice until the end of a school year, thus leaving a student free to choose his service until then. Many draft boards, it is true, do not grant this deferment, since the present law allows them discretion.

If a student now 1-A cannot get a 2-A classification, he can still usually find out from his board about when it intends to call him for physical examination. If that period is more than ten weeks after the start of a term, it is obvious, that his best policy is to get credit for the term under the new Administrative Board rulings before he enlists.

Editors are going to keep running "DRAFT" high, and college men can hardly help think about it. But students might as well get used to the idea of military service; it will be with us for a long time to come. Right now is far too early in the game to panic. Smart players get their signals straight before they make that dash for the field.