Draft Is No Worry for Most Freshmen

Freshmen males born in 1954 will probably never face induction into the military despite the loss of their student deferments under the new draft law passed last year, a Harvard draft counselor said Saturday.

Freshman and sophomores born in 1952 or 1953 who do not have the 2-5 student deferment however, may face induction between now and June 30, 1973, if their lottery numbers are low, William Schendel draft counselor at the Office of Graduate and Career Plans (OGCP) said.

"President Nixon's authority to induct men under the Selective Service System explros 30 and he has indicated that he will not ask to have it extended," schendel said. "Also (Secretary of Defense Molvia) Laird has expressed hope that there will be no draft calls in 1973."

If Laird's hope is realized men born in 1953 would not face induction regardless of their lottery number or classification. The ceiling on draft calls for men born in 1952 is lottery number 95.

Students with numbers above 95 may elect to become 1-A before January 1 in order eventually to be placed in the now classification category 1-H, "not subject for processing at this time," which essentially removes them from draft juopardy.

Students in the Extended Priority Selection Oroup, those whose number was called in a previous year but who took temporary deferments, should set a draft counselors at the OGCP before exposing themselves to a 1-A classification, Schendel said.

In addition to Schendel the OGCP draft counselors include Eve Cech and Al Ortia who specializes in arranging military training programs that allow students drafted while in college to postpone active duty until graduations.

"The draft situation is getting better and lots of people can get rid of needles worry if they flad out what's going on," Schendel said.

"The Cambridge draft board has a new location this year, having moved over the summer from the second floor of City Hall to an office in the Fresh Pond Shopping Center. The City Hall draft board office was the scene last year of a noisy confrontation between antiwar demonstrators and Cambridge Mayor Barbars Ackermann, whose offices were nearby.