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Literary Faculty Resists Dropping Draft-Ranking

Literary Faculty Resists Dropping Draft-Ranking image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
February
Year
1968
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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Literary Faculty Resists Dropping Draft-Ranking

The faculty of the University's Literary College yesterday voted narrowly in favor of preserving class ranking as the oasis for providing student draft deferment information.

With only 46 per cent of the 1,100-member faculty of the U-M's largest school voting via a "campus mail" ballot, class ranking won over basing deferments strictly on student grades by a vote of 277 to 226.

"I don't know what significance can be attached to the fact that 54 per cent did not answer," Dean William Haber said after the poorly attended meeting.

Some faculty members expressed the view, however, that the 54 per cent were either uninterested in the question of deferments or satisfied with present procedures.

Prof. E. Lowell Kelly of the psychology department, who originated the poll, said, "Feeling have been very strong among vocal minority of the faculty that there should be a change in deferment policy, but these feelings are not supported by a majority of their voting colleagues."

In a related agenda item at yesterday's Literary College faculty meeting, those present voted 65 to 35 for a resolution expressing "grave doubts about the justification of continuing the current practice of student deferment."

The resolution urged that if the draft is continued, student deferments should be used only "if and when the needs for military manpower should increase to the point where a policy of no student deferment would seriously threaten the nation's supply of college-trained personnel.

"We believe that college attendance and performance in college should be based on positive motivations rather the negative one of avoiding the draft," the resolution continued.

It also said, "We believe that the reservoir of able young men is such that the needs for trained civilian manpower can be met without deferring college students as a category."
Dean Haber said later he had hoped to avoid a vote on the resolution because of the poor attendance at the meeting.

"I am disappointed that a subject of such crucial national and educational significance was considered at a meeting with only 164 faculty members present. Even that low number had dwindled by the time at the vote was taken," he said.

"Regardless of the merits of the question, I doubt that much weight should be given to this expression of faculty views when such small attention was paid to the matter," Dean Haber added.

The resolution is being forwarded to President Johnson's Commission on Military Manpower, with a report of the vote.

Besides voting on the basis for deferment, Literary College faculty members also voted to put the burden for notifying the draft board on the student instead of the University.

The vote showed 241 in favor of giving the necessary documents to students for forwarding and 227 in favor of the U-M sending the records to Selective Service boards.

At present the U-M sends class rankings of all undergraduate males who so request to the draft boards.