The President's Proposal
on the Draft
Undue anxiety over some particularly vexing
problem often leads to mistakes in judgment. Mis
takes in judgment usually lead to mistakes in ac
tion. Knowledge and understanding are calculated
to receive anxiety, to promote sound judgment, and
to point the way toward proper action. Thus, this
word to those guys ( and gals) who may have be
come despondent, frustrated, and ready to quit
because of what they have read (and failed to
read) of the President’s proposal on the draft.
The President’s message to Ck)ngress on March
6 had to do with several facets of the current Sel
ective Service system. In the first place, the Selec
tive Service Act (authorization for the draft) ex
pires on June 30, 1967. If the draft is to continue,
the Act must be extended by Congress. There is
no question but that Congress will vote an exten
sion. It is generally agreed that some form of Sel
ective Service is essential to the national welfare.
In the second place, the present system has been
the object of a great deal of criticism with regard
to the method used in “ca'ling up” draftees and
with regard to the matter of deferment. It was to
meet some of those criticism that the President ac
ted with reference to deferment for graduate stu
dents and proposed his F(air) A(nd) I(mpa"tia')
R(andom) system of selection (the “lottery”).
The Matter of deferment for undergraduate stu
dents is still under advisement and is yet to be
decided.
A staff writer for the Washington Post ha^ com-
pa>-ed the draft system now in effect with the
President’s FAIR proposal as follows:
Who is deferred of exempt from the draft?
Here is a table prepa ed by Administration of
ficials to show how the draft operates today and
how it would operate under the proposals President
Johnson outlined in his message to Congress.
TODAY
All fathers are exempt and exemptions are grant
ed to others who demonstrate “extreme hardship.”
Student exemptions:
• ROTC students
• High school students until graduation or attain
ment of age 20
• Students until end of academic year
• Divinity students (exempt by law)
• Undergraduates and graduate students satis-
factority pursuing a full time course (under spec
ial criteria)
Occupational exemptions:
• Those in critical occupations and essential
activities
• Essential agricultural workers
• Apprentices meeting certain criteria
• Ministers (exempt by law)
Other exemptions:
• Reservists
® Sole surviving sons (exempt by law)
• Certain elected officials (69 in total)
• Non-draft liable aliens
WHEN FAIR PLAN GOES INTO EFFECT
Since the majority of young men will be liable
to the draft in their 19th year, the grounds for
deferment would be limited to:
• Extreme hardship
• Students in officer programs committed to
serve
• Students until end of academic year
• High school students until graduation or age
20
• Reservists
• Medical and dental students
OUjnuiatttan
salutes
HHnrtntt '
Baptist Student Union President Rudy
Morton is active in dramatics and college
choral presentations and was recently named
“Student of the Month” by Murfreesboro’s
Exchange Club as this civic organization
paid tribute to his many contributions to
church and community life.
• Ministers and divinity students
• Sole surviving sons
• Certain elected officials
• Non-draft liable aliens
If undergraduate college deferments are premit-
ted until a bachelor degree is obtained:
• On graduation, man has equal exposure with
19-year-age class of that year—under the FAIR plan
• No graduate deferments permitted except for
medical and dental students
Whether undergraduate college students defer
ments are to be continued is yet to be decided.
Apprentice deferments will be continued if under
graduate college student deferments are continued.
In addition, conscientious objectors will continue
to be eligible, under strict criteria, either for non-
combatant military service, or for civilian work
contributing to the maintenance of the national
health, safety or interest.
Quotes
The failure who never a-rives is a hero compared
to the failure who never tries.
Taking it easy today doesn’t prepare you for the
demands of tommorrow.
“An idealist,” said Henry Ford, “is a person
who helps other people to be prosperous.”
Men try to defy, women deny, middle age.
Modern American
By Tommy Vann
Student Art Columnist
With Chowan College’s new library-fine arts
structure beginning to take its place on our campus,
it is interesting to note that Thomas Jefferson
would have made a wretched director for proposed
expansion of the college’s fine arts program.
John Walker, director for the National Gallery
of Art, recently said that Jefferson “would have
felt little sympathy” for such noted contemporary
collectors of the arts as the Wideners, Mellons and
Kresses.
Jefferson believed. Walker said, that “the collect
ing of art was ‘to give a pleasing and innocent di
rection to accumulations of wealth which would
otherwise be employed in the nourishing of coarse
and vicious habits.’ ”
Coarse and vicious habits, indeed! Can you ima
gine a director for our fine arts program pointing
out to a talented artist or potential donor that but
for his interest in the fine arts he would be busy
nourishing his coarse and vicious habits.
The arts have become more democratic in the
centuries since Jefferson’s time, to the point that
government is financially assisting in their support.
While Jefferson, probably the staunchest supporter
of college education during his lifetime, had little
regard for art. President Kennedy and Johnson
have committed the federal government to such
programs as the National Endowment for the Arts
and Humanities, This program will annually dis
tribute millions of dollars in grants to painters,
sculptors, musicians, dancers, museums, art cen
ters and theatres.
Quotes
“The nearest way to glory,” said Socrates, “is
to strive to be what you wish to be thought to be.”
Freedom is based on our willingness to do things
we would be forced to do if we weren’t free.
A girl who knows the ropes will probably get
spliced.
a owanian Staff
GUEST ADVISOR
for
MARCH ISSUE
lAJ.
ami
Production Advisors
Herman W. Gatewood
William B. Sowell
Published monthly by the student! of
Chowan College, Murfreesboro, N. C., a stan
dard junior college controlled by the North
Carolina Baptist State Convention and found
ed in 1848. Printed, designed and edited by
the students and faculty of the School of
Graphic Arts at Chowan College. Send changes of address
notices to The Chowanian, Chowan College, Murfreesboro,
North Carolina 27855.
Second class postage paid at Murfreesboro, North Carolina
VOL. 15 March, 1967 NO. 4
PAGE FOUR
The Chowanian