Ford Advocates Student-Faculty Draft Committee

Dean Ford said this week that he would like to see the establishment of a joint student- Faculty committee on the draft, but he balked at giving the committee an official role in determining the University's policy.

"Anytime I talk to students I learn something," Ford said, "but I don't think that this should be a formal committee to report to either the CEP [Committee on Educational Policy] or the Faculty."

Ford said he was opposed to a "strong committee structure" and preferred to see an informal exchange of views between Faculty members and students.

Last week, Gregory B. Craig '67, chairman of the Harvard Undergraduate Council had suggested that a committee be formed and that it have the power to make a formal policy recommendation to the CEP and the Faculty.

Student Poll

Any plan to create a committee will probably have to await the results of next week's student poll on the draft and the Selective Service System. The referendum, sponsored by the HUC, will concentrate on questions about the use of rank-in-class for determining whether or not a student should be deferred.

Though the poll will be held next Tuesday, no significant campaign either for or against rank computations has yet emerged. The Harvard chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Thursday decided to pass out leaflets urging a vote against the use of rank statistics. Because of printing difficulties, however, these leaflets are not expected to be ready until later today or Monday.

Last Spring's anti-rank campaign, in contrast, was far more active. In a few days, opponents of the rankings collected approximately 1500 signatures on petitions asking for a referendum. It was this effort which has provoked this year's poll and a commitment from Dean Ford that the Faculty will reexamine the College's policy.

Presently, Harvard has decided it will supply all students with their ranks. The students are then free to forward them to local draft boards, which use both ranks and results of a nationwide draft test to determine deferment.

The issue will be initially taken up in October by the Faculty, though discussion will probably continue at either November's or December's meeting.

The Faculty may do no more than discuss the draft, however. There are legal questions about Harvard's right to not compute class ranks. And some other Faculty members have expressed skepticism as to how "hot" an issue the rank-in-class really is.