Drafted Students May Stall Service

Graduate students who are drafted next year will apparently be able to postpone their induction until the end of a semester of study, according to the Selective Service System's most recent clarification of next year's draft prospects.

An official Selective Service memorandum, published this month in the American Council of Education's Manpower Comments, says that Selective Service Director Lewis B. Hershey was "giving consideration to the use of his limited postponement authority in individual cases" of graduate students drafted during a semester.

"This should mean that postponements will be almost automatic," John B. Fox, director of the Office of Graduate and Career Plans, said last night. "Any student who asks for a postponement should be able to get one."

The American Council of Education's weekly newsletter quoted the memorandum last week, saying that "in general, postponement will be granted to those who request it until the end of the term or semester in which they are enrolled."

General Franck

The memorandum, issued by General Bernard T. Franck, an assistant to Hershey, says that on March 11 Hershey met with "a number of representatives of graduate schools," in part to discuss "a proposal submitted by the group concerning the status of a young man who is ordered for induction while in graduate school."

Hershey reportedly told the group that the current law provides no guarantee "which would insure (a graduate student) an opportunity to complete the semester in which he is enrolled," and that "the only way that such a situation could be reached" would be for Hershey to use his power of granting individual postponements "where good cause is shown."

Administrators Expected

Many University administrators have expected an informal policy of extending postponements, Thomas K. Sisson, assistant dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, said last night. The recent memorandum, however, was the first official Selective Service statement on postponements, Sisson said.

The postponement policy will still cause problems for law students and students at other graduate school where most of the instruction consists of full-year courses, Fox said. Several Selective Service decisions as well as the latest memorandum have made it clear that the postponements will be limited to one semester, Fox said, leaving the possibility that students drafted after one semester of study may still lose credit for full-year courses.