Information Please

With second semester defense courses only three days away, the very relevant question of what courses are acceptable to specialized Army departments remains unanswered. Most of the new courses were organized without the supervision of Army representatives, and by instructors who lacked first-hand acquaintance with the details of Army requirements. Speed-up courses in languages and sciences have been arranged, based on the general knowledge that physicists and interpreters are needed. But many of these have been announced without even hinting at the physical requirements that may disappoint a trainee after a year of study. And insufficient attention has been paid to the fact that none of the new courses actually guarantee an Army or Navy position.

The inadequate "Opportunities for Special Training During the War" which the University distributed last week did nothing to alleviate the situation. It lists Japanese 6b under "Courses Providing Special Training" and states that men with a knowledge of the less familiar languages have "almost unique utility." However, the Intelligence Corps has said that it will not take volunteer interpreters from civilian life. Once drafted, an ex-student of Japanese may apply for transfer to the Intelligence department, if vacancies exist. The chances may be good, but the hitch should be publicized nevertheless. It would also have been a good idea to point out that the course, to be effective, must be followed up by approximately eight months of further training under the Far Eastern Department. Prospective students ought also to be told that Geography 10b, Biology 23, Biology 119, and Biology 121, "which are of significance in the conduct of forces in the field," lead nowhere, as far as the Army is concerned. The Army has its own courses.

Concentrating heavily on the well-known truth that the armed forces have need of trained men, the apparently hastily-done pamphlet has neglected to say which courses lead to commissions. The physics courses, if followed far enough, will. But Geography 37, filled anyway before the pamphlet was written, will not. What about Psychology 135, and what about Aerophotography? Intelligent war plans cannot be made without this data. The College needs a more carefully written bulletin, organized in collaboration with the Army, and very, very soon.