Science Majors Will Still Be Deferred

Harvard men majoring in sciences need not fear that the declaration of war and the greatly increased demand for a larger army will materially affect their deferment, according to a statement made Saturday by Lieutenant Colonel Roy C. Charron, Massachusetts State Occupational Adviser.

Although Bi-igadier General Hershey, Deputy Director of the Selective Service System, recently heralded a drastic broadening of the draft to include many of those formerly deferred because of minor physical defects, Colonel Charron emphasized that the reclassification would not in most cases affect students. "The increased war efforts has increased the need for trained men just as much as for soldiers", he said.

Education Bulletins Followed

Asserting that the draft boards were still following the procedure outlined by a bulletin of the American Council of Education, issued before war was declared, he cited several recent telegrams from General Hershey that reiterated these instructions. He noted, however, that deferment was granted only by the local board, on the merits of the individual case.

The basic provision, as announced in the bulletin entitled "Higher Education and National Defense", is that if a man is training so that on the completion of his course, he will be a necessary man in a necessary industry in which there will be a shortage, he will be deferred. This statement, however, is only a very broad generalization, for local boards are allowed to use considerable discretion in its interpretation.

Pre-meds not Deferred

Colonel Charron also explained that being a pre-medical or pre-divinity student would not be sufficient grounds for deferment. "It is not fair that deferment should be granted to students who are not actually preparing for an essential occupation", he maintained. Pre-idedical students may, nevertheless, be deferred, if they have taken enough scientific courses to warrant the action.