REPORT SEEKS CHANGES IN INFORMATION BUREAU

At the request of Law Professor A. James Casner, head of the War Service information Bureau before he accepted a Major's commission in the Army Intelligence, the undergraduate War Service Committee has submitted a report offering suggestions for the improvement of the Bureau.

Written by Harry Newman, Jr. '42, former chairman of the committee, the report stressed the importance of publicizing war information in the publications over the Crimson Network and on House bulletin boards. It also recommended distributing booklets published by the American Council on Education, which contain detailed opportunities for college students in the armed services, in all the House libraries and in other centers such as Dudley Hall and the Union.

Information File

Newman also suggested that a complete-file be kept in University Hall for student reference, containing listings of all openings for men with physical defects and for those wishing to go into government service or war industries.

The Committee making the report also felt that "the interviewers for the Bureau should adopt a more aggressive policy regarding those seeking advice. Those men who want a definite commitment or suggestion from the interviewer certainly should get it."

Another suggestion made was that the Bureau inform groups within the student body of specialized opportunities, and pointed out the advisability of keeping the membership of such groups on file. The problem of secretarial work to handle this detail work could be met, the Committee stated, by enrolling undergraduates who have volunteered to do office work to aid in the war effort. The recent War Service Committee poll revealed that there are at least 24 such men. "They could send out informative post-cards to members of the specialized groups when the requests come in, or they could help keep the releases up to date, both in the central office and in the University distribution centers."

Problem of Freshmen

In the Committee's opinion, the most important problem is that of advising incoming Freshmen on the most suitable and profitable course for them to follow during their years in college. "At the present time, officials seem satisfied with the planned program of a few talks to the whole class reviewing in general the requirements and details of the Navy V-7 and the Army Reserve Enlistment Plan," continued Nowman's report, which pointed out that that plan seemed insufficient for a new student, who doesn't know which way to turn in preparation for the war.

To Select Advisers

The solution presented was to select a man in each House and Freshman Hall to advise first-year men on this problem. "He should have at his fingertips the information revelant to the Freshman, to the various study programs and what they lead to. With this specific material on hand and the advice of a tutor or proctor, the Freshman would be much more secure in his decision and would not tend to sign up blindly for one of the service enlistment programs."

Newman's committee expressed the hope that the efficiency and scope of the Bureau could be improved by the adoption of their suggestions, emphasizing that the latter was suffering from a certain lack of prestige due to criticisms and unfavorable publicity last spring. After the Bureau's enlargement, however, the criticisms dwindled considerably.