HPC Opening Its Offices To SDS Draft Counselors

The Harvard Policy Committee will allow SDS to use its offices in 52 Dunster Street as a draft counseling center for Harvard students. The HPC made the agreement after the Administration had refused to provide SDS with its own University office for distributing draft information.

"If they were an outside organization and they wanted to recruit for jobs, that would be all right," said John B. Fox '59, Director of the Office of Graduate and Career Plans, in support of the Administration's decision.

"I don't myself know what SDS could offer that our own draft information service does not already provide," Fox added. "I have never received any indication from students that what we provide isn't satisfactory."

Henry Norr '68, HPC president, said he thought the SDS counseling would provide students with a valuable new service. "It is at least as important for them to have a room as for the HPC," Norr said last night.

Barry A. Margolin '70, one of the three members of the SDS draft project directing the service, said the University's refusal made "their arguments for open military recruiting a lot weaker." He added, "Anybody who has money to offer students can come, but when you just offer information, you get no facilities. We would have settled for an office smaller than the one Dow had in Mallinckrodt."

"The Marine recruiter told me they were offering an option to the draft--enlistment," said Margolis. "This is exactly what we propose to do--offer alternatives to the draft."

Fox said there was a waiting list of many student organizations waiting for rooms and that SDS must go through the proper channels.

"Administrators keep saying that procedure outlive individuals and I agree for the most part," Norr said. "But in six months people are going to go out to kill and be killed in this abominable war while they're telling us what room we can and cannot use."