SDS Members Protest Army OCS Recruiter

More than 100 SDS members demanding an end to on-campus military recruitment demonstrated yesterday afternoon at the Office of Graduate and Career Plans (OG and CP) against a recruiter from the Army Officer Candidate School (Army OCS).

The demonstrators also tried to meet with the Army OCS representative, but the recruiter refused to see them.

John B Fox '59, director of the OG and CP, said later that the demonstration caused a 15-minute work stoppage in his office. But he added that the demonstrators were non-obstructive and that he would initiate no disciplinary proceedings against them.

The demonstrators rallied in front of University Hall at 1:15 p.m. and marched to the OG and CP, where the Army OCS representative was recruiting.

They voted to invite the recruiter outside to discuss his recruitment. Ellen J. Messing '72, co-chairman of SDS, entered the office but was allowed to speak with the recruiter only by telephone. The recruiter told her that he would not talk with the demonstrators because he was busy all day with appointments.

Weatherman's Appointment

After picketing briefly, the demonstrators entered the building and asked to see the recruiter. Members of the SDS antiwar committee had arranged an appointment with the recruiter in the name of Mark R. Dyen '70, a former SDS cochairman. Dyen has dropped out of school and is now a Weatherman.

A University policeman and an unidentified man in a plain dark suit stood at the entrance to the room where the Army representative was recruiting

"We'd like to see the recruiter. We've got an appointment," said Michael W. Macy '70.

Fox explained that the recruiter would not see the demonstrators because an interview with them was not conducive to his purpose of recruitment.

"If this guy [Fox] prevents us from seeing the recruiter and allows him to be here at the same time, then there really isn't any distinction between what he is doing and what the recruiter is doing," Miss Messing said.

No More Recruiting

Other demonstrators added that SDS would try to stop any further attempts by the military to recruit on campus. They then left the office.

The decision to protest recruitment by Army OCS was made at an SDS meeting last Thursday night.