Recruitment Review

In the wake of student protest over the presence of CIA recruiters on campus, officials at Cornell University last week said they will review the school's policy regarding recruitment by the Intelligence Agency at the Ithaca, N.Y. school.

The University was forced to consider its policies by about 40 protesters who gathered in the office of dean of Students David D. Drinkwater. In addition, student protests over CIA presence at a career fair earlier this year forced a CIA recruiter to close down his table hours before he had planned.

Last week, Career Center Director Thomas C. Devlin met with eight student protesters and assured them that he would review the Center's current policy.

Protesters have argued that because of the CIA's violations of international law concerning Nicaragua and the World Court, allowing any kind of CIA recruitment on campus should be illegal.

CIA Public Affairs spokesperson Patty L. Volz said the protesters are entitled to their own opinion but added that they should not deprive interested students from their right to learn about the possibilities of CIA employment.

According to Volz, the numbers recruited from Cornell for jobs ranging from political analysts to engineers are not significant in terms of the Agency's general college student recruitment.

Devlin said that the Career Center will consider the opinions of all groups involved and re-evaluate the policy before the CIA recruits again in the spring.

"Our university has open access to all employers," said Devlin in reference to Cornell's current recruitment policy.

According to The Cornell Daily Sun, Devlin hopes to review the issue within the next week after considering documentation provided by the protesters. He will report his evaluation to Provost Robert Baker who will decide whether a change in current policy is warranted.