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April, 1967 THE MAROON TIGER Page 9 A BUS RIDE . . . Continued (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8-COLUMN 3) 102 years ago, would be an exaggeration, but to say there will not be continued progress in every town and hamlet of America would be the height of pessi mism. When it does become a reality, throughout America, much of the credit will have to go to a frail, attractive, brown-skinned seamstress who one day in the Fall of 1955 decided she would no longer “go to the back of the bus.” Mrs. Rosa Parks lives in Detroit, Michi gan, today and is happily employed. There is no bitterness, no rancor, no shouting and backslapping with self praise. This mild-mannered Christian lady, Rosa Parks, is still active in De troit’s Civil Rights program, and is happy to have made a contribution to America’s progress by refusing to go “To The Back of the Bus.” Guest Editorial PRESENT DRAFT SYSTEM UNFAIR by R. G. Elston Ballstate News, lnd. Ways to evade the draft dominate the mind’s of most American males today. One possible escape is student defer ment. Many males would rather face the competition and sweat of college grades than draft induction. Because the draft allows for such student deferments, it discriminates against those who lack the means, de sire and ability to attend college. Col lege students merit no more special treatment than the regular American male not enrolled in an institute of higher ed ucation. Granted, such a viewpoint will strike hard and anger BSU men, for few males desire to be war targets. Yet, if draft is necessary to fill the quota, a more fair method of recruitment is necessary. The present system is highly discriminatory. The National Commission on Se lective Service told President Johnson last week that draft laws should be revo lutionized to provide a lottery. One provision of this proposed lot tery would call for the continuance of student deferments but with the change that college students after graduation must go back into the lottery pool and face the same draft exposure as those males not continuing their education. Hershey further reported that the draft commission may eventually propose gradual abolition of student deferments. Even when college students are exempted from the draft during their col lege years, a further loophole exists after graduation. The major escape is to hold jobs considered essential by government, such as teachers, agricultural workers, some engineers and defense industry personnel. Illustrating such draft evasion, Yale University President Kingman Brewster recently spoke of the “endless cata combs of formal education, where a man may meander for years while eluding the draft that catches his unlucky contempo raries.” Brewster’s point merely empha sizes the special privilege granted to college students because their college status is the result of a good environ ment or family income. It is morally wrong to place the burden of the draft on those males of lower economic or edu cation class. One top student and president of the governing board of the University of Oregon, Henry Drummonds, said in refer ence to the draft, “A human life is a human life is a human life.” Drummonds voluntarily gave up his own II-S status and is now I-A,. facing induction soon. One popular cry of many college males is to defer them until they com plete their degrees. Why do they rate such exemptions. Their work or studies can be interrupted just as easily as that of the male employed at a factory, etc. Each is attempting to establish sound employment for a financial rewarding career. Interruption of military service for both college and non-college males is unfortunate, but if draft is necessary, then both must be treated equally. Indeed, college males are a pamp ered lot. Because of their status, they are given priority over those males who lack the means, desire or ability to at tend college. Even after college gradua tion, they are allowed to meander draft- exempt. With hope, the new proposed lottery system, if enacted, will curb such discrimination. The present selective ser vice system is unjust. Drinking and the College Student by Marion Brown The drinking of alcoholic beverages is widespread in the colleges of today. It influences the students of these col leges to perform acts associated with love, honor, and contentment. But even more, it has prompted them to commit acts associated with hate, jealousy, and discontent. It would seem natural that if a person were aware of the effects of drinking, he would cease to make himself subject to this element of mental and physical destruction. But it has been found that the majority of college stu dents do not drink just for drinking’s sake. Some drink to conform with the crowd, others to achieve social success, and still others to escape personal pressures. The college student who closely observes the actions of his fellow stu dents may soon discover that many of them indulge in activities that bring out the “man” in them, the drinking of al coholic beverages being the main ac tivity. He sees the lofty enjoyment ex hibited by the bulk of the campus dwell ers: the adjusting freshman, the initiated sophomore, the established junior, and the supreme senior. He soon adheres to the oft heard maxim, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” and begins his “campaign” of conforming with the crowd. This observer soon formulates the misconception that it is the duty of the college student to drink. He arrives at this conclusion by listening to the many students who drink talk about weekend sprees as if these drunken frolics were a part of the college’s curriculum. The fact that these drinking sprees are con centrated mainly on weekends, except on special occasions, makes them seem somewhat routine, thus suggesting a sense of duty to the beginning drinker. This misconception of drinking in college is sometimes so deeply imbed ded in the mind of the student that he becomes extremely indifferent to any advice contrary to it. The chastisements and lectures that he receives from teach ers, friends, or other interested parties get only as far as his ears, i.e., he “listens” but does not “hear.” He has no interest whatsoever in the fact that the drinking of alcoholic beverages can produce poor health, or that it can result in making poor grades, or that it can possibly lead to expulsion from school. He <?nly believes that drinking is some thing that will enhance his position as a college man. In addition to the desire to conform with the general crowd, the college stu dent finds it necessary to be a part of a particular gang. When he has selected a group of associates, he sometimes learns that these companions are staunch drinkers. With a little influencing from them, he bends to their will and takes on the habit. He soon finds that the more he drinks and the more he enjoys him self while drinking, the more his asso ciates become attached to him. He then concludes that drinking is a prime factor in being “accepted” by the typical col lege group. With many aspects of social acti vities associated with college life, a student may find it hard to adjust to and enjoy these activities because of social ineptness. He may be too shy and, thus, unable to communicate with others, es pecially the opposite sex. He soon learns that through drinking, he can achieve the social success that he normally does not possess. He begins by drinking at part ies, where the association is most close ly knit, and finds that socializing with others is easier. He i§ able to begin and hold conversations more effectively. While dancing with a girl, his body is more relaxed and thus his coordination and rhythm are inclined to be more natu ral than they would normally be. As a result of this lively “per sonality” that he develops, others may begin to take interest in him and lead him to think that it is his drinking that impresses them. Although this is in directly true, for drinking is the founda tion for this newly aquired personality, it could prove harmful to him if he were to begin drinking in excess in order to increase the interest of others, because this could lead to alcoholism, which would repel others rather than attract them. Any athletic contest can be thought of as a special occasion on which the college student finds drinking a pleasure rather than a necessity. The mere fact that there will be a football, baseball, or basketball game, or a track or swim ming meet immediately signifies that drinking will be a part of his enjoyment of the contest. He becomes more spirited after a few drinks and is often the lead ing cheerer of the crowd. He combines spirited cheers with vigorous body move ments and virtually “lets himself go.” During this period of pronounced elation, the college student pays little or no attention to his personal appear ance, his health, or his safety. He does not think it important to put his shirt tails into his trousers, or to tie his shoe laces. He thinks it unnecessary to put his coat on or to button his sweater while watching a football game in late November. He thinks it improbable that as a result of his energetic movements, he may slip and fall. He therefore pays more attention to what is happening around him. He welcomes the noise and excitement of the game, which in turn makes him more noisy and excited. More closely associated with col lege drinking are the many personal pressures that the college student must contend with each day. He finds that while under the influence of alcoholic beverages, his problems and anxieties (CONTINUED ON PAGE 10-COLUMN 1)