University of Virginia Library

Graduate Schools Take More
In Attempt To Offset Draft

by Stefan Lopatkiewicz
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

University larger numbers of
students were accepted this year to
both the School of Law and
Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences at the University to
compensate for an expected loss of
entering students to the Selective
Service System, it was disclosed
yesterday.

"We set out to get 300 first-year
students and we are exactly where
we wanted to be, Peter W. Low,
Assistant Dean and Associate
Professor of the Law School, said
yesterday. Mr. Low said that a
notably large number of first-year
law students were accepted for the
beginning of the 1968 session
because "we estimated we would
lose a significant chunk of the
incoming first and second-year
classes," since the 2-S deferment
has been abolished for graduate
students.

Mr. Low denied that the
acceptance of the additional
first-year students backfired,
resulting in overcrowded conditions
in Clarke Hall. He intimated, in
fact, that the number of students in
the law school could drop below
that of last year, as several students
have already been drafted since the
semester began,

Edward Younger, Dean of the
Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences, announced that "about
10 to 15 per cent" more graduate
arts and sciences students were
accepted at the University this year
to, at least partially, compensate
for the draft.

Mr. Younger said that the
possibility of accepting more
graduate students for the 1968-69
session was discussed by the heads
of the 30 arts and sciences
departments last spring and that
they "generally came to an
understanding that the departments
would over-offer."

He went on to note that it never
was established exactly how much
should be over-offered or how
much actually was, but he knew
that "a good many" departments
did over-offer, and named the
physics, history, English,
government and foreign affairs,
romance languages, Germanic and
Slavic languages, and biology
departments as among them.

Mr. Younger pointed out that
some departments over-offered
above the general 15 per cent
increase of acceptances while others
did not over-offer at all.

As in the law school, Mr.
Younger said the size of the
graduate arts and sciences entering
class is "just about what we
expected." He noted that there are
currently 1100 graduate students
registered in the school, not
counting non-resident or late
registrants. This is an increase of
roughly 70 people over the
enrollment in the school last year at
this time but, said Mr. Younger,
"we were shooting for an increase
in registration."

The graduate school dean
pointed out that at this time last
year there were 234 graduate
women enrolled in the arts and
sciences, while this year there are
52 more enrolled. He noted that
the school had "accepted more
women to compensate for the
draft" and added there is a
possibility that more male students
will be pulled out of his school
throughout the year by the
selective service.

At the same time, officials of
other graduate schools at the
University stated they have not
altered acceptance standards or
quotas because of the draft
situation.

Thomas H. Hunter, Chancellor
of the School of Medicine, pointed
out that no larger number of
medical students than usual were
selected for the University's school
because "there is no question of
bona fide medical students being
drafted."

Stanley S. Stahl, Jr., Associate
Dean of the School of Education
revealed that graduate enrollment
in the education school is up
"roughly 20 per cent from last
year," but that this was a planned
situation and that there was no
change in admissions policy.