University of Virginia Library

'Tolerant Man'

I wish to extend my sympathy
to the learned D. A. Danielson,
Assistant Professor of Mathematics,
"a tolerant man." It is unfortunate
that ROTC drill has so disrupted his
Tuesday afternoon pedagogical experience
to the extent that a
self-confessed "tolerant man" has
been pushed beyond the reasonable
bounds of tolerance. One can
almost picture a line of what were
formerly Virginia gentlemen, now
"wearing uniforms of war and
carrying implements of destruction,"
prodding the learned assistant
professor with fixed bayonets
from the level ground into an abyss
of intolerance.

The learned assistant professor
condemns "the tramping of young
feet and the harsh notes composed
in the midst of some insignificant
war" as a disruption of "the
business of this academic community."
His solution, it appears to me,
is to substitute the tramping of
young feet and the harsh notes
composed in Berkeley, San Francisco
State, and Wisconsin. Only
then, when our students are incited,
will we return to "the business of
this academic community." I would
humbly suggest to the learned
Assistant Professor of Applied
Mathematics that the business of
this academic community is the
education of its students, which
does not entail jumping on the
bandwagon of educational anarchy.

Before rallying to the cause of a
disrupted mathematics class on a
Tuesday afternoon, students would
do well to consider the benefits
derived from the ROTC program. I
do not refer to the benefits either
the country or the University
"establishment" derive; I refer,
rather, to the concrete benefit
which students upon their graduation
from undergraduate school
may well be seeking. When a
student graduates from college, he
loses his student deferment. This
means, in a vast majority of cases,
that he is subject to the draft unless
he is physically unfit or has been
enrolled in an ROTC program or
will enroll in a two year ROTC
program in his graduate or law
school. For the student who wishes
to complete his education before
fulfilling his military obligation, the
ROTC program provides a valuable
opportunity. Any undergraduate
student, sheltered by his 2-S, who
looks upon ROTC with disdain
would do well to consult with any
graduate or law student who has
tried to make it through this year
with a 1-A. General Hershey has
seen to it that there are few of us
left.

I agree with the learned assistant
professor that "The time has come
when tolerant men must act." I
would have to qualify this rallying
cry with the note that the time has
come when tolerant men must act
REASONABLY. Perhaps some accommodation
could be reached
whereby the ROTC drill would
begin after the learned assistant
professor has concluded his Tuesday
afternoon class. Perhaps the
harsh notes could be toned down.
At any rate I am certain that a
sizable majority of both students
and faculty would agree that the
benefits to be derived by maintaining
an ROTC program far outweigh
the negligible disruption which it
causes.