Students react to Rep. Rangel's call for a draft

With possible war on the horizon and New York Representative Charles B. Rangel at work on a bill calling for a draft, University students remain unconcerned about being called into military service.

Rangel, the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, spoke at Harvard University last Monday to gauge the support level for a draft including college students.

On the Princeton campus, there has been little talk of a possible draft — most students asked had never heard of Rangel's bill. Yet, Democrat and Republican students alike were doubtful that such a plan would be enacted.

Unlikely draft

"It is very unlikely that we will have a draft, since our all-volunteer army has spent so much time downsizing to up its standards," said a University ROTC member. "By volunteering, someone shows a certain level of enthusiasm that a drafted person will never have."

At Harvard, dubbed "a hotbed of liberalism" by its college newspaper, many students and members of the media packed into an auditorium to hear Rangel speak. The Crimson newspaper reported the speech received "mixed reviews," quoting the Harvard College Democrats president in opposition to some aspects of Rangel's argument.

Rangel's speech was the first time he has presented his argument to a group that could potentially be affected by a draft. Sunday's New York Times said the meeting "could illustrate whether the draft still has the capacity to stir crowds on college campuses."

A strong opponent to a war with Iraq, Rangel hopes his bill will force Congress and the President to look closely at who would be fighting if the United States went to war.

"I believe that if those calling for war knew that their children were likely to be required to serve — and to be placed in harm's way — there would be more caution and a greater willingness to work with the international community in dealing with Iraq," Rangel wrote in a Dec. 31 New York Times opinion piece.

The congressman is raising many issues with his call for a draft, including questions of class and race in the military. "A disproportionate number of the poor and members of minority groups make up the enlisted ranks of the military, while the most privileged Americans are underrepresented or absent," he wrote.

More than 11 million men between the ages of 18 and 25 are registered in the Selective Service System. Under current draft laws, twenty-year-old men would be called up first in a birthday lottery, followed by similar procedures for men between ages 21 and 25 if necessary — placing college sophomores and juniors among the first targets of a draft.

Some University students felt that a draft would be a good idea, citing the Israeli system as a positive example. "I think national service is a good idea," said Ethan Leibowitz '05. "In my opinion, it is one of the few ways that races, ethnic groups and classes can be mixed."

The heads of two of the main political organizations on campus held differing views on Rangel's emphasis on social and racial equality in the armed forces, yet both pledged to support the armed forces and serve if called up in a draft.

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College Republicans president Evan Baehr '05 believes that "drafting college students only slightly mitigates the racial and economic gap, and unfairly targets poor and minority students in college." In other respects, Baehr felt Rangel's point would help "challenge" America's views on the war.

While he felt that the measure would garner little popular support, College Democrats President Owen Conroy '05 agreed with Rangel's ideas on this aspect. "I don't enjoy the idea that I could be called on to fight in a war, especially one with questionable motives or goals," he said.

"However, there is nothing in my status as a Princeton student that gives me any more right to enjoy life in a free nation than someone who hasn't had the same opportunities."