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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1968)
Dow Spokesman Contends Napalm Still Useful Tool By STEVE PETRANK Collegiate Press Service MIDLAND, Mich. — Dow Chemi cal Corporation has elected to take a moral stand on napalm — they’re going to stick with it. “You can debate the war, you can talk about whether or not we should be there,’’ Dow’s President H. D. Doan said yes terday, “but while our guys are there we feel like giving them the weapons they need, and be lieve me, they really need this one.” Although Doan feels the Vi etnam war has “gotten com pletely out of hand” and favors an immediate troop withdrawal, he also says that napalm is “a fantastically useful strategic weapon.” Tactical Weapon “There’s only one iactical weapon that can turn hack the human wave and that’s napalm,” he said. Doan also said he believed the American soldier would have been militarily defeated in South Vietnam without na palm. With napalm representing less than one-half of one per cent of total Dow sales, the decision to continue making the sticky and fiery gasoline gel could be little more than prin ciple. Dow is not forced by any gov ernmental pressure to continue making napalm either. Gov ernment contracts represent less than 5 per cent of total sales. But Dow does have an im age problem. Military Association Citing a recent survey taken by the company, Doan said that although no one associated Dow with military products in 1966, over 90 per cent of college stu dents polled now know Dow makes napalm and “the great majority of the students think Dow is the number one sup plier of war materials.” Dow ranks 75th on a list of the top defense contractors for the war and Doan noted that he was “not a bit surprised to see several universities ahead of Dow.” Napalm was developed before and during the second World War, and Dow has produced it only since 1965, when the Air Force changed its specifications to include a thicker gelatin base for its active ingredient, gaso line. Interviews Not Affected The thicker base became sty rene, a basic building block for most plastics. Styrene was de veloped and first patented by Dow. Company officials con - firmed that Dow is the best equipped major chemical firm to produce styrene. According to company re - cruiters, response of top stu dents to Dow campus, interviews have not been affected, despite the more than 138 demonstra tions in the last year. Richins Takes Post As New Grad Dean Dwaine Richins, formerly di rector of graduate studies for the College of Business Admin istration, has been named asso ciate dean of graduate students at the University. The University-wide office, one of the few of its kind in the country, was established in 1966 to aid graduate students with both personal and academ ic problems. The post was formerly held by Francis Rummel until 1967 when he was named dean of the School of Education at the University of Montana. Richin’s offices are located in Chapman Hall in the general administration offices of the Graduate School. John Bramwell, a doctoral candidate in educational psy - chology has been named assis tant dean for graduate stu - dents. He was formerly a staff assistant to Richins. Doan says the company feels a “right and a responsibility to be on campus for those stu dents who want to discuss job opportunities, and we have al ways supported the right of oth ers to debate the issues, to dem onstrate peacefully, and I hope we always will.” It has been suggested by stu dent leaders that although Dow has only five products available for direct consumption, such as Saran Wrap and oven clean er, a boycott of these products might force Dow to reconsider napalm positions. Doan denied such a move would work. He said Dow’s po sition would not be subject to fi nancial considerations. Dow’s five consumer products repre sent only two and a half per cent of their sales. Job Service Offers Advice, Placement Recruiters are now on cam pus to interview 1968-69 gradu ates and alumni for positions in business, science and indus - try, according to the campus Placement Service. Recruiters visit the campus during the two recruiting sea sons, mid-October through De cember and mid-January to April. Graduates and alumni may register for interviews at the Placement Service Offices on the second floor of Susan Campbell Hall. According to spokesmen, in terested students should sign up several months before grad uation, or before they leave the campus. A business technical place - ment counselor will meet with students, when current trends in employment and vocational opportunities are discussed. At a stockholders meeting last year, a Wall Street broker suggested that Dow might lose as much as one third of its sales due to its napalm policy. An estimated 5.000 shareholders have sold their stock for rea sons attributed to this policy. Dow denies that they have real ly been hurt. “We certainly couldn't show that we've been hurt statistical ly. What worries us are t h e long-term aspects," Doan said. "He suggested an example would be a great scientist who might invent something fan tastic for Dow but who might refuse to interview with t h e company because of their pol icies. Wind Symposium To Start Today Contemporary wind music and numbers by local composers will highlight the Thirteenth An nual Wind Symposium to be held today and Thursday. Approximately 350 musicians, including students and teach ers, are expected to attend the concerts and informal discus sions during the two-day pro gram. A fanfare by Ed Soule, mu sic librarian, will be featured in tonight’s open concert, sched uled to begin at 8 p.m. in the School of Music Auditorium. Also slated for this evening is an informal discussion on re cent works for wind ensembles by a panel of composers and conductors. Thursday's concert at 8 p.m. in the Recital hall will include solos by University students. Admission is free to both events. Committee Considers University's Image “The image of the University is one of filth and a place where unpatriotic people exist," according to Randy Farleigh. paraphrasing a remark by act ing University President Charles Johnson in an ASUO Higher Education Committee meeting Monday. Discussion centered on ob scenity in student publications and University relations with the state legislature and the State Board of Higher Educa tion. Farleigh, who is chairman of the committee, said the Senate tried for state subsidy for the Student Health Service last year, but no positive action was taken. The portion of student in cidental fees supporting the Health Service is closer to $480, 000 instead of the $450,000 quoted in a recent letter to the editor of the Emerald, he added. The doctors are now operat ing on a ten minute appoint ment schedule, Farleigh said, and students are being charged for drugs and x-rays in addi tion to the incidental fee. The committee has presented no bills to the Senate so far because, Farleigh explained, these bills usually come before the state legislature and take more research than those from other committees. Farleigh plans to mail a ques tionnaire to all elected officials asking their views on what per centage of the cost of education the state should pay. Whether the state should assume a por tion of the financial support of the Student Health Service and whether guidelines or limita tions should be imposed on speakers and organizations on state campuses. PL-3 Schedule WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13 6:30 Huntley Brinkley Report 7:00 The Poor Pay More (Repeat) 8:00 International Magazine: News backgrounds and feature re ports from various overseas locations. 9:00 Applachia; Rich Land, Poor People 10:00 Medical Education Volkswagen Specialists OPEN: Monday-Friday—8 a.m.-6 p.m Saturdays—8 a.m.-2 p.m. • LOW REPAIR CHARGES • WORKMANSHIP GUARANTEED • FACTORY TRAINED IN GERMANY • FULLY EQUIPPED TO HANDLE ALL GERMAN MAKES (Berman bmo satire 2045 Franklin Blvd. 342-2912 / Students for Democratic Society presents THE And THE SIR DOUGLAS QUINTET In Concert Wed., Nov. 13, 8 P.M., EMU Ballroom Tickets $2 per person at EMU Main Desk or at the door 7 p.m. Wed.
