Finding Aid
|
Records of the Center for Draft Information and Counseling Access and Restrictions: This collection is open for research. Digital Surrogates: Except where indicated, this document describes but does not reproduce the actual text, images and objects which make up this collection. Materials are available only in the Special Collections Department. Copyright: Please read The University of Iowa Libraries' statement on Property Rights, Copyright Law, and Permissions to Use Unpublished Materials. Use of Collections: The University of Iowa Libraries supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted by their fragile condition or by contractual agreement with donors, and it may not be possible at all times to provide appropriate machinery for reading, viewing or accessing non-paper-based materials. Please read our Use of Manuscripts Statement. Acquisition and Processing Information: The Records of the Center for Draft Information and Counseling were transferred to the University Archives following the Center's closure in 1973. Collection processed by Brian Oleson; guide posted to the Internet in October 2009. Photographs: None |
|
Scope and Contents
The records of the University of Iowa Center for Draft Information and Counseling are comprised of correspondence, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, brochures, training guides, personal notes, and newsletters.
The organization also had one of its original founders, Emil Rinderspacher, record and explain the history and mission of the Center. This memoir is in Box 1, University of Iowa Draft Counseling and Training History folder.
The documents provide significant insight into the thoughts and views of various groups about the military draft on the University of Iowa campus from 1969 to 1973.
Historical Note
Perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of the Vietnam War era was the military draft. This government sanctioned conscription of young men in what became an unpopular military campaign in the Far East eventually manifested in widespread protest, violence, and flight to foreign countries. As a response to such social divisions, numerous groups sought to establish information centers that informed and educated possible candidates for the draft of their rights and possible exemptions. At the University of Iowa, one such group arose to fill that void.
On December 1, 1970, five University of Iowa students (Linda Brown, Don Conroy, Barry Lyerly, Ann Matthews, and Emil Rinderspacher) opened an information and counseling center on the ground floor of the Iowa Memorial Union. During the spring of 1971, the group was re-located to the first floor of the Union and was also incorporated into the Volunteer Service Bureau. From March 4 to May 27, 1971, the center provided direct, face-to-face interaction with 286 men, not including numerous phone calls and letter correspondence. The mission of the group was to provide information to possible draft candidates of their options and enable them to make an informed decision about their future.
In May 1971, the center assumed the official title of the University of Iowa Center for Draft Information and Counseling, or UI CDIC. The Center's operations ended when the U.S. Department of Defense officially terminated the draft in 1973.
Related Materials
Organizations and Clubs Vertical Files, Iowa Vietnam Peace Committee folder (RG 01.15.04)
Papers of Emil Rinderspacher (RG 02.09.30)
Subject Vertical Files, Administration category, Draft Law and the University of Iowa, 1965-1968 folder (RG 01.15.05)
Subject Vertical Files, Miscellaneous category, Draft folder (RG 01.15.05)
Subject Vertical Files, Miscellaneous category, Student Protest folders (RG 01.15.05)
See also the University Archives' Resource Guide to Student Protest Movements
Box Contents List
Box 1:
C.C.C.O. [Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors] Draft Counselor’s Newsletter, 1970-1972
----. Emigration to Canada, 1969-1971
----. Notes, 1971-1972
Michigan Draft Information Exchange, 1969-1970
University of Iowa Draft Counseling and Training: Correspondence, 1971-1972
----. Guides, 1969-1971
----. History, 1971
----. Notes, 1970-1972
Box 2:
Academic/Law Groups, 1971-1973
African American Groups, 1972-1973
Conscientious Objector Service, 1970-1972
Peace/Religious Groups, 1969-1973
Radical Groups, 1972-1973
U.S. Armed Services R.O.T.C. Programs, 1970
U.S. Military Medical Draft, 1970-1971
Miscellaneous, n.d.
