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Military and Draft Counseling Center of Buffalo records

 Collection — Box: 1-38
Identifier: MS-0082

Scope and Contents

The records of the Military and Draft Counseling Center of Buffalo (1953- 1978) contain materials relevant to the formation of the center and its activities from the center's inception as the Draft Counseling Center (1968), to the Draft Counseling Center of Greater Buffalo, (circa 1969- circa 1971), the Buffalo Draft Counseling Center (circa 1971-1972), the Draft Counseling Center of Buffalo (circa 1972), and finally the Military and Draft Counseling Center of Buffalo (circa 1972-circa 1978). Materials include address and appointment books, notes, correspondence, manuals, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, posters, newsletters, books, booklets, pamphlets, leaflets, and charts.

Dates

  • 1953-1978
  • Majority of material found within 1967-1974

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection material in English.

Terms of Access

The Military and Draft Counseling Center of Buffalo records, 1953-1978 (1967-1974 bulk) are open for research. Some material in the collection has been redacted to protect the privacy of the individuals using the Military and Draft Counseling Center's services and their families. In most cases, uncensored copies of redacted materials are boxed separately and restricted for later use.

Copyright

Copyright of papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.

Historical Note

In 1968, eleven individuals from the Buffalo community, including University at Buffalo professor Georg Iggers, founded what would become the Military and Draft Counseling Center. Guided by the founding belief that immigration to Canada should not be the only option for men unwilling to serve in the military, as many as 38 part-time counselors helped young men explore their options regarding the Selective Service System.
The center partnered with many attorneys in western New York to provide legal aid to men affected by the draft; it also collaborated with the Toronto Anti-Draft Programme to provide registrants and non-registrants with accurate information regarding immigration to Canada. By 1970, at the peak of the center's activity, over 300 young men visited the center each week to receive counseling on deferments and classification. In 1971, The Graduate Student Association of the University at Buffalo contracted with the Draft Counseling Center of Buffalo (as it was then called) to provide services to students, as did the United Student government of the State University College at Buffalo.
By the time Nixon suspended draft inductions in June 1972, many counselors had refocused their efforts on counseling military personnel. Counselors worked with current servicemen on hardship and conscientious objector discharge applications, and helped former servicemen apply for exemplary rehabilitation certificates and discharge upgrades. In addition to its draft counseling services, the records of the center reflect interest in a variety of related causes, including peace groups, amnesty for draft resistors, and opposition to military recruitment tactics in high schools. Informal draft and military counseling continued on campus through the 1980s, through the work of Dr. Iggers and others.

Extent

14.39 Linear Feet (31 manuscript boxes, 7 half manuscript boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

The records of the Military and Draft Counseling Center of Buffalo reflect the center's efforts from 1968 to 1978 to counsel area men and service people about their rights and options regarding the Selective Service System and the military.

Arrangement

This collection is organized into nine series: I. Administration, II. Correspondence, III. Case files, IV. Draft and Military Counseling materials, V. Legal reference, VI. Military publications, VII. Newsletters, VIII. Topical files, and IX. Other files.

Acquisition Information

The records of the Military and Draft Counseling Center of Buffalo were donated to the University Archives in 1978 by Larry Scott and Paul Post, longtime counselors and administrators of the center. The collection was partially processed by the University Archives in the summer of 1978, and fully processed in the spring of 2005.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Kerry Fender and Sheryl Saxby, August 23, 2005.

Subjects

Related Names

Source

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Finding aid for the Military and Draft Counseling Center of Buffalo records
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Kerry Fender. Finding aid encoded in EAD by Karen Morse and Kerry Fender.
Date
August 2005
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Physical Storage Information

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the University Archives Repository

http://library.buffalo.edu/archives/
Contact:
420 Capen Hall
Buffalo New York 14260-1674 US
716-645-2916
716-645-3714 (Fax)