The Central Intelligence Agency’s November recruitment session has sparked concern from several NIU student organizations.

CIA representatives were allowed to sponsor recruitment sessions through the career planning and placement office.

Career Planning and Placement Director Gary Scott said he did not see it as a problem because “it is university policy that any employer who has legitimate jobs for college graduates can recruit on campus.”

A pamphlet titled “Campus Recruiting and the CIA,” recently distributed by the John Lennon Society, comments on whether or not NIU should extend “finite university resources to certain organizations,” such as the CIA.

It states that “secret wars and covert actions have been the purpose of the CIA since its inception” and “the trail of the CIA is a trail of lies, torture, rape and murder.”

The pamphlet further charges “that by providing services to the CIA and thus encouraging students to seek employment with it, the university is deeply and directly complicit in the agency’s crimes.”

JLS member Jim Fabris said CIA recruitment is a concern “because there are protests (against the CIA) on college campuses through out the country.”

CIA representative Kirk Cartwright said, “Occasionally there are mild protests on campus and once or twice these have turned violent, but generally we have not had problems.”

Scott said there were no protestors at the placement office when the CIA representatives were here.

JLS member Todd Kuzma said he had heard rumors that the CIA also held a “private” recruitment session on campus in December.

Scott said that was “not true” and that the office releases information about all employers and the dates they will be attending.

Fabris said he was concerned that “they (the CIA) may be trying to hide the fact they are recruiting.”

Kuzma said he hoped to schedule a debate for next semester because students as a whole should be allowed to form their own opinions and not just rely on the opinions of the JLS.

Phil Kessler, Student Association services adviser, said he had heard rumors that the CIA held a private recruitment session, but to his knowledge it was only “hearsay.”

e said he called placement office himself to find out if a “secret” session had taken place.

Scott said the only recruitment session held on campus was in November. He said he has been here for the last 14 years and in that time the CIA has recruited here about three times.