But mine is not the only apology needed. Bucknell's president, Brian C. Mitchell, owes one to the students and faculty members whose rights are threatened by his administration's arbitrary actions and the alumni whose degrees are being tarnished. He needs to condemn the recent censorship and proclaim publicly that all students, whatever they believe, will be free to express themselves.

Mitchell, whom I like and respect, has ignored calls to do this for six months. It is long past time he ended this insanity and unequivocally stood up for freedom of speech -- following, odd as it might seem, in the footsteps of our rival Lehigh.

Speaking as a proud alumnus, I simply do not like airing this issue on an op-ed page. But I like even less that Bucknell's leaders' failure to resolve this free-speech crisis quietly has made it necessary for us to do so. I hope they end it soon, by responding to our simple request. I'd prefer that they do it out of love for the free exchange of ideas, but if they just want to beat Lehigh...well, I'll take it.

--Charles Mitchell '05

Second, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education--a civil-liberties group in Philadelphia--has placed Bucknell on its "Red Alert" list given the ongoing free-speech dispute we have noted here. The group's announcement is accompanied by prominent advertisements, including in the U.S. News & World Report college guide. Clearly, this is not the reputation we want Bucknell to have. ABB urges all friends of Bucknell: Redouble your efforts to change this unacceptable situation. Call on President Mitchell, kindly but firmly, to stand up and make clear that the events of the spring were a mistake, and that all students and faculty will have their right to speak freely respected. Tell your Bucknell friends, and ask them to do the same.

That is not fun, we know, and it is not how we would prefer to begin the school year. But as it is often said, we are all members of the "Bucknell family," and sometimes family members have to pull each other aside and present some hard truths. Please join us in doing that at this challenging, and crucial, time for the university we all love.

--Allison Kasic '05

Thank you so much for your spring cover story, "Conscience and Consequence," and thanks especially to President Mitchell for his statement in his column that "Bucknell is proud to have been home to an ROTC program since 1951."Too many university magazines would never run such an article, and too many university presidents would not say such a thing. All involved deserve kudos for putting a much-deserved spotlight on the Bison Battalion. But we shouldn't stop there. If we are indeed proud of our ROTC program, let's give the hardworking cadets academic credit for their military science courses. Not only is this the right thing to do, but it would take away the only bragging rights that Lehigh (which does give credit) has over "Dear Bucknell."

--Allison Kasic '05

Bucknell president Brian C. Mitchell has received about 100 letters, e-mails, and phone calls protesting the administration's response.

The Alliance for a Better Bucknell, a year-old group of alumni, parents, and others, is backing the conservative club's right to hold events such as an affirmative-action bake sale.

"This issue is not about conservatives or liberals; it is about one of the fundamental tenets of a university," said Allison Kasic, 25, a 2005 Bucknell graduate and vice president of the group. "The expressive rights of Bucknell students, as well as faculty, must be respected."

Kasic, a policy analyst for the Washington-based Independent Women's Forum, said the group had hoped that the university would have retreated so that the matter didn't have to go public.

Do read the whole thing--and please continue to call on President Mitchell to do what is right.

--Charles Mitchell '05

Dear President Mitchell,

I am disturbed by news I am hearing about the current state of free speech on Bucknell's campus.  I would  greatly appreciate if you could inform me of what is taking place to curb what appears to be selective censorship of the Bucknell Conservatives Club.

As I have kept up with events at the University since my graduation, I have been very pleased with your commitment to freedom of expression and the balancing of opinions from across the political and ideological spectrum.  With your prior words and actions in mind, I find it troubling that you still remain silent (at least as far as I can tell) on this important issue.

You or I might not always agree with the methods of some groups on campus, but all students and clubs have the right to freely express their ideas and to protest policies they view as wrong or destructive.  Freedom of expression must be the bedrock of the college environment in order to ensure that the goals of a college education are fulfilled.  These things are even more important at a liberal arts college like Bucknell.

Thank you for your time and consideration.  I await a response at your earliest convenience.

Best regards,
Adam R. Hersperger, Class of 2005

Well put. Let's keep 'em coming.

--Charles Mitchell '05

Now, we are deeply saddened to read that the "bad old days" seem to have returned. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a respected civil-liberties group in Philadelphia, has issued a series of communiqués documenting administrative censorship of the Bucknell Conservatives Club--whose members had tried to state their views regarding fiscal policy and affirmative action. It is troubling that these events ever happened, and even more so that the administration had the chance to resolve this privately and did not

So far, no one has heard a word from President Mitchell. His subordinates were responsible for the actions taken against the conservative students and issuing the university's lone (and very puzzling) statement. We need him to speak up, personally, to do what's right and to protect the value of a Bucknell degree--and we are hopeful he will do so.

ABB calls upon President Mitchell, in the strongest possible terms, to immediately condemn the recent censorship and proclaim publicly that no one will ever be treated this way again at Bucknell for expressing social or political views. This issue is not about conservatives or liberals; it is about one of the fundamental tenets of a university. The expressive rights of Bucknell students (as well as faculty) must be respected.

--Allison Kasic '05

We're deeply encouraged by the support we've received from the Bucknell community. At this stage, while we have not received a response from President Mitchell, we have confirmed that he has reviewed our letter and that numerous others involved with the Common Learning Agenda are in the process of reviewing it, too.

What can you do to keep things moving forward? I can answer that in a single word: networking. The future of Bucknell is a more-than-worthy reason to get back in touch with that old roommate or friend. Give them a call and tell them what we're up to. Ask them to look at the website.

If more alumni and friends find out what today's Bucknell students can graduate without studying, they will respond--and so will the University's leadership.

Most Bucknellians I know are ambitious and busy people. It's hard to find the time--I know, believe me. But if you do the math, you know that if everyone makes just a few contacts, and those contacts in turn do the same, the cry for change will continue to grow. We can do this!

Meanwhile, the ABB Board of Directors is hard at work coming up with other ways to make our voices heard. Keep an eye on these pages in the days and weeks ahead for both those ideas and news of further progress.

Thanks for your support!

--Richard Werther '79

Margaret Spellings, the current U.S. Secretary of Education, said, "American History, so that students have an appreciation for the events that made our great democracy what it is today, and a rigorous writing class to ensure they can effectively convey ideas, thoughts and concepts."

And Cornell president David Skorton--whose choice of a school to lead we won't hold against him--joined President Shalala in mentioning history and foreign language, as well as literature.

Dave Weich, Powell's.com: In your National Book Award acceptance speech and elsewhere, you've talked about a growing problem of historical illiteracy in America.

McCullough: It's a big problem, and I'm doing everything I can to try to help.

Dave: How can people get involved?

McCullough: There's a very good organization that was started by a professor at Princeton, Theodore Rabb, and another professor at Columbia, Ken Jackson, called The National Council for History Education, which has been growing steadily. I've been involved in it almost from the beginning. It's an effort to do something about how we're teaching the teachers, which is a critical part of the problem. We have such a vast number of teachers, particularly now, more and more, who are the graduates of schools of education, or they have a degree in education. They don't know a subject; they haven't had a real major. They're assigned to teach botany or physics or history, and they don't know anything about the subject.

The federal government is also trying to do some things. Senator Byrd and Lamar Alexander are very much in the forefront of that, along with Senator Kennedy.

I feel strongly that we've got to revise how we teach the teachers. I would abolish schools of education. I think what every teacher ought to have is a good liberal arts education. And there are signs of hope. At the University of Oklahoma, for example, you can no longer graduate with a degree in education; you have to have a major. But there are also terrible setbacks. The state of Alabama has stopped the teaching of history through the first eight grades. State-wide, no more history.

One of the problems with having a teacher that doesn't know the subject he or she is teaching is that they are more dependent therefore on the textbooks, and the textbooks, though there are some exceptions, are appallingly bad. Dreary, deadly it's as if they're designed to kill any interest you might have in history. And you can't love something you don't know any more than you can love someone you don't know. If the teacher doesn't know any history, how is he or she really going to love it? We know from our own experiences that it's the ones that really love what they're teaching that teach you the most.

But I don't think the problem is the teachers, entirely. I think the problem with education in our country is us. We're not doing anywhere near enough as parents or grandparents to talk about history with our children, to talk about the books we've loved about historical subjects or figures. And taking our children or grandchildren to historic sights... we can't leave that for the schools because they don't do it much anymore. Reinstate the dinner table conversation. Reinstate dinner as part of family life. I grew up that way. It's another era, I know, but there's nothing wrong with the idea that you'd talk about history or current events and politics at the dinner table. Every night. Go with your children to Fort Necessity or Monticello or someplace like that. They never forget it. It changes their life.

I know from teaching as a visiting professor or guest lecturer at universities for more than twenty years now that what our students don't know about American history is absolutely appalling. It's stunning. It leaves you gaping when you first encounter it. You think, How can this be? But it's correctable.

That's an awful long answer, but I do care about this passionately.

--Richard Werther '79

That desire is strong enough that we have invested our money and our time to form this venture. This is truly a labor of love for all of us. We come not to criticize, but to make a positive difference for our alma mater and its students now and future.

There are many reasons why we believe this is an important place to start. As you read the materials on this site, we hope you too can get a sense of what drives our passion on this topic. If you share our concerns and aspirations for Bucknell, we hope you will take a role in this effort as well. Come join us, and together we'll help all the others striving to move Bucknell forward!

--Richard Werther '79