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

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.