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News

Person of the Year: Tracy Shaynak

By Meghan Finlayson

Staff Writer

After coming to the University in 1998 and being officially appointed as director of the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) at the end of last year, one woman on campus has spearheaded efforts to address many issues both women and men face on campus.

Since Tracy Shaynak has started working as director, she has worked with faculty, administration and students to address important issues in the University community. She has been involved in numerous campus events that address them, such as the Take Back the Night Rally, and she has been working with Bucknell Student Government to reconfigure the “For a Better Bucknell” rally next year.

“She has worked with BSG through getting to know individual members,” Sonali Basak ’12 said. “[She] provides an atmosphere of comfort, where anything goes and all ideas are accepted.”

Shaynak’s responsibilities include supervising students, staff and volunteers who work in the WRC and coordinating the Center’s programs and initiatives. She also runs the Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate Program, which provides assistance and support for those who have been sexually assaulted.

The WRC serves as a place of support for students, faculty and staff. It promotes awareness and “understanding of issues related to women’s rights and gender inequities, both historic and contemporary,” Shaynak said.

Shaynak also serves as an adviser to the women’s student group Essential. “As an advisor, she has gone above and beyond to ensure the success of our organization. She is a friend, a mother figure and most of all a teacher to all of us,” said Juanita Jeffrey ’13, president of Essential.

Shaynak has worked with the Interfraternity Council to inform Greeks about the programs and resources offered by the WRC. “She is a very genuine and kind person who is always willing to help out others and has been a very strong ally of the Interfraternity Council,” said Michael Higgins, president of the Interfraternity Council. “We are truly blessed to have her, her skills, knowledge and dedication on campus.”

In working with Associate Provost Robert Midkiff, Shaynak has developed the Sexual Assault Task Force and helped the LGBT Awareness Office continue to move forward after the loss of Fran McDaniel.

“We have worked together on issues of sexual violence, alcohol education and heterosexism and homophobia in the campus community,” Midkiff said.

Shaynak is an advocate for collaboration. “For me, there is real value in recognizing how programs, policies and people interrelate, and when we can bring departments and organizations together in creative ways that maximize and take advantage of these connections, we have the ability to truly enhance the educational experience,” she said.

She has also taken a role in the Campus Climate Task Force by sitting in on meetings and serving as a resource to the group.

“Where we have been successful and what gives me real hope is that the campus community has begun to have an important and meaningful dialogue around some very important issues this year. Student leaders, including those from the Panhellenic Council, Interfraternity Council and Bucknell Student Government, have been coming forward and coming together in ways that are simply unprecedented in my time here,” she said.

Shaynak is best known for her compassion and dedication to understanding student opinions and concerns.

“She listens carefully to students and assists them in making good academic and life choices,” Midkiff said. “I think she is really good at empowering students to critically examine their beliefs and their actions and to live their lives consistently.”

Through her deep involvement and myriad contributions to the campus this year, Shaynak has made and will continue to make a real difference in the lives of students.

Categories
News

Person of the Year: Kristin Vallis ’11

By Olivia Seecof

Writer

Kristin Vallis ’11 from Ridgefield, Conn. originally came to the University to play water polo, but that is not what defined her during her time here. Vallis’ work in the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Awareness (LGBT) has earned her a Person of the Year award.

“I started working there sophomore year because I didn’t know what else to do with myself after coming out freshman year,” Vallis said. This year, Vallis was the office manager and attended four different national conferences on behalf of the office.

“Kristin’s continued presence in the office this semester has simply been invaluable as we have been continuing the good work that began under Fran McDaniel’s leadership,” said Tracy Shaynak, director of the Women’s Resource Center.

Vallis is graduating with a bachelor of science degree in biology. In addition to her work in the LGBT Office, she is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, studied abroad through the Semester at Sea program and was a member and Junior Fellow of the Environmental Residential College.

Vallis’ efforts in all that she does have proved to be very inspiring to everyone she comes across. “She taught me to always ‘do you,'” Stephanie Walters ’11 said. “I don’t know if she even realizes but when we met during recruitment, she encouraged me to continue being myself.”

McDaniel had a significant impact on Vallis, and losing her was difficult. “Fran always gave me space to figure out who I was,” she said. “Fran did so much [for the office], but we couldn’t depend on her anymore. We’ve picked up the pieces and pushed the envelope of how to make Bucknell aware of more perspectives in general.”

“[Kristin] has become an effective facilitator of dialogue among students and has earned the respect and admiration of her peers, and of faculty and staff,” Associate Provost Robert Midkiff said. “It is always rewarding to see students become an effective self-advocate–it is even more rewarding when you see that student step out of their comfort zone and become an advocate for others.”

One way Vallis has educated the University community is through the Safe Space program. At each of the conferences she attended, she presented workshops on the Safe Space program. One conference Vallis attended was the Out & Greek National LGBT & Ally Fraternity & Sorority Leadership Conference at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. This conference discussed the position of LGBT in Greek life. “Since Greek life is such a big thing on campus, it was awesome to discuss issues with other LGBT greeks,” Vallis said.

“[During] presentations, she was an equal partner in our work,” Midkiff said. “Her peers from other institutions were clearly inspired by her work in Safe Space as they eagerly sought to speak with her in greater detail about her experiences, the obstacles she encountered and how they might bring a program like Safe Space to their own campuses.”

The Safe Space program has been in the University community for about 10 years, but approximately seven years ago, the University changed the program to have students engage with other students. This program is “unique to Bucknell because it is the only program with peer educators and a voting system,” Vallis said.

“Although [the program is] simple definitions, the real gold mine is that peer educators tell peer strangers, ‘Hey, this is my life here at Bucknell,’” Vallis said.

“I cannot think of a better woman to receive this honor,” Walters said. “Kristin is a friend to all and a best friend to me. She has the ability to free a little nervous sophomore, strengthen a junior and love a senior.  Congratulations to Kristin, the woman who taught me more than I can ever express. Bucknell will truly lack a certain ‘cool’ once Kristin graduates.”

“Kristin has conquered Bucknell in her four years and will leave it overflowing with cultural awareness, respect for all and the motivation for further change,” Chelsea Burghoff ’11 said.

Vallis has been extremely dedicated to educating the University community about the LGBT organization and Safe Space program.

“To quit water polo and leave the identity of an athlete was really hard for me,” Vallis said.

While it was a tough time, Vallis was able to think about what was truly important to her. She put all of the discipline she learned from being an athlete into giving something back to the University, and that is why she was selected as one of this year’s People of the Year.

Categories
News

Few adjunct professors hired

By Meghan Finlayson

Staff Writer

A report recently released by the American Federation of Teachers suggested that adjunct professors teach many courses and are heavily involved in a wide range of disciplines, but are underpaid.

It has turned into a nationwide issue. By underpaying adjuncts, universities can lower their costs and tuition, but risk reducing the quality of education.

Although state universities tend to have more adjunct professors and have been called out on their abuse, private universities are now also being critiqued.

The University currently does not employ many adjunct professors.

“At Bucknell, we have only used 20 adjuncts this year, which is less than six percent of the size of the faculty,” Dean of Arts and Sciences George Shields said. “[They] tell us that our pay is better than the pay at universities in the surrounding area.”

The University stands out from many institutions in the fact that most of the professors are tenure-track.

“Bucknell is distinctive in focusing our hiring of faculty in tenure-track positions … the strategic direction is to continue to have the core of our faculty be tenure-track,” Provost Mick Smyer said.

In about the past eight years, the University has added 60 faculty positions, all of which have been tenure-track, to achieve the five-course teaching load.

There are many advantages of having a faculty made up of mostly tenure-track professors. The University hopes that by keeping the majority of the professors hired in these positions, close relationships can be built between faculty and students.

“We want to maximize interactions between our faculty and students, to increase the transformational opportunities of a liberal arts education, so we want full-time faculty working with our students whenever possible,” Shields said.

Another benefit of a tenure-track faculty is that the quality of overall education can be improved because of the long-term mindset.

“I have never had an adjunct professor here, but feel that since majority of the faculty is tenured, they are really committed to Bucknell and improving education as a whole,” Kristina Patrk, ’13.

That being said, adjunct professors can bring an interesting dynamic to the classroom.

“There are advantages to having an [adjunct] that complements, but does not replace tenure-track faculty and there may be instances where students would benefit from an adjunct,” Smyer said.

The University is committed and dedicated to keeping the faculty primarily in tenure-track positions as it moves forward.

Categories
News

Holocaust survivor Alex Rosner inspires community

By Eliza Macdonald

Writer

The Holocaust was the culmination of great bigotry but, as one Holocaust survivor argues, the endings of World War II and the Holocaust did not eliminate it. It is alive and well all over the world, said the survivor who spoke as part of the University’s observance of Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day sponsored by Campus Jewish Life and Bucknell Hillel.

On April 21 in Bucknell Hall, quiet settled over the crowd as people intently listened to Alex Rosner speak about his childhood and how he and his family survived the 10 long years of the Holocaust. His final words to the audience at Bucknell Hall were that ignorance caused the Holocaust, and that people can’t explain or justify ignorance, only fight it.

“The problem with speaking about the past and remembering the events is that the forces which were present then are brought into the present and while it may be interesting and it may have benefits, there’s nothing like confronting a real life witness; you dig in the ashes, the Devil comes and grabs you by the throat,” Rosner said after minutes of silence.

Once in America, Rosner learned English quickly and pushed the Holocaust and his childhood out of his mind. He didn’t talk about the events of those years for 40 years of his life until finally a rabbi asked him to speak to a group of people in Kansas. That is where his life as a speaker began.

Rosner, who was born in 1935 in Warsaw, Poland, was the only child to a shopkeeper’s daughter and a violinist. While he grew up in Kraków, Poland, Rosner says he has no real memories before the start of the war.

“[This story is important because] the Holocaust isn’t such a distant, far-away thing, and this man is a survivor living among us and these people have their stories to tell, and they live among us,” Hannah Kotler ’13 said.

In 1940 Rosner and his family were taken in a truck into the woods where Nazi soldiers had been given orders to shoot all the people who arrived. Fortunately for the Rosner family, the soldiers refused and the people were left in the woods to find their way back to Kraków.

Rosner commented on his good timing in another example where he happened to go for a walk one day out of the ghetto he and his family were living in when he was about six or seven years old and got lost for hours. In those hours, all of the other children in the ghetto were taken away to a concentration camp.

“Where did the knowledge come from for me to take that walk?” Rosner said. Remembering the events proved difficult for the speaker, as many times he had to pause and regain his composure.

The movie “Schindler’s List” did a decent job depicting the actual events, Rosner said. His own family was saved by Oskar Schindler. Although every event in the movie really happened, Rosner said the violence was toned down, a comment that was greeted by gasps and murmurs among the crowd.

After being freed from Auschwitz concentration camp by American troops, Rosner and his family moved to New York City in 1946. Rosner remembers that his understanding of human nature had been completely disrupted by the Holocaust.

“I asked my father to get me a riding crop, like the Nazis had had, to beat women with. I thought that’s what it meant to be a man. Until I met the American soldiers, who played baseball, laughed and played music. When I heard that music, I thought I was in heaven,” Rosner said.

Rosner also argued that the Germans were not uniquely qualified to start the Holocaust, that they weren’t born with any special talent to be cruel. He emphasized that young people today need to take away from the Holocaust that when you see bigotry in your face, you have to challenge and stop it. Although it may take some sacrifice, sitting quietly makes you complicit which, in his eyes, is worse.

Categories
Editorial Opinion

Editorial: The Greg Mortenson Dilemma

In the past week, allegations have surfaced accusing best-selling author Greg Mortenson of fabricating parts of his book “Three Cups of Tea” and mismanaging funds intended for his nonprofit organization. This controversy is making the University confront two difficult questions: first, whether the book should still be used for next year’s first-year reading experience; and second, whether Mortenson should be brought to campus to speak in the Bucknell Forum as originally planned.

In regard to the first question, we do not think that the controversy undermines the value of “Three Cups of Tea” as a first-year reading experience, and we suspect that, if anything, it might even enhance it. Is the value of a book necessarily fundamentally changed by the fact that it may not be strictly true? Must controversies regarding a book’s author necessarily taint the message of a book? We’re not so sure; we suspect that what the reader gets out of the book might be what really matters.

The controversy surrounding “Three Cups of Tea” will open up whole new possibilities for topics of discussion among first-year students. Discussions can still center on the actual content of the book, but now they can include additional intriguing topics such as ethics, morality, and academic dishonesty. Even the topic of whether the book should have been used can now be a legitimate point of discussion. Furthermore, the scandal might compel students to pay more attention to the book than they might have otherwise. Even if their ultimate judgments are critical, they can be taught how to make these criticisms in academically useful ways. At any rate, controversy often makes a book more interesting, so we should take advantage of this opportunity to capture student interest.

The question of whether to have Mortenson speak in the Bucknell Forum is more complicated because doing so would be not merely using his book, but directly honoring him. It would implicitly link him with the renowned and highly-respected speakers who have appeared at the Bucknell Forum in the past, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jody Williams, Twyla Tharp, Niall Ferguson, and most recently Brian Greene. As a University, we must carefully consider whether we actually want to do that.

It’s not as if the Forum hasn’t also welcomed controversial speakers in the past. For example, it allowed Doris Kearns Goodwin to speak in September 2008 despite the accusations of plagiarism that she faced; it also allowed Ayaan Hirsi Ali to speak in March 2009 despite widespread debates about the way in which she characterized Muslims. However, these weren’t among the University’s most positive moments, so we can’t recommend that they consciously be repeated. Furthermore, if—as was demonstrated last fall—first-years can’t even maintain respect for someone like Howard Gardner, forcing them to attend a talk by Mortenson may be asking for trouble.

Still, Mortenson’s message is positive and powerful, even if he may not live up to it himself. We don’t think that the message should be completely forgotten because of largely unproven allegations. But we do hope that the University holds him up to the same standards as it would any other major speaker.

Categories
Letters to the Editor Opinion

Letter to the Editor: IFC supports sorority declaration

To the Editor:

When the seven sorority presidents made a public declaration at an Interfraternity Council meeting vocalizing their discontent with offensive party themes on campus, it was a laudable display of courage on their part to challenge the status quo of the campus climate. On behalf of the 12 fraternity presidents on campus, I would like to congratulate and to express our appreciation towards the sorority presidents for taking this stance, as well as affirm our commitment that fraternities will not perpetuate displays of sexism via offensive party themes at our social events.  As Greek men, we have pledged ourselves to adhere to strong values, morals and ethics.  We realize that we play an integral role in the shaping of Bucknell’s social culture, and to hold that position in conjunction with allowing sexist, misogynistic and offensive themes for social events to exist is both detrimental to student equality on campus and also a toxic violation to our commitment to higher values and social excellence.

We recognize that there are widespread benefits the Greek community provides for the student body and the campus community at large. Recently,actions taken by our members and chapters are neither reflective of what we, as Greeks, strive to achieve nor compatible with our mission of complementing our academic experience.  Eradicating offensive party themes is a necessary initial step that will affect progress and motivate students for further change. But our larger goal moving forward is to distinguish ourselves as a catalyst in the University community that will (1) motivate a departure from the negative realities of our current social scene and (2) cultivate a desire for recapturing a student culture that engenders, espouses and extols the values and beliefs we hold fundamental to our commitment as Greeks.  We know that social change does not happen overnight, and there is unfortunate internal resistance we will inevitably encounter.  But that does not negate our salient responsibility to help confront the systemic issues of sexual assault, alcohol & drug abuse, uncharacteristic student engagement and other problems that often are associated with Greek-letter organizations. Our ability to initiate this progress is contingent upon the strength of our student leaders to be outspoken, motivated and proactive–all qualities we know exist among us.  We are committed to increasing the education about our organizations and to solidifying the axiom that meaningful and purposeful discussion and education throughout our time in our organizations will ameliorate our members’ characters.  Reaffirming our values will help refocus our organizations as complementary to our higher education and beneficial for student life.  A Greek-letter organization can provide myriad educational opportunities to its members, and it is incumbent upon us to harness this influence, which has too often fallen by the wayside.  A true recognition of our principles and values will make us better individuals, better prepared for the reality and the unexpected we will encounter in life after the University.

The sorority presidents have taken a praise-worthy step towards improving our campus culture and as fellow University students, Greeks and peers, we stand strong in supporting them and helping advance their cause.  We look forward to working with many student organizations and resources on campus in the future in order to fulfil our goals.

Sincerely,

Michael Higgins

Interfraternity Council President

Categories
Opinion

Sovereign debt crisis threatens future American fiscal stability

By Pranav Sehgal

Opinions Editor

The current financial crisis has highlighted and exasperated the problem of sovereign debt.

“After a financial crisis like the one of the past two years, there’s typically a wave of sovereign default crises,” Harvard professor Kenneth Rogoff said.

As we have seen over the course of history, foreign loans can be greatly beneficial to a nation or they can become an oppressive burden that forces the population to make huge sacrifices.

Developed countries like the United States and Japan face sovereign debt dilemmas because if they continue to spend exorbitantly, investors will become increasingly concerned that they will not pay back their loans, as they are in many countries in Europe, and freeze investment.

Government spending in these countries is also an issue because it crowds out consumption and investment. In addition, if the United States continues to spend, it is inevitable that the dollar will depreciate and that investors such as China will lose money on their investments.

In response to this depreciation, major investors like China will look for alternative currencies and stop investment, which would cripple the Untied States. The outlook for Japan and the United States is increasingly bleak because “an aging population, a sluggish economic recovery and high unemployment will keep governments’ entitlement spending high,” according to Forbes.com.

In order to achieve credibility with investors in the case of the United States and Japan, I believe that they should enforce tighter fiscal policies and engage in the type of financial reforms President Obama has already started. It will only be through these measures that economic stability will be sustained.

Categories
Opinion

Take advantage of opportunities to attend lectures

By Olivia Seecof

Writer

As a campus tour guide, I consistently tell people about all of the impressive things that University organizations bring to campus for the pure benefit of the students. Of course, the big-name concerts always cause jaw-dropping reactions, especially when I tell the story of how I was three rows from Ke$ha and screaming the whole time.

All of the ACE events are great too, especially bingo, which all of my friends will tell you is one of my absolute favorite events on campus.

This semester I have discovered my newfound appreciation for all of the wonderful lecturers that different University organizations bring to address the student body. The first lecture I attended was the Paul Rusesabagina (Hotel Rwanda) lecture, sponsored by the Student Lectureship Committee.

His lessons were so full of emotion and power that I felt that his fame was definitely second to his story. I came out of the lecture with a different outlook on why people help one another.

The second lecture I attended was given by the cast of the MTV show, “The Buried Life.” Truthfully, I only went to this lecture because I wanted to brag to all of my friends that I saw the cute boys of the show, but I again came out of the lecture inspired and with new perspectives.

I remember lying in bed that night thinking about the one thing I want to do before I die. While I am not one for making bucket lists, I came up with a goal and a plan to make it happen. I would have never even thought about this life-changing goal had it not been for the inspiring lecture offered right on campus.

Thirdly, I attended the Brian Greene lecture on breakthrough thinking and string theory. Because I am not currently enrolled in physics, this lecture was full of material that was way over my head.

Still, I enjoyed this lecture more than I anticipated and was genuinely interested throughout Greene’s talk. Greene is an incredibly respected individual in his field, and it was an awesome opportunity to have him lecture to our student body.

I also regularly attend the biology department’s seminars. While these lectures are shorter, only lasting one hour, they are full of material that I find incredibly interesting and I look forward to them every month. Whether the lecturer is a visiting professor or one of the University’s own, the lectures are always of top quality and about very relevant topics in the biology world.

While I have only taken advantage of a few of the lectures offered on campus, I intend to be more aware of the opportunities and take full advantage of them. I encourage you all to do the same. These lecturers come to the University to add to the quality of our education and enlighten us with topics that we might only know a little about.

I mean truthfully, who doesn’t want to know more about how many Africans were saved from genocide, or how a bunch of friends ride around trying to knock things off their bucket list or how the universe came to be in existence? I know I do, and that is why I greatly appreciate all of the opportunities the lecturers on campus present.

Categories
Uncategorized

Public Safety Log Week 11

For some reason, last Wednesday’s log isn’t up … but there are some pretty interesting things in here this week!

the theta chi bird incident doesn’t seem to have made it into the log 🙁

Thursday, April 14

 

NOISE COMPLAINT

Gateways Quad: Warning issued.

 

PROPERTY/DAMAGE

Fraternity Road: Under investigation.

 

DRUG LAW VIOLATION

McDonnell Hall: Unfounded.

 

Friday, April 15

 

UNIVERSITY VIOLATION

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity: Judicial referral.

 

WELFARE CHECK

Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity: Unable to locate.

 

THEFT

Fraternity Road: Under investigation.

 

PROPERTY/FOUND

Lowry House: Report filed.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Art Barn: False alarm.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium: Cause unknown.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Procurement Services: Caused by employee.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Art Barn: Cause unknown.

 

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

Harris Drive: Under investigation.

 

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Detector malfunction.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Art Barn: Cause unknown.

 

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

Harris Quad: Unfounded.

 

NOISE COMPLAINT

23 University Avenue: Report filed.

 

Saturday, April 16

 

PROPERTY/FOUND

Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium: Report filed.

 

MEDICAL REFUSAL

Gerhard Fieldhouse: Report filed.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Art Barn Shed: Cause unknown.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Art Barn Shed: Cause unknown.

 

ALARM/FIRE

Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity: Caused by aerosol spray.

 

ALARM/FIRE

Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity: Cause unknown.

 

TAMPERING WITH FIRE EQUIPMENT

Swartz Hall: Report filed.

 

ALARM/FIRE

Bucknell West: Caused by cooking.

 

NOISE COMPLAINT

Hunt Hall: Warning issued.

 

Sunday, April 17

 

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

Gateway Silbermann: Under investigation.

 

NOISE COMPLAINT

Hunt Hall: Warning issued.

 

LIQUOR LAW VIOLATION

Smith Hall: Judicial referral.

 

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

Bucknell West: Under investigation.

 

THEFT

Leiser House: Under investigation.

 

WELFARE CHECK

McDonnell Hall: Contact made.

 

ALARM/FIRE

Trax Hall: Caused by a hair dryer.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Art Barn: Cause unknown.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Art Barn: Cause unknown.

 

TAMPERING WITH FIRE EQUIPMENT

Larison Hall: Under investigation.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Art Barn: Caused by cat.

 

ARSON

Kappa Delta Rho Fraternity: Under investigation.

 

Monday, April 18

 

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

Breakiron Engineering Building: Under investigation.

 

PROPERTY/FOUND

Davis Gym: Report filed.

 

NOISE COMPLAINT

Harris Lot: Unfounded.

 

FORGERY/COUNTERFEIT

Sunflower Childcare Center: Under investigation.

 

DRUG LAW VIOLATION

Trax Hall: Unfounded.

 

Tuesday, April 19

 

THEFT

Kinney Natatorium: Property found.

 

ALARM/INTRUSION

Kappa Delta Rho: Caused by an alumni.

 

ALARM/FIRE

Elaine Langone Center: Caused by steam.

 

Categories
Letters to the Editor Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Bruce’s appearance raises questions about civil discourse

To the editor:

In the April 15th issue of The Bucknellian, students affiliated with the BUCC and FLAG&BT, the two student organizations centrally responsible for inviting a crude shock radio jock with a long and documented history of racially offensive rhetoric to campus, defend this action by reference to “the sacred purpose of a university … to encourage … thoughtful, critical and open intellectual discussion.” The heart is in the right place. The facts, alas, are not on their side.

They want to challenge the purportedly “false impression” of Tammy Bruce as an extremist, hate-filled shock jock. Why then do they not address any of the voluminous evidence to that effect? Perhaps because defending the indefensible is hard work, as the Internet is filled with audio of Bruce saying the kind of things that disqualify her from speaking in a place committed to rational and dispassionate debate.

What is perhaps still salvageable from the disaster of Bruce’s invitation is a teachable moment regarding civility, debate, and University culture. One of the most important aspects of contemporary mass media culture is a widely-recognized precipitous drop in the tone and rigor of political debate in radio and television. Over the past several decades, extremist, anti-intellectual and even violent rhetoric once confined to the fringe of the public sphere has become more or less mainstreamed, thanks to the efforts of people like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and Glenn Beck, along with the media institutions that provide them a forum. Today’s students have grown up in this world, and the great danger is that, because of that immersion, they are unable to effectively discern what does and does not reach minimal standards of civility and reason in political discussion. Some of my current students were not yet walking when Limbaugh’s venomous, baseless accusations of then-President Clinton helped fuel anger on the extremist right that eventually produced the Oklahoma City bombing.

Students can perhaps be forgiven for being blasé about this toxic environment into which they were thrown at birth. But this does not mean the University is required to surrender to the abysmal leveling of discourse. Quite the contrary. It is one of the tasks of the University to oppose this broader tendency and to educate students about the harmful effects of such a decline in civility.

The student letter-writers proudly tell us that they participated in respectful, enthusiastic discussion with someone who regularly engages in vile, racist rhetoric and trades in the hysterical nonsense that envisions our President as a crypto-fascist enemy of the United States. They thereby demonstrate their belief that her manner of ‘argumentation’ is within the bounds of rational debate on a university campus. They claim a commitment to ‘open debate,’ but they are entirely uncritical in their invocation of that notion. If they had wanted to bring a thoughtful and civil gay conservative figure to campus, there is a pool of such individuals from which they could have picked. That they instead chose someone who has cynically made a career out of sensationalistic offensiveness tells us much about the limits of their understanding of civil discourse in a university.

The students who deserve to be proud of their actions are those who came to the talk to challenge Bruce’s very presence on this campus and then, when Bruce demonstrated that she could not and would not defend her hateful speech, summarily walked out, thus refusing to confer on her the status of a legitimate interlocutor. It is no accomplishment to cheerfully welcome to campus a speaker who mocks the very idea of reasoned debate by what she says.

Alexander Riley

Dept. of Sociology/Anthropology