Muhlenberg College Debates USA Patriot Act

Academe, May/Jun 2004

In January, the faculty of Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania passed a resolution urging government officials and college administrators to work together to ensure that antiterrorist measures do not violate the U.S. Constitution and are not allowed to threaten civil liberties. The faculty were especially concerned about several provisions of the USA Patriot Act that affect higher education.

After the faculty resolution sparked a debate in the local press, the college's acting provost issued a letter to the faculty encouraging them to find "teachable moments" in the questions raised by the controversy. "The ability to speak one's mind, to weigh evidence, to change one's mind in the face of reasonable criticism, and to refuse to give in to unreasonable criticism-we have an opportunity to make these explicit in our actions and to share our struggles to achieve them with our students," the provost wrote.

In March, the Center for Ethics at Muhlenberg College sponsored an educational forum on the Patriot Act, which was attended by more than one hundred faculty members, students, and members of the public. Participants discvissed homeland security laws as they affect research, foreign students and faculty, privacy, travel, and important freedoms of speech and assembly. Gerry Turkel, chair of the AAUP's Committee on Government Relations, participated in the forum, which also included presentations by an American Civil Liberties Union attorney, representatives of Democratic and Republican organizations, and an attorney formerly with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The forum at Muhlenberg exemplified the best of academic life, says Turkel. "Participants were respectful of one another's views, questions were stimulating, and we all came away with a better understanding of the Patriot Act, the current climate on our campuses, and the need to defend academic and intellectual freedoms during this time of crisis."