Back to Bucknell

As students settle in to their classes at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., there is good news and bad on the academic front. First, the former because it will take less time than the latter, although the more positive update is not inconsiderable.

“On May 20, 2006, President [Brian C.] Mitchell not only attended the ROTC commissioning ceremony, but also spoke movingly about the value of both the ROTC program and our military,” the staff of The Counterweight wrote. “While those outside of academia might see such an act as commonplace, it is anything but.”

“When even Bucknell’s own course catalogue notes that the military science program is in ‘contravention of the University’s nondiscrimination policy’ it is refreshing to see an administrator stand up for what is right.” Indeed, the Reserve Officers Training Corps can only be found on one-fifth of America’s college campuses. The Counterweight is a newspaper published by the Bucknell Conservatives Club.

Speaking of the university’s course catalogue, resident sociologist Alexander T. Riley asks of one of its most infamous entries, “A course in women’s studies at Bucknell or the [National Organization for Women] NOW website?”

“Hard to tell the difference sometimes,” Riley observes. Riley himself is hardly a conservative but is probably the most open-minded member of Bucknell’s faculty.

“In the past two years there have been 81 University-sponsored educational activities that were deemed to have political leanings,” BUCC president Dominic Ruprecht writes of a study done by The Counterweight. “Of those 81 activities, 78 events devoted significant amounts of time advocating left-of-center ideas exclusively, while a whopping three advocated conservative ideas exclusively.”

“This disparity stands in stark contrast to the Plan for Bucknell’s commitment to ‘diversity in all its forms.’” Perhaps part of the problem stems from the university’s top- heavy layer of administration—$19 million worth—which in turn tilts left.

“Certainly there are necessary offices, but others, such as the Women’s Resource Center serve no unique purpose,” Eric Huselton, editor-in-chief of The Counterweight writes. “The WRC tries to address the needs of women on this campus yet there are already a host of other organizations on campus that do the same thing.”

“In addition, there are overlaps among the Office of Multicultural Student Services and the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Gender.” Huselton is a junior at Bucknell.

“When Bucknell is compared to other Patriot League schools, Bucknell is at the high end in terns of the number of administrative offices,” Huselton notes. “The only school with more is Holy Cross, which due to its religious affiliation mandates additional administrative offices to oversee religious programs.”

“If you take a quick look at Bucknell’s web page and scan the 51 administrative offices, it is immediately apparent that there is a great deal of redundancy within the administration.”

Malcolm A. Kline is the executive director of Accuracy in Academia.