Patriot Act resolution gains press attention
Lauren Wiesner
Issue date: 2/26/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Amidst a whirlwind of public discussion, the faculty continues striving toward further debate and education about the USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism). A public forum hosted by the Center for Ethics about the USA PATRIOT Act to be held on Mar. 1 comes after local and national media attention about the faculty's unanimously passed resolution condemning the Act. Receiving coverage nationally from Fox News and more locally from The Morning Call, the faculty's resolution has been praised and criticized.
According to The Morning Call's Feb. 3 article by Christina Gostomski entitled, "Professors take aim at Patriot Act: A Justice Department official calls the group's resolution 'dangerous,'" the faculty's resolution is "receiving plenty of flak from the Justice Department" for the document's apparent inaccuracies.
However, the resolution's original author, Anna Adams, Associate Professor of History, counters the article, saying that, "I think the press coverage was irresponsible, one-sided and biased." Adams drew from American Civil Liberties Union legislation while drafting the resolution. She explained that the dialogue through Letters to the Editor in The Morning Call will continue with another anticipated letter that she has co-authored. This additional letter will add to the six letters already printed in The Morning Call on the issue this month.
Despite the controversy, the faculty's action has spurred action at other colleges including the University of California at Berkeley and Hunter College where faculty are considering their own resolutions.
Dialogue will also continue on the topic at the College, as students and faculty will join outside speakers at the forum Monday. According to Lisa Perfetti, Assistant Professor of French and Acting Program Director for the Center for Ethics, the purpose of the forum is "not [to] defend the resolution, but to educate [the community] on the PATRIOT Act." She explained that the forum is an opportunity for the Campus Community to react to a pertinent national issue. The forum will include three main events: a plenary session with three invited speakers, a discussion study of legislation related to homeland security and immigration in the Lehigh Valley and a student forum. Both Malia Brink, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union in Philadelphia and Gerry Turkel and American Association of University Professors (AAUP) representative will speak at the forum plenary session. Turkel is also on the Special Committee on Academic Freedom and National Security in a Time of Crisis for the AAUP.
Perfetti is working to bring another speaker to balance the opinions of Turkel and Brink at the forum and be "more supportive of the PATRIOT Act."
She explained that while three U.S. attorneys and two local congressmen have been contacted, they were not available to speak at such short notice.
Headed by A. Lanethea Mathews-Gardner, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Christopher Borick, Assistant Professor of Political Science, the student portion of the forum will include Jonathan Kreider '04, President of the College Republicans, Michael Schlossberg '05, President of the College Democrats, Kathryn Flynn '07 and Casey Bell '07 in discussion. These students will work with themes surrounding the Act.
According to The Morning Call's Feb. 3 article by Christina Gostomski entitled, "Professors take aim at Patriot Act: A Justice Department official calls the group's resolution 'dangerous,'" the faculty's resolution is "receiving plenty of flak from the Justice Department" for the document's apparent inaccuracies.
However, the resolution's original author, Anna Adams, Associate Professor of History, counters the article, saying that, "I think the press coverage was irresponsible, one-sided and biased." Adams drew from American Civil Liberties Union legislation while drafting the resolution. She explained that the dialogue through Letters to the Editor in The Morning Call will continue with another anticipated letter that she has co-authored. This additional letter will add to the six letters already printed in The Morning Call on the issue this month.
Despite the controversy, the faculty's action has spurred action at other colleges including the University of California at Berkeley and Hunter College where faculty are considering their own resolutions.
Dialogue will also continue on the topic at the College, as students and faculty will join outside speakers at the forum Monday. According to Lisa Perfetti, Assistant Professor of French and Acting Program Director for the Center for Ethics, the purpose of the forum is "not [to] defend the resolution, but to educate [the community] on the PATRIOT Act." She explained that the forum is an opportunity for the Campus Community to react to a pertinent national issue. The forum will include three main events: a plenary session with three invited speakers, a discussion study of legislation related to homeland security and immigration in the Lehigh Valley and a student forum. Both Malia Brink, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union in Philadelphia and Gerry Turkel and American Association of University Professors (AAUP) representative will speak at the forum plenary session. Turkel is also on the Special Committee on Academic Freedom and National Security in a Time of Crisis for the AAUP.
Perfetti is working to bring another speaker to balance the opinions of Turkel and Brink at the forum and be "more supportive of the PATRIOT Act."
She explained that while three U.S. attorneys and two local congressmen have been contacted, they were not available to speak at such short notice.
Headed by A. Lanethea Mathews-Gardner, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Christopher Borick, Assistant Professor of Political Science, the student portion of the forum will include Jonathan Kreider '04, President of the College Republicans, Michael Schlossberg '05, President of the College Democrats, Kathryn Flynn '07 and Casey Bell '07 in discussion. These students will work with themes surrounding the Act.