Feb. 6, 2019: Controversial Speaker on Campus

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

Bucknell University has received several inquiries regarding a speaker scheduled to be on campus tomorrow. As with the majority of speakers who come to campus, an individual faculty member arranged for this event, the cost of which is being borne by a number of academic departments and units. I want to take this opportunity to directly address the event.

The speaker, Miko Peled, is an Israeli-born, pro-Palestinian Jewish activist and proponent of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Without question, Peled holds controversial views. I have empathy for those who find his views to be deeply offensive and hurtful and who may experience them as an attack upon themselves and their very identity. At the same time, I know that I can never fully understand the pain experienced by members of marginalized communities who are subjected to crimes, hate or historical atrocities.

While I know some find this difficult to accept, allowing a speaker on a college campus is not an endorsement of the positions held by that individual. Rather, it is an affirmation of the mission of higher education broadly, and Bucknell specifically. As I've said on numerous occasions, we seek to educate students for a lifetime of critical thinking and strong leadership characterized by continued intellectual exploration and the exchange of diverse perspectives. That includes perspectives with which members of our community might disagree, sometimes vehemently.

Bucknell has not, to the best of my knowledge or to the recollection of anyone with whom I've spoken on the topic, barred a speaker from coming to campus based on their views or what they might say. I often think about under what circumstances we would make such a decision, which is a fraught exercise, as institutions of higher learning are built on a foundation of academic freedom, intellectual exploration and sometimes rigorous debate over opposing positions.

I do not expect my words here will satisfy those who strongly oppose tomorrow's event or wish for me to cancel it, but I do hope they help provide some context for why, broadly speaking, such events occur on college campuses across the nation, including Bucknell.

In closing, I want to take a moment to reaffirm our commitment to valuing, respecting and supporting all faiths and religions, and particularly, in this case, our Jewish community members. We will continue to do so in myriad ways. To echo the remarks I prepared for a campus vigil following the horrific acts of anti-Semitism at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh last fall:

"Whether or not there is a deity in your traditions and beliefs, my hope is that somehow, someway, aided by the community we witness here tonight, we can express our sorrows together, but also hold up one another as we reject hate, embrace peace and love unconditionally."

My best,

John