Bucknell University was named to FIRE's Red Alert list for repeatedly shutting down the expressive activities of the Bucknell University Conservatives Club (BUCC) using flimsy or patently false excuses. This included preventing the BUCC from distributing satirical “Obama stimulus dollars” on the grounds that it violated Bucknell’s solicitation policy. Bucknell also twice shut down BUCC’s attempts to hold a satirical “affirmative action bake sale,” ultimately telling the group that it would never allow the group to engage in the satirical bake sale protest, and that BUCC would only be allowed to debate affirmative action in a forum meeting Bucknell’s approval rather than in the public areas of the campus. Bucknell later revised its solicitation policy, the same policy it had abused to shut down BUCC’s expression, to further endanger student expression. Bucknell has persisted in refusing to allow BUCC’s bake sale protests despite the popularity of such protests—including satirical wage gap bake sale protests—at colleges around the country.

Read more about Bucknell University's continuous disregard for free speech here>>

To get off of FIRE’s Red Alert list, Bucknell University must make clear that its solicitation policy will not intrude on its students’ right to free speech and must stop exiling debate on controversial issues—including affirmative action bake sales—from Bucknell’s public areas.

Write to President John Bravman today and ask him to honor Bucknell’s commitment to free speech!