Bucknell students hold forum to discuss letter of demands
‘Frankly, we’re frustrated’
In an event hosted by the Bucknell Alternative Delegation (B.A.D), students and faculty came together to discuss student activism and the letter of demands written to President Bravman last semester.
President Bravman was in attendance, and the event was broadcast on WVBU, Bucknell’s radio station.
The event’s description said its demands were designed to “hold Bucknell accountable for promises it makes by filling and financially supporting administrative positions, taking public positions in support of undocumented and other marginalized students, and aligning institutional practices and policies (like construction policies) with stated goals (reducing greenhouse gasses). ”
The event began with an introduction by Sam Jacobson, who began by saying that those in attendance were “the people who make Bucknell.” Jacobson went on to explain that “the B.A.D demands are a local expression of our national politics.”
The demands had been revised from the original demands circulated in the letter to the president. The members of the B.A.D. organization, Jacobson included, quoted these new demands as being “SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timed.”
The demands themselves were organized into three four core categories, each presented by a B.A.D student member who had a corresponding personal experience to share.
Jorden Sneed spoke about sexual assault at Bucknell, citing the lack of easily accessible public records on the topic and saying “our shame is rooted is in knowledge that Bucknell is not adequately combating sexual assault here on this campus.” The demands regarding sexual assault can be found below:
Sara Palombo spoke about climate change, and Bucknell’s need to uphold its promise to achieve carbon neutrality. The demands regarding climate change can be found below:
Mona Mohammed, speaking about marginalized communities reminded those in attendance that the demands are “strong in tone because we are strong in our convictions.” The corresponding demands can be found below:
The final demand was that Bucknell become a sanctuary campus for illegal immigrants. Anushikha Sharma spoke to this, even further, citing that the number of minority students entering Bucknell and other U.S. college is far greater than those who actually graduate. She said “we’re bringing in all of these diverse students, but we’re not creating environments that allow these students to succeed.” The sanctuary statement can be found below:
The forum ended with an open discussion and Q&A session. The B.A.D. group students said their next moves would be to wait for an official response from the President’s office and move forward from there.