Sample #1: Letter
In an attempt to prevent a repetition of the horrific attacks of
September 11, 2001, the United States Government has taken unprecedented
steps to withhold the rights of individuals merely on government
speculations. Although the American media has projected images of
Guantanamo Bay and other detention centers, most people in the United
States have not felt the impact of such rights violations in their
lives and communities. While these horrors may seem distant and impossible,
the realities of the government’s counterterrorism law and
policy, such as the USA PATRIOT Act, hit close to home. The educational
freedoms of students, faculty, and staff are being encroached upon:
- Government officials now have access to library, academic, and medical records through the USA PATRIOT Act.
- The government can carry out “sneak and peek” searches through our dorm rooms and homes without our knowledge.
- Members of our campus police or local law enforcement may monitor our peaceful demonstrations, rallies, and other educational events.
Moreover, counterterrorism policy has unjustly targeted international students. The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) demands that our international student peers pay a $100 fee that will finance their own surveillance. While SEVIS is most devastating to international students because of its blatant racism, it impacts all of us. If international students do not feel safe on our campuses they will not return, and the quality of our education, communities, and lives will suffer.
Our campus community needs to think about the lessons of U.S. history, such as McCarthyism and the U.S. internment of Japanese Americans. While the violations of civil liberties continue to grow, we need to recognize that these violations impact each one of us. Every person should ask where the United States is headed. Our campus community cannot tacitly accept the encroaching threats to our civil liberties. Both our educational freedoms and our rights as human beings are being threatened.
[Our student coalition] calls on students, faculty, and staff to join us in opposing counterterrorism laws and policies that threaten our civil liberties. We invite you to a public forum [when and where] to educate the campus about these laws and policies. Additionally, we encourage students to contact their student government representatives and ask them to pass a resolution making our campus a civil liberties safe zone. Visit [coalition website] for more information.
Sample #2: Petition
We the undersigned call on the members of the [Student Government] to pass the upcoming resolution defending our civil rights and liberties. The resolution urges campus administrators, the campus library, and the campus police force to act in a way that protects academic freedom from government law and policy, such as the USA PATRIOT Act, which threaten that educational right.