By Malcolm A. Kline

March 3, 2004 - Republicans as a group are a mild-mannered lot, even the college-age variety. Thus, Oliver Wolf was surprised when the staff writer in the public relations office at Bates College referred to the school's CRs as "his bunch of thugs."

Since Oliver serves as vice-president of the school's College Republicans, it was "his bunch" that the Bates College public relations man was referring to. What Oliver had done to lead the school's P.R. man to make such a characterization was simply to ask him to post a press release advertising the CRs' then-upcoming weekend training seminar given by the Arlington, Va.-based Leadership Institute.

What the Leadership Institute was training the CRs in was not guerilla warfare but political campaign strategy. You know, polling, phone banks, distributing pamplets. "For me to edit and distribute, Oli Wolf has drafted a press release for a GOP training institute his bunch of thugs is hosting at Bates next week," the college's staff writer wrote to his boss.

"This really seems pretty far afield for an event that we would publicize, but that may just be my socialist tendencies talking," P.R. man Doug Hubley explained to his supervisor. Based in Lewiston, Maine, Bates College hosts about 70 student groups recognized by the school.

At this juncture, we need to point out that every recognized student group at Bates has access to the school's Communications and Media Relations Office. The staff writers there then post releases from all the recognized groups and make media calls on their behalf.

The latter chore Wolf had to do himself, including even the research of accumulating the names of the media contacts. The former function the school fulfilled only when the CRs complained.

Even then, the school merely posted a headline on its web site, compared to the full stories it ran on other groups' events. I pointed this out to Hubley in an e-mail. His boss answered me.

"Please check the web site again," Bryan McNulty advised me. "The content management system did a partial publish, but that has been fixed. (And thanks for pointing that out)."

McNulty serves as director of communications and media relations at Bates College. Since I had also asked about Hubley's comments, McNulty addressed those as well.

"It was certainly wrong for Mr. Hubley to say what he did," McNulty admitted. Indeed, as McNulty pointed out, Hubley wrote a formal letter of apology.

The school was in damage-control mode, as President Bush would say, big time. In the letter, Hubley reminded Wolf of "a very amicable meeting between the two of us during the 2002-2003 academic year." Hubley also pointed out that an analysis of the school communications office's web postings and press releases showed a dead-even split on notices for the CRs and the rival College Democrats.

"I am writing to express to you and to the Bates Republicans my sincerest apologies for the hurt and distress that I caused through my stupid, callous use of humor in an e-mail," Hubley's apology read.

"As inadequate as this letter may seem, I very much hope that it can start the process of healing the relationship between the two of us and between this office and the Bates Republicans," Hubley wrote. "Once again, please accept my strongest apologies and my hope that we can continue working together productively in the future."

When Hubley called Wolf to deliver a personal apology, the former admitted that his boss had ordered him to do so. Nonetheless, in the end the Bates College communications office did assist and support the CRs when they held their event.

Certainly, in his dealings with me, McNulty himself was never anything less than professional and courteous. Still, the episode reminds us that the price of academic freedom, like that of liberty in general, is indeed eternal vigilance.

Malcolm A. Kline is the executive director of Accuracy in Academia.

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