Bea's Blog for Public Writing and Media

From Pills to Poison: The Opioid Crisis Through a Mother’s Eyes

By Beatrice Rakowsky

Kathleen Strain sits in front of her computer screen, her face illuminated by the blue light

as she recounts memories of her son, Thomas. A gentle smile crosses her face as she describes how he could “take apart a bike and build an amazing, faster bike using parts of old bikes,” and how he loved spending time with his kids. Her eyes crinkle at the edges when she recalls him racing around with his nieces and nephews “like a big kid.” But the smile fades when she remembers the day that Thomas joined her to hand out Narcan together at an Overdose Awareness Day event. Just one year later, on that same day, Thomas died of a fentanyl overdose, despite his ongoing struggle toward recovery. 

His story began like thousands of others across America, with a prescription. Following multiple sports injuries and a motorcycle accident at 18, Thomas was prescribed oxycodone. Strain didn’t connect her son’s later struggle with these early prescriptions until years later, having an “aha moment” around 2012 when she realized “these pills were basically like heroin.” By then, it was too late. Thomas could no longer access the drugs he became addicted to through prescriptions, so he turned to street drugs that would eventually contain fatal amounts of fentanyl. 

The tragedy that fell upon the Strain family mirrors the national crisis that continues to devastate communities across America, including college campuses and small towns like Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. From rural areas to major cities, no community has been spared from the deadly progression that begins with prescription opioids and often ends with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and of which just two milligrams, the size of the tip of a pencil, can be fatal. 

“The most important thing to know is that it’s really deadly and really addictive,” Strain emphasizes, her voice growing more urgent. “If you’re lucky enough to survive it, it’s highly addictive. So one time is never one time. I mean, unless you die, then it’s one time.”

The Scale of the Crisis

According to the DEA, despite a 25.5% decrease in its overdose deaths from the previous year, roughly 84,000 Americans still died from drug overdoses in 2023, with opioids and fentanyl accounting for 62% of these deaths. This translated to approximately 230 overdose deaths every day. “A jet per day,” as Richard Lucey, the Community Outreach Specialist and Prevention Program Manager from the DEA, put it. 

The numbers are staggering. In 2024, the DEA seized more than 60 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and 8,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, equivalent to over 377 million lethal doses. That’s enough to kill every American. Laboratory testing revealed that five out of every ten seized fake pills contained at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is the potentially fatal dose.

According to Joshua Romig, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Philadelphia Field Division, every town in America is affected by fentanyl, even small ones like Lewisburg. “There’s a pharmaceutical issue especially in small towns like Lewisburg and Williamsport [a local hub], that were old manufacturing towns that, maybe some of these people got addicted to pain pills, then the doctor’s would say ‘no more, clearly I’m now prescribing to an addict.’ Then they would have to turn to something else to feed that addiction, and that something else became these fentanyl pills.” He continues to explain that once drug users pop up, drug dealers pop up. It’s simple supply and demand. 

For Strain, who now works with the Partnership to End Addiction and serves on 

Committees overseeing pharmaceutical bankruptcy settlements, these aren’t just statistics, they represent real lives. “We have an entire generation of kids that have been impacted,” Strain explains, referring to what some call “Gen O,” children orphaned or otherwise affected by the opioid epidemic. 

The College Connection

College campuses face unique challenges with the opioid crisis, particularly with 

prescription drug misuse across three main categories, opioids, sedatives, and stimulants. According to Lucey, there’s a dangerous misperception that these substances can help improve students’ academic performance. 

“Because of misuse of prescription stimulants, Adderall can be laced [with fentanyl],” warns Lucey. The same applies to counterfeit versions of Oxycontin, Xanax, and Percocet, all medications commonly misused by college students and increasingly being counterfeited with fentanyl. 

What makes the current crisis particularly dangerous is how dealers are mixing fentanyl with other substances. Heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit pills are all at risk of being laced, often without the users’ knowledge. The DEA emphasizes that the primary entry point for fentanyl is across the southern border, manufactured in Mexican labs before being distributed to various “source cities” across the United States. 

Social media has become “the new super highway of drug trafficking,” according to Lucey. Platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and even TikTok have become marketplaces where dealers promote their products and individuals seek out illicit pills. “Snapchat is not a trusted pharmacy,” he explains. 

The DEA does work with campus police and local law enforcement to address drug distribution in college environments. As Romig explains, officers often go undercover to find information from students, and locate and focus on students who may be having problems. “Fentanyl use isn’t the same as underage drinking or marijuana,” he says, “It’s way worse.” 

Romig compares ending the opioid crisis with the way you would destroy a company like Walmart. “If you wanted to destroy Walmart, you could arrest the CEO, and people probably wouldn’t even know. Walmart would keep on turning. You could light some of the stores on fire, and guess what, they would just buy new stores. You could go after their banking, or seize their assets. Or you could tell people to stop shopping at Walmart, tell them that it’s bad for them.” He goes on, “If you do any one of those things, you’re probably not going to have too much success. You won’t make a dent on Walmart. But if you did all of those things at the same time, and aggressively, and successfully, you would actually have a chance at shutting them down.” 

Romig explains that this is how the Mexican cartels operate, explaining that they’re essentially companies. “The only difference is they’re selling poison, not camping equipment.” Overall, he explains that both education and community outreach, along with targeting and shutting down the higher level entities and the mid level sellers, are essential to solving this problem. 

A Mother’s Journey

For Strain, understanding addiction didn’t come naturally. When Thomas’ father died from addiction-related causes when Thomas was just four years old, her reaction reflected the most common misconceptions. “I remember thinking, ‘Why would you do that? You have kids, you have a job,’” she recalls of her thoughts as a young mother in her twenties. “I was never really exposed to addictions, I didn’t really understand it.”

That perspective changed dramatically as she watched addiction unfold in her own family. “It wasn’t until I saw it playing out in front of my eyes with Thomas that I realized it wasn’t that easy to just stop,” she says. 

Strain’s experience led her to become an advocate for better education and support systems, particularly for families with genetic predispositions to addiction. She believes that conversations about substance use should start early, in age-appropriate ways. “With my younger grandkids, when they were two, we started talking about safety and making good choices and building healthy relationships,” she explains. By the time children are nine, Strain says, they’re already “aware of a lot more than we know about,” which is what makes these early conversations so important. 

The generational component of addiction is something that Strain emphasizes strongly. She notes that children born with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome have a higher probability of developing substance use disorders later in life. She argues that this is why focusing on early intervention, providing support for affected families, and actually addressing underlying factors that contribute to substance use across generations is so important. 

The Fentanyl Factor

What makes today’s opioid crisis particularly deadly is fentanyl’s potency and unpredictability. The DEA warns that it’s nearly impossible to distinguish between legitimate prescription pills and counterfeits. Their message is simple but urgent: “Don’t take a pill that’s not been prescribed to you and doesn’t come from a pharmacy.”

Even fentanyl test strips, while helpful, have limitations. “The issue is you can test one pill, but you have to destroy the pill to test it. If it comes back negative, that doesn’t mean that the rest of the batch won’t be positive,” explains Lucey. 

Strain describes the deadly gamble that users take. “It’s playing Russian roulette. The more substances you use, the tolerance gets higher.” She explains how someone accustomed to one dealer’s product might overdose when forced to switch suppliers, as potency varies dramatically. “Studies show that within a certain amount of feet of where [a dealer’s] business was ended, there’s a higher rate of overdoses within the coming days and weeks because those people are now going to person B to get their stuff,” Strain explains. “They’re taking the same amount that they would have taken with person A, but it’s much more potent, so it kills them.”

Signs of Hope

Despite the grim statistics, there are reasons for optimism. Strain explains that nowadays there is highly increased awareness and many more open discussions about drug misuse, which she says is significant progress from thirty years ago when “people didn’t talk about it.”

“We have come a long way that we can actually have conversations about this, that there’s actually legislation and things happening, good or bad, that are at least addressing and bringing these topics to light,” she says.

Organizations like Partnership to End Addiction are working to provide resources to those struggling with substance use and their families. Initiatives like “Mobilized Recovery Campus Surge,” a bus tour visiting college campuses to provide information and support, represent a strong effort to bring important knowledge across the country and to the most vulnerable groups. 

Law enforcement is also adapting its approach. The DEA collaborates with campus police and participates in events like National Prescription Drug Takeback Day, held the last Saturday in April and October. These events provide safe disposal sites for unused medications while educating communities about the dangers of prescription drug misuse. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Patient Advocacy Program is an initiative that operates in the Office of Drug Surveillance and Misuse Prevention (ODSMP). This program is working hard on increasing naloxone accessibility, by administering grants to emergency departments, harm reduction organizations, and community organizations throughout Pennsylvania. They also have the First Responder Addiction and Connection to Treatment Program (FR-ACT) which was established to ensure first responders, public safety professionals and their agencies have the tools necessary to respond to the overdose epidemic. According to a representative, “Training is offered at no-cost and is available in all 67 counties in Pennsylvania,” and “After completing FR-ACT training, two doses of naloxone are distributed to participants to reinforce education content discussed regarding naloxone utilization and administration.”

From nationwide awareness campaigns to local efforts expanding access to education and life-saving resources like naloxone, these collective actions show a commitment to addressing the opioid crisis and finding a path towards recovery and prevention. 

The Path Forward

For Strain, improving communication across systems is crucial. From grandparents raising grandchildren to foster and adoption systems to schools. She advocates for better substance education in K-12 schools, stating that quality of education varies widely despite requirements in states like Pennsylvania. “I think it would be a lot cheaper to deal with those issues now than try to fix it after,” she claims, referring to prevention versus treatment and incarceration. “It just feels like it would be more beneficial to start sooner.”

For those currently struggling, Strain recommends reaching out to resources like Partnership to End Addiction’s helpline (text CONNECT to 55753) or visiting safelocator.org to find treatment options. The organization offers free support staffed by clinicians and a peer parent coaching program. 

The DEA’s message to college students is simple and direct: “Don’t take a pull that’s not been prescribed for you by a licensed pharmacist.” For those who ignore that message, they warn, “it comes down to Russian roulette.” 

As the interview concluded, Strain shared a recent story of how her young granddaughter tried to check her Tylenol when she was sick, to make sure it wasn’t laced with Fentanyl. This serves as a sobering reminder of how this crisis touches even the youngest members of affected families. 

“We have all of these children impacted because their parents are incarcerated or in active addiction, they’re away at treatment, or maybe one or both of their parents have died,” Strain says, highlighting what she sees as a critical area needing attention. “We’re still not addressing this. The impact on children is swept under the rug.”

For Thomas’s mother, the work continues. She remains a proud advocate for better resources, education, and understanding of a disease that took her son but did not take her determination to save others. 

Sources

Kathleen Strain 

kstrain@toendaddiction.org | 212-841-5265

Richard Lucey

richard.lucey@dea.gov | 571-776-3457

Joshua Romig

Joshua.B.Romig@dea.gov | 571-362-5336

Erin Knight-Grimming

Erin.E.Knight-Grimming@dea.gov 

Pennsylvania Patient Advocacy Program

RA-DH-ADVOCACY@pa.gov | 844.377.7367

From Pills to Poison: The Opioid Crisis Through a Mother’s Eyes

By Beatrice Rakowsky

Kathleen Strain sits in front of her computer screen, her face illuminated by the blue light

as she recounts memories of her son, Thomas. A gentle smile crosses her face as she describes how he could “take apart a bike and build an amazing, faster bike using parts of old bikes,” and how he loved spending time with his kids. Her eyes crinkle at the edges when she recalls him racing around with his nieces and nephews “like a big kid.” But the smile fades when she remembers the day that Thomas joined her to hand out Narcan together at an Overdose Awareness Day event. Just one year later, on that same day, Thomas died of a fentanyl overdose, despite his ongoing struggle toward recovery. 

His story began like thousands of others across America, with a prescription. Following multiple sports injuries and a motorcycle accident at 18, Thomas was prescribed oxycodone. Strain didn’t connect her son’s later struggle with these early prescriptions until years later, having an “aha moment” around 2012 when she realized “these pills were basically like heroin.” By then, it was too late. Thomas could no longer access the drugs he became addicted to through prescriptions, so he turned to street drugs that would eventually contain fatal amounts of fentanyl. 

The tragedy that fell upon the Strain family mirrors the national crisis that continues to devastate communities across America, including college campuses and small towns like Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. From rural areas to major cities, no community has been spared from the deadly progression that begins with prescription opioids and often ends with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and of which just two milligrams, the size of the tip of a pencil, can be fatal. 

“The most important thing to know is that it’s really deadly and really addictive,” Strain emphasizes, her voice growing more urgent. “If you’re lucky enough to survive it, it’s highly addictive. So one time is never one time. I mean, unless you die, then it’s one time.”

The Scale of the Crisis

According to the DEA, despite a 25.5% decrease in its overdose deaths from the previous year, roughly 84,000 Americans still died from drug overdoses in 2023, with opioids and fentanyl accounting for 62% of these deaths. This translated to approximately 230 overdose deaths every day. “A jet per day,” as Richard Lucey, the Community Outreach Specialist and Prevention Program Manager from the DEA, put it. 

The numbers are staggering. In 2024, the DEA seized more than 60 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and 8,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, equivalent to over 377 million lethal doses. That’s enough to kill every American. Laboratory testing revealed that five out of every ten seized fake pills contained at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is the potentially fatal dose.

According to Joshua Romig, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Philadelphia Field Division, every town in America is affected by fentanyl, even small ones like Lewisburg. “There’s a pharmaceutical issue especially in small towns like Lewisburg and Williamsport [a local hub], that were old manufacturing towns that, maybe some of these people got addicted to pain pills, then the doctor’s would say ‘no more, clearly I’m now prescribing to an addict.’ Then they would have to turn to something else to feed that addiction, and that something else became these fentanyl pills.” He continues to explain that once drug users pop up, drug dealers pop up. It’s simple supply and demand. 

For Strain, who now works with the Partnership to End Addiction and serves on 

Committees overseeing pharmaceutical bankruptcy settlements, these aren’t just statistics, they represent real lives. “We have an entire generation of kids that have been impacted,” Strain explains, referring to what some call “Gen O,” children orphaned or otherwise affected by the opioid epidemic. 

The College Connection

College campuses face unique challenges with the opioid crisis, particularly with 

prescription drug misuse across three main categories, opioids, sedatives, and stimulants. According to Lucey, there’s a dangerous misperception that these substances can help improve students’ academic performance. 

“Because of misuse of prescription stimulants, Adderall can be laced [with fentanyl],” warns Lucey. The same applies to counterfeit versions of Oxycontin, Xanax, and Percocet, all medications commonly misused by college students and increasingly being counterfeited with fentanyl. 

What makes the current crisis particularly dangerous is how dealers are mixing fentanyl with other substances. Heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit pills are all at risk of being laced, often without the users’ knowledge. The DEA emphasizes that the primary entry point for fentanyl is across the southern border, manufactured in Mexican labs before being distributed to various “source cities” across the United States. 

Social media has become “the new super highway of drug trafficking,” according to Lucey. Platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and even TikTok have become marketplaces where dealers promote their products and individuals seek out illicit pills. “Snapchat is not a trusted pharmacy,” he explains. 

The DEA does work with campus police and local law enforcement to address drug distribution in college environments. As Romig explains, officers often go undercover to find information from students, and locate and focus on students who may be having problems. “Fentanyl use isn’t the same as underage drinking or marijuana,” he says, “It’s way worse.” 

Romig compares ending the opioid crisis with the way you would destroy a company like Walmart. “If you wanted to destroy Walmart, you could arrest the CEO, and people probably wouldn’t even know. Walmart would keep on turning. You could light some of the stores on fire, and guess what, they would just buy new stores. You could go after their banking, or seize their assets. Or you could tell people to stop shopping at Walmart, tell them that it’s bad for them.” He goes on, “If you do any one of those things, you’re probably not going to have too much success. You won’t make a dent on Walmart. But if you did all of those things at the same time, and aggressively, and successfully, you would actually have a chance at shutting them down.” 

Romig explains that this is how the Mexican cartels operate, explaining that they’re essentially companies. “The only difference is they’re selling poison, not camping equipment.” Overall, he explains that both education and community outreach, along with targeting and shutting down the higher level entities and the mid level sellers, are essential to solving this problem. 

A Mother’s Journey

For Strain, understanding addiction didn’t come naturally. When Thomas’ father died from addiction-related causes when Thomas was just four years old, her reaction reflected the most common misconceptions. “I remember thinking, ‘Why would you do that? You have kids, you have a job,’” she recalls of her thoughts as a young mother in her twenties. “I was never really exposed to addictions, I didn’t really understand it.”

That perspective changed dramatically as she watched addiction unfold in her own family. “It wasn’t until I saw it playing out in front of my eyes with Thomas that I realized it wasn’t that easy to just stop,” she says. 

Strain’s experience led her to become an advocate for better education and support systems, particularly for families with genetic predispositions to addiction. She believes that conversations about substance use should start early, in age-appropriate ways. “With my younger grandkids, when they were two, we started talking about safety and making good choices and building healthy relationships,” she explains. By the time children are nine, Strain says, they’re already “aware of a lot more than we know about,” which is what makes these early conversations so important. 

The generational component of addiction is something that Strain emphasizes strongly. She notes that children born with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome have a higher probability of developing substance use disorders later in life. She argues that this is why focusing on early intervention, providing support for affected families, and actually addressing underlying factors that contribute to substance use across generations is so important. 

The Fentanyl Factor

What makes today’s opioid crisis particularly deadly is fentanyl’s potency and unpredictability. The DEA warns that it’s nearly impossible to distinguish between legitimate prescription pills and counterfeits. Their message is simple but urgent: “Don’t take a pill that’s not been prescribed to you and doesn’t come from a pharmacy.”

Even fentanyl test strips, while helpful, have limitations. “The issue is you can test one pill, but you have to destroy the pill to test it. If it comes back negative, that doesn’t mean that the rest of the batch won’t be positive,” explains Lucey. 

Strain describes the deadly gamble that users take. “It’s playing Russian roulette. The more substances you use, the tolerance gets higher.” She explains how someone accustomed to one dealer’s product might overdose when forced to switch suppliers, as potency varies dramatically. “Studies show that within a certain amount of feet of where [a dealer’s] business was ended, there’s a higher rate of overdoses within the coming days and weeks because those people are now going to person B to get their stuff,” Strain explains. “They’re taking the same amount that they would have taken with person A, but it’s much more potent, so it kills them.”

Signs of Hope

Despite the grim statistics, there are reasons for optimism. Strain explains that nowadays there is highly increased awareness and many more open discussions about drug misuse, which she says is significant progress from thirty years ago when “people didn’t talk about it.”

“We have come a long way that we can actually have conversations about this, that there’s actually legislation and things happening, good or bad, that are at least addressing and bringing these topics to light,” she says.

Organizations like Partnership to End Addiction are working to provide resources to those struggling with substance use and their families. Initiatives like “Mobilized Recovery Campus Surge,” a bus tour visiting college campuses to provide information and support, represent a strong effort to bring important knowledge across the country and to the most vulnerable groups. 

Law enforcement is also adapting its approach. The DEA collaborates with campus police and participates in events like National Prescription Drug Takeback Day, held the last Saturday in April and October. These events provide safe disposal sites for unused medications while educating communities about the dangers of prescription drug misuse. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Patient Advocacy Program is an initiative that operates in the Office of Drug Surveillance and Misuse Prevention (ODSMP). This program is working hard on increasing naloxone accessibility, by administering grants to emergency departments, harm reduction organizations, and community organizations throughout Pennsylvania. They also have the First Responder Addiction and Connection to Treatment Program (FR-ACT) which was established to ensure first responders, public safety professionals and their agencies have the tools necessary to respond to the overdose epidemic. According to a representative, “Training is offered at no-cost and is available in all 67 counties in Pennsylvania,” and “After completing FR-ACT training, two doses of naloxone are distributed to participants to reinforce education content discussed regarding naloxone utilization and administration.”

From nationwide awareness campaigns to local efforts expanding access to education and life-saving resources like naloxone, these collective actions show a commitment to addressing the opioid crisis and finding a path towards recovery and prevention. 

The Path Forward

For Strain, improving communication across systems is crucial. From grandparents raising grandchildren to foster and adoption systems to schools. She advocates for better substance education in K-12 schools, stating that quality of education varies widely despite requirements in states like Pennsylvania. “I think it would be a lot cheaper to deal with those issues now than try to fix it after,” she claims, referring to prevention versus treatment and incarceration. “It just feels like it would be more beneficial to start sooner.”

For those currently struggling, Strain recommends reaching out to resources like Partnership to End Addiction’s helpline (text CONNECT to 55753) or visiting safelocator.org to find treatment options. The organization offers free support staffed by clinicians and a peer parent coaching program. 

The DEA’s message to college students is simple and direct: “Don’t take a pull that’s not been prescribed for you by a licensed pharmacist.” For those who ignore that message, they warn, “it comes down to Russian roulette.” 

As the interview concluded, Strain shared a recent story of how her young granddaughter tried to check her Tylenol when she was sick, to make sure it wasn’t laced with Fentanyl. This serves as a sobering reminder of how this crisis touches even the youngest members of affected families. 

“We have all of these children impacted because their parents are incarcerated or in active addiction, they’re away at treatment, or maybe one or both of their parents have died,” Strain says, highlighting what she sees as a critical area needing attention. “We’re still not addressing this. The impact on children is swept under the rug.”

For Thomas’s mother, the work continues. She remains a proud advocate for better resources, education, and understanding of a disease that took her son but did not take her determination to save others. 

Sources

Kathleen Strain 

kstrain@toendaddiction.org | 212-841-5265

Richard Lucey

richard.lucey@dea.gov | 571-776-3457

Joshua Romig

Joshua.B.Romig@dea.gov | 571-362-5336

Erin Knight-Grimming

Erin.E.Knight-Grimming@dea.gov 

Pennsylvania Patient Advocacy Program

RA-DH-ADVOCACY@pa.gov | 844.377.7367

“That’s Not My Friend”: Christine Deal and Bucknell’s Quiet Shift Around Substance Use

By: Grace Maloney 

When Christine Deal was a freshman in high school, she had a gut reaction and knew drugs and alcohol were not her thing. She went to a party with an older close friend who ended up highly intoxicated. “That person is not my friend; she’s not acting like herself,” Deal remembered thinking.

Seeing her best friend in a sloppy, drunk state struck her to her core. That night, Deal learned something about herself: a core value she would carry forward into her fifties. It wasn’t a speech or a health class that led her to realize her passion, it was her own reaction to seeing someone she loved become someone she didn’t recognize. Christine believes our reactions reveal a lot about our character. Because of that early experience, she encourages students to pay attention to their gut responses and trust what those instincts are telling them.

Deal is bringing that gut-level clarity to Bucknell University. She recently joined the Office of Health and Wellness as the Alcohol and Other Drug Specialist. In a place where weekend plans and assignment stress flow freely in conversation, the topic of opioids and drug misuse is often left unsaid. Bucknell is a small, close-knit community, and while it’s easy to assume the opioid crisis hasn’t reached Lewisburg, that’s likely not the case. Deal’s hiring, and other subtle changes around campus, may signal a shift in how Bucknell is beginning to approach this issue.

“Health and wellness is part of substance abuse,” Deal said. “And I’ve learned the more we tackle health and wellness, the more we can tackle substance abuse.”

Before coming to Bucknell, Deal worked as a treatment specialist, an outpatient drug and alcohol therapist, and a case manager for underage drinking court cases. She’s worked with people on the streets, seeing firsthand the toll of addiction she understands how complex and emotional substance use is. With a background in psychology, she has cultivated a master understanding of the severity of the emotional brain in decision making with drugs and alcohol. She approaches situations with a psychologist’s perspective, adding a psychological explanation to all the whys and hows we discussed.

“Substance abuse is very available,” she says. “And when anything is available, it’s always an option. So how do we avoid the options that are right in front of us?” Her answer? It comes from the inside a whole host of beliefs, values,and our understanding of what’s healthy and what’s not.

From her enthusiastic emails to pulling a chair close during our interview to make the conversation feel personal, Deal made it clear she was open and eager to talk. Still, she understands that despite her open-door approach, topics like opioids and fentanyl are ones many students hesitate to discuss.“On most college campuses, you’ll hear about alcohol or weed,” she said. “But the risk with opioids and street drugs is so much higher now because any of them could be laced. It’s not just about partying anymore. It’s life or death.”

That silence might be starting to break. After the death of a Bucknell student in April 2024, the university has taken several new steps. Deal’s position was created. Narcan testing strips, the opioid-reversal drug is widely available and routinely tested across campus. Public Safety practically shoves them down your throat—stop by their office, and they’ll be quick to hand them out and walk you through how to use them.

A new survey is also being distributed to students to collect data on drug use including opioids and fentanyl for the first time. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had solid data on this,” said John Dunkle from the Office of Health and Wellness. “This survey will really help us understand what’s actually happening with students right now”. 

Some departments are still reluctant to speak publicly. In a recent interview, a Public Safety officer avoided making direct comments about opioids, sticking to general language around risk and awareness.

Meanwhile, the university has quietly added six pages to its “Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act” booklet since 2012. A new version was released in October 2024, with expanded policies on opioids and more mental health resources. These subtle shifts suggest the school is becoming more aware of the danger even if the conversations on campus haven’t quite caught up.

Sources 

Christine Deal– cd039@bucknell.edu 

John Dunkle– jhd019@bucknell.edu

Anybody’s Son: The Human Cost of a Pill Mill

Liana Schilling

As the hours piled up, Justin Strawser felt the weight of the time reflecting the heaviness of the forthcoming courtroom proceedings regarding Raymond Kryanak’s unlawful overprescription of opioids. He waited nine hours in the Williamsport federal courthouse designated for the jury selection, only for the extensive process to be ultimately in vain, as the selected jury would receive no case from the defense to counter the prosecution. Kraynak had accepted a plea deal.

Strawser is a Daily Item reporter, a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based publication, not far from where Kraynak was practicing Osteopathy. Strawser graduated from Bloom University in 2008, where he ultimately began his journey in journalism that led him to become a reporter for the Daily Item.

When discussing his relationship with his journalism work, Strawser stated, “You’re there for the good days, but you’re also there for the worst days”. No doubt would the time he spent listening to details and the names of the victims of Kraynak’s overprescription consequences fall into his list of “worst days”.

Justin Strawser, journalist for the Daily Item

Strawser reflected on the prosecution, remembering how the Federal agents talked extensively about being amazed by the amount of pills Kraynak prescribed. “There were up to 4 spreadsheets filled with people who were victims. They had to narrow it down because you 

can’t bring a thousand people into court.” Kraynak had prescribed around 9.5 million units of oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxycontin, and fentanyl to his patients in only three and a half years. 

When asked to speculate about Kraynak’s motives for grossly overprescribing, Strawser believes his intentions can be found in the core of the community. Kraynak was a very established doctor whom most of his patients had seen since they were children. This trust aspect, coupled with the economically wounded, tight-knit community, manifested into an environment where individuals were seeking escape from their pain, and they turned to a trusting provider who indulged their requests. 

Science and Struggle: Dr. Judy Grisel’s Perspective

Dr. Judy Grisel is a professor of Psychology at Bucknell University. She is the author a New York Times Bestselling novel titled Never Enough, which is both a testimony to her personal experience with drug addiction, as well as an informative proclamation of research on the neurological processes underlying addiction. She states very plainly in her novel that she had tried opioids in her youth, and if she had access to them, there was no doubt that she would have found herself in very similar positions to those who turned to Kraynak.

She recalled an instance in her residency where she worked alongside a dentist. She overheard a patient so desperate for an opioid prescription that they were inclined to have their perfectly healthy teeth pulled out. Dr. Grisel said that there was a call one time where a patient had repeated this process of teeth pulling and prescription reception, and she had no choice but to declare that she had no more teeth left to pull out.

When asked about what she believes began this overprescription epidemic, she points to a letter published in 1980 by the New England Journal of Medicine that was religiously miscited to support the notion that opioids were safe and led to the understanding that people in pain were essentially being underprescribed. She believes that this paper encouraged the view for doctors to adopt the belief system of “If you’re humane, give them medicine.”

Dr. Grisel believes that one of the biggest faults of current medicine practitioners is that they are not informed enough about how to prevent substance misuse. She gives talks ot physicians, educating them on what she knows about the neurological basis of addiction as well as reminds them of the immense benefits pharmaceutical companies receive from these prescribing practices, hoping to steer these physicians away from practices that rely on heavy rates of opioid prescription. 

“Anybody’s Son”: A Father’s Grief

To understand the consequences of overprescription, leading to addiction, one can turn to family members of those affected who have lost their relationships with their loved ones due to addiction overtaking identities and all livelihoods. The father of a young man who had been prescribed opioids, became addicted, and sought many avenues to fufill the insatiable desire for the drugs, stated when asked about his son, “This doesn’t have to be about my son because my son is anybody’s son.” 

The father finds himself in the same position as the family members of victims who died due to Kraynak’s overprescription practices. Strawser, when recalling the trial, remembers the desperation in the husband of one of Kraynak’s victims’ statement. The husband had become tired of seeing his sick wife withdrawing from the pills and booked an appointment and demanded that Kraynak tell him how he would help her. 

The opioid epidemic is written across communities, families, and individual lives. Through the eyes of a journalist like Justin Strawser, the crisis becomes a collection of names, testimonies, and devastating truths. Through the research and lived experience of Dr. Judy Grisel, it becomes a neurological and societal reckoning. And through the heartbreak of families who have lost loved ones, it becomes a painfully human tragedy. 

The case of Raymond Kraynak is not just about one doctor’s misuse of trust, it is a reflection of systemic failures, misguided medical norms, and a collective vulnerability. The path forward demands accountability, but also education and compassion. Strawser’s reporting experience has equipped him with the knowledge to know, “sometimes it is difficult for the public to have sympathy.” Only through overcoming this lack of sympathy can we find the courage needed to confront a crisis. The type of crisis that, as one father put it, could affect “anybody’s son.”

Sources

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/mt-carmel-doctor-pleads-guilty-operating-massive-pill-mill

https://www.dailyitem.com/news/agent-we-were-amazed-at-kraynaks-prescription-practices/article_6733adda-10f2-11ec-9f12-cf8a226d5cc7.html

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-dis-crt-m-d-pen/2140797.html

Justin Strawser (email: jstrawser@dailyitem.com)

Dr. Judy Grisel (email:  j.grisel@bucknell.edu) 

[redacted] Frank Russo (phone: 908-347-3479)

Recovering From Addiction in the Susquehanna Valley

By: Jack Glassman

In his darkest moment Drew Lahr felt like there was no way to be free from his addiction and that there was no other option than to end it all. However, there are always opportunities for change and through the support of his family Mr. Lahr was able to free himself from substance abuse and now works with Susquehanna Valley Mediation to support others in overcoming their addiction.

During his childhood in Mount Carmel, PA, drug use was a common sight. Almost everyone in the community, including parents, friends, and siblings, struggled with some form of substance abuse often in the forms of alcohol or pills.

At this time, synthetic opioids like Oxycontin, began to be approved for use in the United States by the FDA. This painkiller became widely used throughout poorer communities like those in Mount Carmel. 

When the drug was initially released, its developer Purdue Pharma claimed that Oxycontin had a low risk of addiction. However, in the following years, it became evident that this was not the case. The pills were highly addictive, which led to high amounts of abuse throughout the country.

Undereducated communities were hit the hardest by Oxycontin. The members of these communities were unaware of the risk of addiction. By Mr. Lahr’s account, “drug companies were pushing them hard,” so doctors were over prescribing Oxycontin en masse. The limited knowledge on the addictiveness of the drug combined with rampant overprescription lead to the opioid crisis that is still in effect till today.

At the age of fourteen, Mr. Lahr had begun to take Oxycontin. The addiction that followed acted as a gateway to other harder drugs. When he had first started taking Oxycontin, he did not think that it would lead down that path. “I never thought that I would stick a needle in my arm, let alone my neck,” he said. 

Mr. Lahr continued to struggle with addiction for many years, ending up in jail from drug related charges in his early twenties. To start his recovery he needed to seek help. It was the love and support of his aunt and uncle that allowed him to start on the road to recovery.

The recovery process was not straightforward. After going through rehab the first time, he relapsed. It wasn’t until the second time in rehab that he was able to overcome his addiction. However, staying away from drugs was not the only part of recovery. Mr. Lahr says, “Stopping the drugs and alcohol is the easiest part. It’s harder to learn to live your life again.”

Returning to a normal routine is necessary for successful recovery. Now working with Susquehanna Valley Mediation he helps those that struggle with drug addiction to return to living normal lives. As part of his work with members to find work and safe housing. Mr. Lahr works to repair the relationships between family members.

Shawnee Robel is the director for families in recovery, which is a part of Susquehanna Valley Mediation, with the goal of supporting families that are struggling with addiction. The importance of this part of recovery is captured by her statement, “when addiction hurts a person it does not just hurt them it affects the people they love.”

The effects of addiction are not limited to the individual, but affect the people around them, so they all need to work together to recover. Mr. Lahr believes that sometimes “The family’s just as sick as the addict.” He means that their behavior has enabled the addiction of their family members and they need to play their part to create boundaries that support their recovery.

Within Snyder and Union county, Susquehanna Valley Mediation works with the Snyder-Union county drug court. The court presides over all drug related crimes and gives opportunities for recovery to those that have been convicted. 

As explained by Judge Scott Zeigler, the process starts after conviction, where the offender is given an opportunity to apply for the program. This process tends to go quickly, with Judge Zeigler saying, “I don’t see them very long.” If they choose to join they need to be evaluated to know whether they are eligible.

They are moved over to the district attorney, who does the evaluation. The D.A. Brian Kerstetter gets to make the final decision and in his words, “If I disapprove they are done.” Once they are approved as part of the program they will be evaluated and have their needs determined. 

Each case goes through a triage process to determine the level of care and attention that is needed. This is important because “we don’t want to mix high need with low need,” says probation officer  Kristen Hollenbach.

Members of the program are then given access to medical and mental health assistance programs. They are also directed to participate in support groups like families in recovery. When asked about the effectiveness of the program, Judge Lori Hackenberg said, “They tend to show a lot of success.”

Programs like this one give opportunities and guidance to those struggling with addiction. In order to combat substance abuse one must first accept there is a problem, but they must not be consumed by shame. 

When asked what people who are struggling with addiction need to hear most Mr. Lahr said, “Don’t live in shame … the moment you stand up to your shame is the moment it starts to crumble.”

Sources

Drew Lahr (570-728-5648)

Shawnee Robel (570-444-1024)

Judge Scott Zeigler (570-374-0111)

Judge Lori Hackenberg (570-837-4238)

DA Brian Brian Kerstetter (570-524-8651)

Probation Officer Kristen Hollenbach

Phases

Bucknell University faces increased scrutiny over its handling of First Amendment rights despite offering numerous free speech programs. Questions remain about how brand management affects student expression across controversies including the Israeli-Palestinian war, potential censorship in student publications, and campus speaker disputes.

Are Bucknell Free Speech Programs Really Effective? 

By Alexis Killeen 

When Jane Fonda, an Academy Award winning actress and activist, visited Bucknell University this past year to discuss the topic of ‘freedom of expression’, dozens of Bucknellians desperately sought out the opportunity to speak with her about their personal experiences with exercising their first amendment rights. Invited by the university through the Bucknell Forum series to address her perspective on the current state of ‘freedom of expression’ in the US, Jane Fonda was approached by multiple students who – ironically – felt that their access to freedom of speech and rights to protest were limited on campus. At a point in American history where our access to freedom of expression is more important than ever before, students at Bucknell University have reported “attempts to inhibit free speech on campus” regarding highly controversial topics from higher-up university administrators despite multiple, recent attempts at programming in order to combat this concern. Students’ continued frustration with their perceived limited access to utilizing their first amendment rights, despite university programs focused on the freedom of expression like the Bucknell Forum 2023-2024 entitled ‘Freedom of Expression’, Dignity and Dialogue circles, as well as the new Bucknell Institute for Dignity and Democracy suggests the possibility that the university’s willingness to give students access to freedom of expression and free speech is conditional to only the programs that the university has created. Between students and administration, a disconnect has formed regarding what is effective for the university community.  It has become increasingly clear that programs intentionally designed to increase freedom of expression appear to have the opposite effect on students. 

As an educational institution, Bucknell claims to be committed to free expression. Specifically, the university identifies as an “environment that prioritizes the open exchange of ideas and debate” . Based on these values, Bucknell has begun to develop and hone programs with the intention of  One of the programs to be released this upcoming year is the Bucknell Initiative for Dialogue and Democracy. What it will be affectionately known as BIDD, the initiative aims to encourage nonpartisan dialogue between students to support free expression. The program was initially developed in order to, according to Bravamn ,“equip students with the skills to navigate a deeply polarized society – a deeply polarized and digital society – while upholding democratic values”. BIDD, created and developed by university president John Bravman, has been highly encouraged and supported by the board of trustees. In his state of the university address, Bravman noted that multiple members of Bucknell’s board of trustees have come forward to invest in the program. BIDD has generated a lot of excitement amongst high-up administrators at the university, yet few students know of the program’s existence. Despite it’s announcement in Bravman’s university address, students are unaware of not just the program’s existence, but of its potential impact. “I have never heard about this program before,” said Jordyn Weber, a junior psychology major at Bucknell, “It sounds like a great idea, but it just hasn’t been shared with the rest of us yet”.  Bucknell’s Institute for Dignity and Democracy, as well meaning as it is, is just an example of a program that due to failure of advertising, hasn’t made it’s impact clear on its students, impacting students’ access to the program. 

Bucknell’s new Dignity and Dialogue Circles, developed by the Division of Equity and Inclusive Excellence, is another example of programming that leaves a lackluster impact on students and their attempt to exercise their first amendment rights. Bucknell media pages advertise the circles as “organized opportunities” to discuss important and controversial issues. While this program has been in effect for roughly a year,  low student turnout (actual reports of student turnout has yet to be reported on the university website)  has been reported and few events have been held, limiting student’s access to this opportunity. Liv King, a sophomore philosophy major at Bucknell, is one of the few Bucknell students who participated in the Dignity and Dialogue circle. Bucknell hosted Dignity and Dialogue Circle Discussions in January of 2025 for students in Greek life to discuss community issues, leadership, and how to work together to enhance the Greek community. When asked why she participated in the activity, King mentioned that participation was mandatory because of her position, which explained the mass of student attendance. When she was followed up with the question of whether or not she would participate in a circle experience again, she said, “I think the exercise at its core the program is helpful to allow everyone to share their opinions, especially if you’re coming from a minority perspective, but the conversation felt poorly executed and fell flat with a lot of the questions we were being asked.” 

King also noted that while she thinks that Dignity and Dialogue Circles can be an effective program in the future for conflict resolution, her experience felt very forced. She had to stick to a prompt of questions that was given to her during the circle, and noted how forced student participation – especially in this method, could make it more challenging for those who wish to share their opinion to come forward

While the program is effective in theory, the mandatory participation in discussion events suggests that while Bucknell supports freedom of expression, the university wants to control the methods in which students share their opinions. What the university might perceive as a safe and nurturing way to encourage students to share their experiences, students interpret these same efforts as limiting and rigid. The university continues to promote the program in order to “foster meaningful conversations on campus”, yet opportunities to participate in this program are few and far between. A program that intends to instruct and become a main method of constructive conversation amongst students, yet doesn’t offer multiple opportunities for students to participate in can appear to be a restriction on the student body’s ability to speak freely. 

The Bucknell Forum program brings together different national public figures in order to speak to the university about different relevant cultural topics. Its 2024-2024 theme, ‘Freedom of Expression’, brought in renowned speakers and activists such as George Will, Jon A. Shields, Jodi Picoult, George M. Johnson, and Jane Fonda to speak about pressing issues regarding the topic. In correspondence with Heather Johns, the VP of Marketing and Communications for Bucknell, also in charge of curating the Forum program, she stated that selection is based on speakers “multidisciplinary and diverse viewpoints”. Utilizing a large task force of undisclosed students, faculty, and staff in order to search for relevant perspectives,”, according to Johns.“The Bucknell Forum is a public demonstration that the University welcomes a variety of ideas and voices that advance our mission of imbuing in students a deep understanding of many cultures and perspectives”. 

In terms of  the program, particularly the theme of free speech, Johns believes “The Bucknel Forum puts forward a variety of speakers who help to advance important national conversations as we educate students for a lifetime of critical thinking and leadership”. While these are admirable goals, they don’t specifically address the concept of free speech. While there is no denying critical thinking as a valuable skill, a failure to mention students exercising their right to free expression suggests that this is not a university goal. 

 Paige Gilmartin, a junior literary studies major at Bucknell, felt that the speakers that were a part of that program really inspired viewers to exercise their right to free expression. Gilmartin, who attended the Jane Fonda talk last year, noted “Fonda told us a lot about her use of free speech and expression in terms of protesting for what she believed in and using her platform to advocate for change, as well as encouraging Bucknell students to do the same.” Fonda used her time at Bucknell to talk about her work as a climate change activist, and the overall importance of activism. Gilmartin noted that she believes that Bucknell does an excellent job at selecting speakers, as well as advertising it to the general community. It’s clear that there is at least some effort from the university’s end to encourage students to engage in their freedom of expression, and the diverse group of speakers does establish that Buckenll values diverse perspectives.

Where the disconnect appears is students feeling like they have an ability to speak out and advocate for their causes. Gilmartin noted that she had the opportunity to speak to Fonda in a small group after the speaker series. She mentioned that her and other students “shared that Bravaman, as well as other campus administrators attempt to inhibit free speech on campus, specifically in regards to sexual assault and Palestine protests.” Despite Bucknell University administration providing access to free speech programs, students are still feeling that their access to exercise free speech is extremely limited, particularly when it comes to certain controversial topics.

The disconnect that students are feeling appears to be coming from Buckenll’s attempts to remain to “always stay neutral on issues”, as phrased by Liv King ‘27. The programming created by the university, which ultimately makes students feel limited, has blatantly resulted from that attempt to maintain constant neutrality. Under the guise of “developing critical thinking skills”, the university has developed programs that prevent students from advocating for causes in ways that would be “too controversial” by university standards. 

Presently, the state of free speech at Bucknell is confusing. While there are programs in existence and in development to encourage freedom of expression and critical thinking, these programs become some of the only ways for students to engage with free speech on campus. This creates an environment where student engagement with free speech and activism are conditional on participating in what the university deems appropriate. Contingency is not a word that typically is associated with the right to freedom of expression. Bucknell University has done great work to support developing critical thinking and open discourse at Bucknell, but its seemingly lack of student participation and approval suggests new methods on supporting these skills. A better understanding of students’ desire for activism and socio-political engagement might encourage more student participation. 

---

Are Student Voices in Harmony with Bucknell Branding?

By Liana Schilling

During the great migration of students walking through the quad toward their next class, a flash of light redirects the attention of a smiling group of students. The campus photographer lowers the camera and admires the photo that perfectly frames the students’ moods. Months later, the photo appears on the covers of the Bucknell University Instagram page, along with a thoroughly designed caption that reflects the subjects’ expressions, broadcasting the wonderful time Bucknellians are having on a seemingly regular weekday.  

Bucknell University, the academic institution, is fundamentally different from Bucknell University, the brand. As one of 5,916 colleges in the United States, the competition for student enrollment is intense (edsmart.org). All academic institutions understand that to maintain their stances as more than eligible contenders, the schools must highlight their attributes and conceal any areas of weakness. How authentic is this playing field to students’ experiences? 

Bucknell University has a following of about 34,000 on its official Instagram (@bucknellu). Images of smiling faces of students attending events, petting therapy dogs, and diligently working on homework on the well-watered quad are central to the page’s feed. The Bucknell Marketing and Communications department’s efforts to create a highly desirable social media feed that aligns with Bucknell’s brand image are highly recognizable. 

Heather Johns, the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Bucknell defines Bucknell’s brand image as being “..built on academic excellence, an innovative and personalized liberal arts education, strong faculty-student relationships, and a dynamic campus community”. When analyzing the content on Bucknell’s social media feed, there is no doubt this image is filtered over every image presented. She states that “the Marketing & Communications team upholds this identity by ensuring that all public-facing content — including digital marketing, print materials, video storytelling, and media outreach — aligns with Bucknell’s core values and distinctive qualities”. In the scope of marketing, this is not a novel concept. A strong brand identity is formulated by consistently promoting content that emulates the attributes that are intended to become affiliated with the identity of the brand. The point at which this need to push a certain marketing agenda interferes with an authentic Bucknellian experience is when integrity becomes lost in the game of enrollment. 

In 2013, the matter of institutional integrity was brought to light as the President of Bucknell University addressed a letter to the board of trustees informing them that the school had misreported SAT scores from 2006 to 2013. These scores, in turn, were reported to U.S. News and World Report, making Bucknell’s ranking amongst other organizations incorrect (Bravman, 2013). This was not a direct ploy from the marketing and communications department to corroborate Bucknell’s academic excellence messaging but the message of temptation to promote a certain image at the expense of students’ and families’ trust is highlighted in this footnote of Bucknell’s history. 

A problem arises when the desire to enforce a certain image compromises students’ perception of the school’s support and leads to a certain distrust of the administration. This distrust is also a product of an unwillingness to support student initiatives and wishes. Ryan Ziskin, an Orientation Leader and Admissions ambassador, as well as an overall sufficiently involved member on campus, expressed his disappointment with the administration’s motivation to work with students on initiatives that have been expressed as crucial to their impact on campus. “Administration is very anti-change. The counseling center has a lot of issues with being understaffed but the administration isn’t doing much. You have to fight them from every inch of ground you can gain for the students”. This disappointment stems from other areas where Ziskin feels the administration’s priorities lie more in the Bucknell Branding than working on curating a more inclusive student experience. Regarding Bucknell’s social media outlet, he states that he understands the profile to depict Bucknell “…really inaccurately. They pick and choose what to show. They pretend we’re now a PWI [Primarily White Institution], when we’re clearly a PWI. When I’ve worked for orientation the photographers go up to the people of color. They also use a lot of old photos and pretend like they’re current.” 

Maria Ruccolo, an active student at Bucknell engaged in many executive positions of student organizations and Greek life on campus states that she would agree that “..Bucknell sometimes singles out members of diverse communities to push the diversity, equity, and inclusion aspect. However, I feel the school generally does care about the matter and making the school an inclusive place for everyone.” Although students have mixed opinions regarding the integrity of Bucknell’s efforts to promote as well as market an inclusive campus, they can agree that there is a discrepancy between the enforced public image of diversity at Bucknell and the reality. 

A bridge between the marketized version of Bucknell and the version that current enrolled students face every day can be found at the Instagram handle @IamRayBucknell. It is a platform designed for students to share what they love about Bucknell and advocate for the school on their behalf. Prospective and current students, like Ruccolo, believe that the platform “…does a pretty good job at representing the Bucknell community. It’s so unfiltered and lets students show their experiences.” As a marketing and communications professional at Bucknell, Johns explains the role of the account “ …is designed to amplify student voices, allowing them to share their personal journeys, academic passions, and campus experiences in their own words… [it] provides an authentic glimpse into student life, featuring diverse perspectives that highlight the impact of a Bucknell education beyond the classroom”. 

In theory, the platform is very resourceful for prospective students looking to resonate with someone’s story to make an informative decision about where to spend the next four years of their lives. What is not as obvious from a viewer’s perspective is that behind the seemingly candid profile, a selection process occurs before any posts can be made. A student who expresses interest in posting on the account must answer “What would make your week as Ray Bucknell so awesome?” in a Google form before any further progress can be made toward sharing personal experiences. This eliminates the true “authentic glimpse” that is implied by the account, over-saturating the account with only positive experiences that can be misleading to prospective students. 

The role of an effective university marketing department is to convince prospective students and their families of the value of the University and what experiences will be practically guaranteed with the cost of tuition. This is not foreign to any educational institution’s marketing strategy, and will not become unusual due to its significance in the college selection process and the competition between the schools. The issue arises when there is an imbalance between maintaining a positive image and the transparency of student voices. When students feel that what is presented is not necessarily truthful, they lose trust in their own administration’s support of their opinions and feel that they cannot fully express the extent of their opinions regarding their academic experience. When the camera flashes only in one direction, it eclipses what’s behind it,  leaving the rest of reality in the dark. 

---

Anna’s Article Here

---

Free speech: what The  debatable issues may emerge at Bucknell University when the US senator makes his visit to the campus

By Younis Alhallaq

       On April 22, Bucknell University students will filter into the Elaine Langone Center, some eager, others skeptical, as U.S. Senator Rand Paul steps onto the stage. His arrival is already sparking conversations in classrooms, dining halls, and dormitories, with some students curious about his viewpoints and others questioning why he was invited. The anticipation lingers in the air, much like the tension that has accompanied his past appearances at college campuses across America.

Just last August, Paul’s speech at Kentucky Wesleyan University stirred controversy after he voiced strong opposition to COVID-19 pandemic precautions, prompting College President James Cousins to issue an apology to the campus community. His visit to Bucknell comes with similar expectations—will his words ignite meaningful discussion, or will they further entrench political divides?

As the auditorium fills, there is an unspoken divide in the room—those who support Paul’s libertarian stances, those who vehemently oppose them, and those simply there to witness the spectacle. Whispers of past controversies circulate, from his criticism of U.S. foreign interventions to his outspoken stance on free speech, criminal justice, and government overreach.

As the campus braces for his arrival, the question isn’t just what he’ll say—it’s how Bucknell students and faculty will respond. Will this be a moment of productive debate, where students

engage in meaningful discourse? Or will it become just another political event where lines are drawn but few minds are changed? 

Bucknell’s Free Speech Culture: Open Dialogue or Controlled Discourse? Bucknell University presents itself as an institution that values open dialogue and freedom of expression. However, there are concerns that controversial discussions are often controlled or moderated in a way that prevents true, unfiltered debate. As Bucknell prepares to host U.S. Senator Rand Paul, the event will test the university’s commitment to genuine free speech on campus.

Professor Kelly Stedem, a professor in international relations at Bucknell, noted, “Students on this campus are incredibly polite and do not try to rock the boat… I don’t think that they’re gonna stand up and yell at him. To be frank.” This raises a crucial question: Will Paul’s speech lead to real engagement, or will it be another structured discussion that avoids difficult conversations? Foreign Policy: The Ukraine-Russia Debate and U.S. Intervention, and other polices  

     Rand Paul’s foreign policy stance has been one of his most debated positions, particularly regarding the Ukraine-Russia war. While many U.S. lawmakers advocate for increased military aid to Ukraine, Paul has been a vocal critic of sending American taxpayer money to fund foreign conflicts. Recently, Paul argued that continued military assistance to Ukraine risks escalating tensions with Russia and places a financial burden on the United States. “We are $34 trillion in debt. We don’t have the money to continue this war,” Paul stated in an interview earlier this year, emphasizing his belief that the U.S. should prioritize domestic interests over foreign interventions.

       At Bucknell, Professor Stedem explained how Paul’s stance differs from that of his father, Ron Paul, saying, “He doesn’t have the same attitude as his father… He often argues that intervention and projection of American power abroad are sometimes necessary.”

Paul’s views on Israel and Gaza have also sparked controversy. “If you had students who are very supportive of Israel, they would be critical of him… If you’re a student sympathetic with the Palestinian cause, you’d also be critical of him,” Stedem noted. His contradictory approach—verbally supporting Israel’s leadership while advocating for cutting aid—has frustrated both sides.

Despite these strong views, Bucknell students tend to avoid public debates on foreign policy, with Malika Alika, a student at Bucknell, explaining, “I don’t think that his presence alone is gonna spark any sort of large-scale student activism unless something controversial happens.”

COVID-19: Public Health vs. Personal Freedom

One of Rand Paul’s most controversial stances has been his opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. 

His position contrasts sharply with those of public health officials and university faculty members who saw restrictions as necessary.

Professor Gates, a Bucknell biology professor, defended the restrictions, stating, “It was necessary… or we would have had even more people dying.” She argued that lockdowns were the best option to protect those who were most vulnerable, especially at a time when asymptomatic transmission made it difficult to isolate only those who were sick. However, Paul’s perspective reflects a libertarian approach to personal freedoms, arguing that individuals—not the government—should decide their health precautions. This debate raises the larger issue of how Bucknell handles discourse on public health and personal freedom.

Edward Snowden and National Security

Discussions around national security and free speech often return to the case of Edward Snowden, who leaked classified documents about U.S. surveillance programs. His actions continue to spark debate about government transparency versus national security risks.

Professor Stedem provided insight into Snowden’s actions, stating, “He knew that what he was doing was illegal… but he argued that it was a moral necessity because the U.S. government was lying to the American people.”

At Bucknell, awareness of Snowden’s case is low, with Stedem noting, “Most students don’t know who he is… I’ve talked about him in multiple classrooms, and the majority of students have no idea.” This raises concerns about how much students engage with broader national debates on government secrecy and free speech.

Criminal Justice and Political Divides

While Rand Paul has spoken about criminal justice reform, there has been little discussion at Bucknell about this aspect of his platform. His advocacy for ending mandatory minimum sentences and prison reform aligns with some progressive policies, yet his broader conservative stance on law and order remains divisive. One professor noted that Bucknell students tend to focus more on campus-specific issues rather than national political debates. This may explain why Paul’s stance on criminal justice has not sparked significant controversy at Bucknell, despite it being a central part of his platform.

To conclude, Rand Paul’s visit serves as a test for Bucknell’s free speech culture. Will students and faculty engage in genuine debate, or will discussions remain carefully moderated?

Professor Stedem concluded, “I don’t anticipate everyone will agree with him… but I expect this will be a productive engagement.” However, if Bucknell’s past events are any indication, students may feel reluctant to publicly challenge Paul’s positions, leaving free speech at Bucknell as a carefully controlled, rather than fully open, discourse.

---

Free Speech in Crisis: Bucknell’s Struggle Between Principles and Practice During Campus Protests

By Beatrice Rakowsky

The polite facade of campus discourse crumbled when protesters stormed a presidential forum, filling Trout auditorium with the sounds of passionate chants demanding the university address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

When protest movements erupted on college campuses in the wake of the October 7th attack on Israel, Bucknell University found itself navigating the gap between its stated free expression principles and their practical application. Despite it’s stated commitments to protect students’ right to free expression, the university’s response to pro-Palestinian liberation demonstrations revealed the complexities and contradictions in how these policies operate in real scenarios. 

Bucknell’s official policy, as seen on their website, champions free expression as essential to its mission of educating students for “critical thinking and strong leadership.” The university explicitly states it “supports the rights of students and student organizations to… support causes by orderly means.”

Yet, pro-Palestinian liberation student activist Gabby Diaz describes a different reality. “Bucknell doesn’t like anything that might be bad press,” she stated, noting that the university “does engage in surveillance tactics and tries to hush students to avoid disrupting campus culture.” This disconnect creates uncertainty regarding Bucknell’s true stance on free expression within the realm of controversial political speech. 

The tension between policy and practice came into sharp focus during a forum called “A Night with the Presidents.” While President John Bravman and Bucknell Student Government former-president Sam Douds were holding a discussion forum about campus life, students staged a protest, entering the auditorium to demand University action regarding the situation in Gaza. The pro-Palestinian liberation group started chanting and calling for the University to respond to the conflict and sever ties with organizations that support Israel. Jewish student Molly Malaby described President Bravman’s reaction: “He politely ended the conversation and left. As he was leaving, he explained that while the students have a right to freedom of speech, the time and place in which they did so was completely inappropriate.” She added that “a ruckus was caused as pro-Palestine protesters took to social media to rip apart both the President of the school and the president of the class. Neither of the two said one word about their beliefs, yet they were being scrutinized for calling off the event after being interrupted by screams.” 

Miranda Neusner, another Jewish student, shared her apprehension about campus protests spreading to Bucknell: “After watching videos [from other universities] of Jewish students and professors being harassed and blockaded from academic buildings, locked inside their kosher dining halls and libraries for their own safety, and targeted with online threats in campus forums, I was certainly hesitant to see this wave of protest at Bucknell.” 

Bucknell’s guidelines establish “time, place, and manner” requirements for expressive activity, including that protests may not create “a volume of noise that prevents members of the University community from carrying on their normal activities.” While this incident may have violated these guidelines, it demonstrates how these content-neutral regulations can function to contain politically contentious speech. 

Bucknell’s policy also explicitly prohibits affixing written materials to university facilities and restricts chalking to designated areas. Diaz reported that activists experienced the washing away of their chalk messages as well as the tearing down of their posters and flyers around campus. Malaby described seeing “messages written across campus about Gaza and the watermelon posters hanging in the bathrooms of academic buildings.” She noted, “These acts were done in the middle of the night, and the campus woke up to them.” The overnight timing of these displays suggests that these student activists anticipated resistance to their expression, and believed that they needed to find a workaround to policies that might otherwise limit their visibility. 

Beyond formal restrictions, Bucknell’s campus climate significantly impacts free expression. When asked if she felt comfortable expressing her views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Malaby simply answered, “No.” Neusner expressed similar hesitation, saying that “Given the nature of our small, close-knit school, many students are less vocal about politics because you don’t really know what to expect from the views of the person you’re talking to.” Meanwhile, Diaz characterizes Bucknell as “a relatively silent campus whenever global issues unfold,” suggesting a culture that discourages political discourse. She criticizes what she calls the “Bucknell Bubble,” a campus mindset that allows students to “free ourselves from any kind of responsibility or empathy towards real issues that are affecting students on campus.” This environment contradicts Bucknell’s stated commitment to fostering an “environment that prioritizes the open exchange of ideas and debate.” 

Suzanne Trimel, a representative from PEN America, a leading free speech organization, warns against “over restrictive time, place, and manner policies” that can lead to “over policing of speech content.” She notes that universities also face an “unusual added pressure from external groups like alumni, donors, politicians, and advocacy groups” to take stances regarding the Israel-Palestine demonstrations, and even to punish student activists. While Diaz characterizes the administration’s approach as “vanilla” compared to other universities, she suggests that the relatively mild response stems from the limited scale of Bucknell’s protests: “Our administration is honestly a lot less harsh than other schools and a large part of that is because as activists, we haven’t actually done anything that crazy.” Her statement raises the question of how the university might respond to more disruptive forms of protest, like the encampments seen at other institutions, and whether its commitment to free expression would withstand stronger political pressures. 

Bucknell’s experience highlights the broader ongoing struggle for American universities to uphold both community safety and the principles of free expression in the face of contentious issues. Pro-Palestinian activists see their protests as moral imperatives addressing urgent humanitarian concerns, while others view their tactics as disruptive to civil discourse. Jewish students may feel angry or uncomfortable due to the rhetoric and methods of their activist peers. Administrators often find themselves caught between supporting student expression and maintaining environments that are safe for all. Effective navigation of these tensions, according to Trimel, requires “relying on trusted messengers, transparency into decision making, invitations to institutional proceedings, and regular communication with student organizations.”

Rather than seeking a “correct” approach to campus activism, Bucknell, like all universities, might better serve its students by engaging in transparent dialogue about the boundaries of protest, and recognizing that disagreement about tactics should not lead to the dismissal of underlying concerns. The challenge is not eliminating tension but transforming it into an opportunity for the kind of nuanced learning that defines higher education. 

---

Sources

Alexis

Jordyn Weber, Class of 2026

jrw042@bucknell.edu | (609) 455-6406

Paige Gilmartin, Class of 2026

peg009@bucknell.edu | (508) 404-7905

Olivia King, Class of 2027 

ojk001@bucknell.edu | (862) 345-4675

Heather Johns, Vice President, Marketing and Communications 

heather.johns@bucknell.edu | (570) 577-3884

Liana

Heather Johns– Vice President of Marketing and Communications, email: hlj003@bucknell.edu
Ryan Ziskin– email: rgz003@bucknell.edu, phone: 860-999-4163

Maria Rucculo– email: mgr015@bucknell.edu, phone: 856-630-8804

How Many Colleges Are in the U.S.?

Bravman. J. C. (2013). Statement to the Board of Trustees: Bucknell University Reporting of SAT and ACT Scores, 2006-2012. 

https://www.bucknell.edu/life-bucknell/bucknell-universitys-commitment-free-expression#:~:text=Demonstrations%2C%20protests%20and%20distribution%20of,the%20Office%20of%20Events%20Management.

Younis

Open Discourse collation: Dawn Toguchi, Executive Director. 

dawn@opendiscoursecoalition.org

Malika Ali, a student at Bucknell.  +1 (732) 913-9000

Professor Gates, Associate Professor of Biology Julie Gates  

Kelly Stedem, Assistant professor of political science. foreign policy and freedom of speech. kas068@bucknell.edu

Beatrice

Contacts

Gabby Diaz, Class of 2025

gjd011@bucknell.edu | 240-467-4726

Miranda Neusner, Class of 2025

man020@bucknell.edu | 301-875-9457

Molly Malaby, Class of 2025

mrm037@bucknell.edu | 347-835-2734

Suzanne Trimel, PEN America

STrimel@pen.org | 201-247-5057

https://www.bucknell.edu/life-bucknell/bucknell-universitys-commitment-free-expression

Homepage