Brehm hosts civil liberties forum

It's no surprise that the U.S. has been forever changed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, and as a result, an important set of freedoms and rights previously embraced by American citizens is now under constant scrutiny -- American civil liberties.\n"Your Rights vs. National Security" was the topic Wednesday night during a panel discussion presented by Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm, the second in a series to address many of the issues regarding the terrorism attacks that face not only the country as a whole, but IU. \nA wide array of distinguished panelists with local and national perspectives participated in the forum: Dan Nielsen, FBI special agent in charge of white collar crime unit; Jim Kennedy, IU Police Department chief;John Irvine, Student Legal Services director; junior Justin Barnes, IU Student Association director of Student Services; Michael McKillip, Indiana Civil Liberties Union legislative director; IU law Professor John Scanlan; and James McGillivray, IU military coordinator of Student Legal Services.\nMcGillivray said he knows recent events have heightened student fears.\n"There are a lot of emotions flying around right now concerning the recent events," said McGillivray regarding the impact of how the safety and security of our nation has been shaken and changed forever.\nMany freedoms have been critically examined lately and the panelists addressed some ways to alleviate the concerns. They suggested having open communication with others about American rights through discussions and forums.\nNielsen, an FBI agent in Indianapolis, reiterated that in light of the recent concerns about possible civil liberty infringements, it is crucial to understand that the FBI is diligent to uphold civil freedoms and individual rights.\n"We have the ability to disagree on certain issues, which is one of the freedoms the FBI ensures to protect," Nielsen said.\nWhile the FBI -- an arm of the government -- and the ICLU -- a staunch supporter of personal rights -- may have differing opinions regarding what is the right way to enforce and uphold the law, it is important to realize that these two institutions work in conjunction with each other to protect citizens' rights, Aaron Huffaker, assistant director for the Union Board lecture series and National Emergency Forum member said.\nThis forum is important because it gives people the chance to hear about these pressing issues from all angles and perspectives, he said.\n"As we keep digesting this information, we need to formulate a consensus on what we, as a nation, believes is correct," Huffaker said. "We need to look at issues from all sides of the table, and come to a conclusion and then move forward from that point."\nThe event was sponsored by the Chancellor's Office, National Emergency Forum Committee and Union Board.\nBrehm was encouraged by the student response to Wednesday's forum while reinforcing the significance of coming together to discuss sensitive issues, especially civil liberties\n"It's so important that we discuss these issues," Brehm said. "I have been really pleased with the embrace that the campus has given to these forums. The interest in these discussion panels continues to run high, so I think that says something very good about the Bloomington campus, and shows that we've confronted with these difficult and complex issues"