WHAT CONDITIONS IN human agency must exist, whereby the citizenry clamor for a bill of rights? What coercive threats, concealed or manifest, are identified before a call "to arms" is sounded? How grim must the future be to even hint at such an extreme solution? The majority is asked to concur about a wrong and which position to believe in. Leaders attempt to edify those beliefs and garner support. One might ask, have all avenues to resolve the issues been exhausted? Or have we erred? In the current maelstrom, these questions must receive our immediate attention.

To solve differences we all know a consensus must be arrived at and a settlement reached; is it even possible in this Horowitz matter? Can "we the people" find common ground and express it with powerful, yet simple words? Leaving rationalization, incrimination and justifications behind. All involved must resolve how to best cure the issues at hand in this, our great dilemma. I believe this ideology was the bedrock at the heart of our American Bill of Rights, a far cry from the personal needs of some of our college students seeking understanding and safekeeping on college campuses.

Is academia so shallow as not to hear the cries of its students, professors, administrators and institutions? Are there solutions and options for those students who feel harassed or abused by their teachers? How do we disagree and still come together to find answers? Can hope and forgiveness be kindled in those professors who were vilified, demonized and labeled? Do the claims of indoctrination really define our relationships; maybe this so-called indoctrination charge has been misdiagnosed and was never well-defined? How soon can any university administration address these issues? Who will be the judge of that, and how can it be measured? Do you honestly believe that one solution to our college problem is the creation of a watered-down student bill of rights? Why do our college-bound sons and daughters somehow need their own bill of rights? Can they not be embraced by one of America's greatest documents ever written; a mere few hundred years ago? I believe it does apply to their cause!

The Horowitz matter versus his self-created inimical antagonists the past week has resulted in an avalanche of claims, media reports, charges, counter-charges, fault-finding, blaming, the lack of facts and on and on. He has shown what mistakes bring. Has it been worth it? How has it helped, especially the students? Who has been hurt, but most importantly, what positive results have we achieved? Those of us involved in this media circus must answer these questions for ourselves!

Finally, what is to be gained by such discordance? An agenda, a want, a need or even an ideology/belief? These petty concerns amount to a black hole with no end in sight. I challenge Mr. Horowitz to step off his soapbox, impede the rhetoric, rest the pen and become a part of the elixir; surely he does not want the damage to become so great, the solution too bloody and the agreement impossible. Let the students suggest a new avenue, a different direction or a timetable for negotiations.

Ultimately it is their concern. Possibly then, a new meaningful direction and plan could emerge. Let's put this ineffective, divisive, useless past behind us and find that path we all know is out there.

Robert Dunkley is an assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of Northern Colorado. He has taught at UNC since 2002 and holds a doctorate in sociology from Kansas State University.