Lancaster County's Republican state House delegation is putting pressure on leaders of the higher-education system and Millersville University to cancel an upcoming lecture by radical-turned-professor William Ayers.

The county's seven GOP lawmakers say Ayers' appearance would represent "an inappropriate promotion of a man whose history includes violence against the United States of America."

Their remarks were delivered in a Feb. 11 letter to State System of Higher Education Chancellor John Cavanaugh and Millersville University President Francine McNairy.

     Read letter from GOP lawmakers (PDF)

Neither official had responded to the lawmakers as of this morning.

A spokeswoman for the university, Janet Kacskos, confirmed that McNairy had received the letter but said Millersville would have no public comment on it. Kacskos said Ayers' March 19 lecture would go on as planned.

Kenn Marshall, a spokesman for the State System of Higher Education, which oversees the the state-owned universities including Millersville, said Cavanaugh had received the letter and was planning to respond to the lawmakers.

"I'm not sure what his response will be," said Marshall, "but he has every intent to talk to the legislators."

The seven Republican lawmakers are Reps. Scott W. Boyd, whose district covers Millersville Borough; John Bear; Tom Creighton; Bryan Cutler; Gordon Denlinger; David Hickernell; and Katie True.

Ayers was a founder 40 years ago of the radical group Weather Underground, which was responsible for riots and the bombing of several public buildings in the late 1960s and 1970s, including the Pentagon, the U.S. Capitol and the New York City Police Department.

He is now a respected university professor and a member of Chicago's intellectual establishment. Lawmakers here, however, are highly critical of his philosophies on education.

"Dr. McNairy said his philosophy falls in line with their direction on urban education," said Boyd, of West Lampeter Township. "I don't know that we want to be teaching teachers or students that revolutionary activism should be a part of our curriculum. That to me is the bigger issue."

Though lawmakers control spending at the state universities, Boyd said he had no intention of seeking any sort of censure of Millersville.

"I don't think it's appropriate to penalize students for a decision that's made by the administration," said Boyd.

The lawmakers' letter claims Ayers advocates an educational philosophy that "promotes student and parental political activism instead of achievement testing." The letter criticized Ayers for advocating that educators "teach against oppression, against America's history of evil and racism, thereby forcing social transformation."

"Mr. Ayers' work on urban education has significant radical components," the lawmakers write in the letter. "If that is the direction that Millersville University believes it should go, then we believe a full curriculum review is necessary."

True, of East Hempfield Township, said it was Ayers' violent past that has her upset. "To me, it is a slap at patriots and Americans to bring in a guy who tried to blow up U.S. government buildings," she said.

The letter also compares Ayers' actions with the Weather Underground to those of Theodore Kaczynski, the so-called Unabomber. Both men argued their actions, though extreme, were necessary to attract attention to their causes.

"To argue otherwise is intellectually dishonest," the lawmakers write.

"... The decision by Millersville University to invite such an individual to our community is patently offensive and sends an incredibly insensitive and repugnant message to the men and women of our armed forces as well as other law abiding citizens," write the legislators.

"Since the beginning of the year, he has been denied entrance to Canada and other previously scheduled appearances have been canceled," the lawmakers write. "Millersville should do the same."

McNairy, in a statement earlier this week, defended the Academic Cultural Enrichment Committee's invitation to Ayers to discuss his work as a urban education theorist.

She said she strongly disagreed with Ayers' past activities, but added that Millersville is a place where "inquiry is encouraged, ideas are expressed openly, and the dignity and rights of all individuals are respected and protected."

Staff writer Tom Murse can be reached at tmurse@LNPnews.com or 481-6021.