TURLOCK, Calif. — They wanted a speaker who would generate attention, and they got it.
Complaints and questions have descended on the California State University, Stanislaus, Foundation since it announced last week that former vice presidential candidate and ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would headline a black-tie fundraiser in June for the university's 50th anniversary celebration.
A state senator from San Francisco wants to know how much the foundation is paying Palin, pointing out that very few students could afford the $500 ticket price.
A student group is organizing a protest and its own event in response.
A professor started a Facebook group "Sarah Palin, Terrible Choice for 50th Anniversary of CSU Stanislaus."
Matt Swanson, president of the university foundation, said he expected a vigorous response to Palin's selection.
"I didn't know it would be this big, this fast," he said. "But first and foremost, this is a fundraising event. We saw Gov. Palin as somebody who is obviously a big celebrity and on the forefront of the public eye."
Swanson said tickets have been selling fast.
"This is a great opportunity to do something that would make fundraising fairly easy," he said. "I think that part has borne itself out."
The foundation is a nonprofit that raises money to support the university. The chairman of its board is university President Hamid Shirvani, but the foundation technically is a separate entity from the school. That's why it's not beholden to state open government laws that normally would force a public university to disclose its expenses and contracts.
Turlock businessman John Gavin is among those asking the foundation to rescind its invitation.
"While I'm sure that Mrs. Palin has her good qualities, she also has many characteristics about her that make her a poor choice for this honored event," he said in a letter to the 50th anniversary committee. "Mrs. Palin is a polarizing and divisive celebrity with no connection to our school or community."
State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, sent letters to the foundation and to Shirvani. He asked the university to disclose how much it's paying Palin, who has commanded $100,000 speaking fees.
"At a time when students are struggling to afford an education at CSU, I would hope that spending potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars on a guest speaker for a black-tie gala would be low on the priority list," he said in the letter. "Money that is spent on bringing an out-of-touch former politician to campus could be spent on scholarships and other financial assistance during these challenging budget times."
Swanson said that the contract precludes the foundation from disclosing the payment amount. And he said no previously existing foundation money went toward paying Palin.
"This event is being 100 percent funded with fresh, private money coming into the foundation," he said.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Tuesday, March 30th 2010 at 4:50PM
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