Free Speech Debated At Gu President Defends Barring Planned Parenthood From Catholic University
When a representative of Planned Parenthood was not allowed to speak on Gonzaga University’s campus last week, it was not an act of censorship, GU President Robert Spitzer said.
Rather, it was an act of “nonsponsorship.”
Spitzer made that point clear to about 60 students who turned out for a student forum Thursday night to discuss the issue and the bigger questions it has raised surrounding academic freedom and Gonzaga’s Catholic identity.
“What is being negated here is sponsorship,” Spitzer told the students. “When you bring a person to not just your campus, but to your organization and to your home, what is going on is a form of acceptance, toleration and sponsorship.”
Last Wednesday, Spitzer abruptly canceled plans for Laurel Kelley to speak to GU’s women’s studies club after announcements of the event appeared on classroom chalkboards.
Several students challenged Spitzer on his decision, saying they felt the university was controlling and limiting sources of information.
“It really seems like a selectivity of sources,” said senior Jason Walsh. “Unless it’s been screened through the university, we can’t glean information from that source.”
Other students questioned where the line would be drawn. One student asked why a hypnotist was allowed on campus, and another wanted to know why the university allowed ROTC, a military organization, at the school.
“Why does it imply we are sponsoring them and supporting them?” said sophomore Kevin Collins.
If a member of the Democratic Party spoke on campus, would that imply GU supported Democrats? he asked.
Spitzer said he may not be a Democrat or Republican, but he “can certainly accept” them. “It’s a completely different statement to say I accept Planned Parenthood. It’s the biggest abortion provider in the United States.”
Spitzer stressed he was not opposed to ideas, and encouraged students to discuss and debate abortion and other issues on campus. Rather, he said, it was the actions of organizations or people that can raise concerns.
Abortion, Spitzer said, is one of the “big six” social issues that the Catholic Church takes a strong stand on. The other five include worldwide famine, disease prevention, racism or ethnic hatred, oppression and nuclear war. He said prospective speakers on campus whose actions may violate those values will be carefully screened.
Other students questioned whether Spitzer’s decision and the publicity it has received may hurt Gonzaga’s reputation.
If anything, Spitzer said, it may have the opposite effect.
“We are history in the making,” he said. “Gonzaga might have a real influence on what Catholic schools are doing,” he said. “It might have an influence - how we make this vital intellectual distinction between religious identity and academic freedom, because that’s a job for smart people.”
Spitzer reassured students that in the future they would be more involved in decisions regarding who may or may not come to campus.
But when faced with last week’s dilemma, he said, he had no time to meet with “stakeholders” because he was not informed in advance that Planned Parenthood had been invited to campus.