Priests, Presidents & Parties - Party Heads Faced-off at CUA

In 2004, Chairs of DNC, RNC Were Both Univ. Alum

Against the odds, it happened once, and it is not likely to happen again - the heads of the two biggest parties in the country were both Catholic University Alumni. Terry McAuliffe, B.A. 1979, and Ed Gillespie, B.A. 1983, faced off in a political debate in 2004 in the Edward J. Pryzbyla Center, as they were both chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties (respectively) at the time of the debate.

Over 800 students, faculty and alumni gathered to watch the well known alumni battle it out in the Pryzbyla Center Great Room. The former politics majors discussed the fundamental issues at stake during the 2004 presidential election between current President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). The debate was also televised by C-SPAN.

The debate began with informal banter about the closing of The Ratt (former Rathskellar, popular student bar formerly located in Cardinal Hall), as well as which debater graduated with the highest honors.

Gillespie, an Irish American from outside Philly, discovered the University in high school when a teacher noticed his accomplishments in their school paper and suggested he attended a well-known university in DC. During his time at CUA, he served as sports editor for The Tower and played for the rugby team as well as intramural basketball.

McAuliffe had been involved with the Democratic party from a young age, since his father was the treasurer for the Onondaga County Democratic Party. He was a resident advisor and vice president of the Judicial Branch of the student government while he attended the University.

The debate concluded with both debaters asking students to vote in what would be one of the most important campaigns in American history.

Steele Tells College Republicans to Help Engage Voters

Michael Steele, the former Lt. Governor of Maryland, encouraged College Republicans to support their party’s candidates, John McCain and Sarah Palin, at their first meeting of the year Tuesday night.

“I need you to work. I need your voice. John McCain and Sarah Palin need your voice,” said Steele.
Steele, current chairman of the GOPAC, a Republican action committee, and a Roman Catholic, spoke to 75 College Republicans in Hannan Auditorium about their role in this year’s presidential election.

“You are very valuable to this party and a sin of this party is that not enough people tell you that,” said Steele.

“We have a core of young people that are typically untapped, untested, largely ignored or taken for granted. My push has always been when you come up against that do not back down. Insert yourself, be a part of this process,” Steele continued.

Steele, 49, was elected Maryland’s Lt. Governor in 2002. He ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2006, before losing to Democrat Ben Cardin. He was the first African American to hold a state wide office in Maryland. At the time of his governorship, he was the highest ranking elected African American in the U.S.

Steele advocated activism within all levels of the party and encouraged young members to get voters to the polls.

“Everything he said was right. It’s important for us to be as active as we can,” said Danielle Beck, chairman of the College Republicans. “With such an important election coming up a lot of people, especially our age, forget how important it is and that we can actually make a difference.”

Steele also endorsed Palin as McCain’s vice presidential running mate, calling McCain’s selection “the biggest head fake in this political cycle.”

“I love Sarah Palin. When they picked Sarah, it changed the political dynamics of this race. That’s the underlying issue or fact of the 2008 campaign,” said Steele. “Before everyone was saying it was the Democrats’ year. All of the sudden Sarah shows up and the political dynamic changes.”

U.S. News Report reported in April of 2008 that Steele was a potential vice presidential candidate for McCain.
“It was good hearing someone say hey it’s OK to be Republican, it’s OK to be conservative. We want to hear your opinion and you’re important to us,” said Beck.

“He’s not your typical Republican. He breaks the barriers, he breaks the stereotypes, so it was nice to hear him tell us that we can do the same thing, because he comes from a place of experience,” she added.
Steele previously spoke at the University’s Columbus School of Law for the 37th annual Pope John XXIII Lecture in August of 2005.

College GOP Prepares to Host Steele and Santorum

Two Republican politicians slated to speak at campus events this fall have provided challenges to meeting the complexities required for choosing and vetting speakers at the University.

Rick Santorum, a former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, has drawn the ire from some theologins from remarks regarding homosexuals, and Michael Steele, the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, who said he does not think Row V. Wade needs to be overturned, were chosen by the College Republicans to deliver speeches on campus.

“We get into very nuanced interpretations when it comes to speakers, and some of that is because of what the Bishops have said,” said Bill Jonas, director of University Center, Student Programs and Events (UCSPE).

Jonas is charged with approving speakers at club events. His office requires that officers of student organizations fill out a lengthy form twenty days in advance, naming the speaker.

Steele, who spoke on campus in 2005, represents one of the many difficulties of abiding by a presentation policy which reads the school “is not required to provide a forum for advocates whose values are counter to those of the university or the Roman Catholic Church.”

Michael Steele “is not coming to talk about abortion, he’s basically coming here to kick off the College Republican’s year,” said Jonas.

Speakers holding views contrary to official church doctrine are told by UCSPE that those views are off-limits during public comments.

“We have an easier time than the College Democrats when it comes to getting speakers to campus, because so many republican views are in line with the church,” said Danielle Beck, chairman of the college republicans.

Joe St. George, chairman of the College Democrats, cites issues on which democrats and the church generally agree as reasons for decreasing some of the regulations. “On issues like the death penalty, poverty assistance and welfare, our speakers hit home.”

The speaker regulations came in the wake of a 2004 controversy in which director and screen actor Stanley Tucci, who is pro abortion, was rejected by University President Rev David M. O’Connell prior to a scheduled speech on Italian Cinema. A petition, circulated that asked O’Connell to “work collaboratively to devise a policy that reflects our best traditions of mutual respect, scholarly openness and honest debate.”

After review, the board of trustees approved the current presentations policy, which stipulates speakers must avoid promoting issues contrary to catholic teachings, but that clubs and departments may hold events which present both sides of a controversial issue.

In addition, the University’s non-profit status prohibits it from participating in political campaigns, which means that politicians running for office may not use the campus to make stump speeches or hold rallies.

“There’s always that risk, that politicians will use [the Catholic University of America] as a marketing tool. They spoke here, so it might help them,” said St. George.

His club has chosen a different route this semester, scheduling Barbara Slavin, a reporter on the International Desk at the Washington Times who has authored several books on foreign politics. “It’s nice, using journalists whose views aren’t everywhere,” said St. George. They also tapped former diplomat to Gabon, Warren Clark.

Last fall, The Tower reported a story regarding the scheduling of Senator John Kerry (D-MA), who is pro abortion rights, for a speech on campus. The story was seized upon by the Cardinal Newman Society, who emphasizes stronger adherence to Catholic doctrine at Catholic colleges and universities.
The speech was later cancelled due to scheduling conflicts, according to Kerry’s office.

“Both of the parties on campus need to support each others speakers. Fr. O’Connell has spoken about this, that the higher profile names we get here, the more national prominence our University has,” said St. George.

Beck says she and St. George are working on partisan events, such as a presidential debate viewing sponsored by both clubs.

A lucid definition of what constitutes an acceptable speaker or speech still eludes administrators. “Basically, it’s like navigating river rapids,” said Jonas of the process which has suffered bumps in the past, but is defining itself more with each semester.