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April 11, 2008
Administrators at the University of St. Thomas, a Catholic university and private college in Minnesota, censored the appearance of prominent pro-life and black speaker Star Parker. On April 21, 2008, Star - the best-selling author of numerous books - was slated to speak on campus about the devastating impact abortion has on minority communities. UST Vice President of Student Affairs Jane Canney nixed the idea entirely, citing "concerns" that the lecture was being underwritten by Young America's Foundation.
Katie Kieffer, a 2005 alumna of St. Thomas and founder of the independent conservative newspaper on campus, the St. Thomas Standard, as well as the non-profit Conservative Student News Inc., was an organizer of the Star Parker lecture. She confronted Canney on her refusal to allow Star on campus.
"Our Catholic university has hosted two decidedly liberal speakers in the past year, Al Franken and Debra Davis, an outspoken transgender woman," Kieffer wrote in the St. Thomas Standard.
Kieffer alleges that Jane Canney told Katie and her sister, Amie Kieffer, a senior at St. Thomas and editor of the St. Thomas Standard, "As long as I am a vice president at St. Thomas, the Young America's Foundation will not be allowed on campus." Canney didn't return the Foundation's phone calls seeking comment.
The Student Life Committee, on which Jane Canney resides, denied the Students for Human Life and the St. Thomas Standard a room on campus for Star Parker's lecture. The young conservatives needed only a room and advertising space in order to host Parker since Young America's Foundation and Conservative Student News Inc. were covering all other costs.
Canney's hostility toward Young America's Foundation originated when the Foundation sponsored Ann Coulter at St. Thomas two years ago - an event that attracted more than 750 students. Canney claimed she felt "uncomfortable" and "disturbed" while listening to Coulter, adding that she will never allow another Foundation-sponsored speaker on campus again.
"Canney should not deprive students the right to hear Star Parker's ideas," said Jason Mattera, the spokesman for Young America's Foundation. "Such guilt-by-association is unbecoming of a college administrator."
"Just because some students and some administrators claimed to have been offended by what one conservative speaker says doesn't mean you cut off the entire campus population from hearing conservatives' viewpoints," Mattera continued.
"It's startling that a school named after one of the greatest thinkers in civilization is displaying such anti-intellectualism. Let's treat college students like the adults they are - allow them to hear a variety of speakers and form their own conclusions."
Young America's Foundation sponsors more than 500 lectures annually featuring a wide array of the very best in the Conservative Movement, including John Ashcroft, Michelle Malkin, Dinesh D'Souza, Sean Hannity, Bay Buchanan, Ann Coulter, and many others.
Liberal speakers at St. Thomas receive full support from the school's administration. Just this past year Canney's Student Life Committee approved the appearance of Debra Davis, a transgendered activist and pro-abortion politician Al Franken.
Katie Kieffer commented: "As an alumna of St. Thomas, I am embarrassed that the vice president of Student Affairs, Jane Canney, makes key decisions based on impulse and feelings. I am embarrassed that a vice president at this Catholic institution is making it virtually impossible for conservatives to bring conservative speakers to campus. For a person in charge of Campus Life on a Catholic campus, she is closed to our efforts to present conservative and Catholic pro-life values."
"Star Parker is enthusiastic about educating young people about abortion's demoralizing effects, ideas which are in complete alignment with St. Thomas' stated positions and Catholic teachings. Based on her behavior, Jane Canney seems unduly hostile toward conservative values," says Kieffer. "St. Thomas' commitment to diversity and intellectual inquiry appears to be threadbare at best."
On April 18, 2005, the university's president, Father Dennis Dease, accused Ann Coulter of "vulgarizing" his campus. Young America's Foundation commented "Father Dease's ire should've been directed at the leftist hecklers who interrupted Coulter's speech by yelling expletives at her."
A spokesman for the University was not available for comment on this story.
To politely express concerns contact:
Janney Canney jwcanney@stthomas.edu
and Father Dease djdease@stthomas.edu
Young America's Foundation sounds like a good organization. However, I don't think that Sean Hannity should be included on that list of conservative speakers considering that his viewpoint of abortion is that it should be avoided by means of artificial contraception.
Submitted by zeke on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 9:03am.
There's little doubt that if left to light their own petards, the Catholic hiearchy produces countries like France, and not America. Indeed, general manners and decency have declined with the influx of Catholics to this country.
Submitted by Lazar Kaganovich on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 9:06am.
I must agree with Zeke regarding Mr. Hannity; he ought not be considered among the very best of the conservative movement.
Lazar, kindly recall the trials, wickedness, and woe that France suffered while ruled by the "enlightened" Revolution, which was a very anti-Catholic regime. Then ask yourself if the Catholic hierarchy can be blamed for everything that has gone wrong there.
Submitted by Arkanabar on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 9:22am.
True, but those attacking Hannity are akin to pc zombies who can't help but commit seppuku, (or they are simply dishonest) while fleeing in fear from Catholics like Chris Matthews and Ed Kennedy.
Submitted by Lazar Kaganovich on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 9:41am.
Lazar, I'm not quite sure what you are driving at but the fact that Matthews and Kennedy call themselves Catholic does not make it so. They reject Catholic Teaching and so separate themselves from the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, while Hannity gets much more right then Matthews and Kennedy, he separates himself on critical aspects of Church Teaching as well, making him unfit to address a Catholic audience.
Submitted by terhunej on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 11:24am.
Why is anyone surprised?
Since when have Marxist's or communists or what ever you want to call them ever endorsed free speech? They aren't merely 'liberals' or the 'left' anymore at this point. I'm fairly sure classic American liberals like Tip O'Neill wouldn't even dream of censoring opposition.
St. Thomas' should not be allowed to call themselves a 'catholic college'.
~Madeline
Submitted by madhattertea on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 1:31pm.
I don't understand how discussion of this article has turned to tearing up Hannity. He hasn't done anything to anyone!
I don't personally care for him as a talk show host (he reminds me of a side show carny more then anything, Al Kresta is my guy<G>), but I see him as simply an entertainer for the most part, and from what I HAVE heard of him, he is very charitable to people who oppose him.
Obviously that is a dying art in this culture.
As far as his brand of Amchurch catholicism, that is basically what you'll find all over, especially in NY. He's not at fault with that. Blame the NY CCD system. He needs prayers, not vitriol.
Madeline
Submitted by madhattertea on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 1:43pm.
Madeline,
check out what happened when Sean Hannity "interviewed" Fr. Thomas Euteneuer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usTWwSbpWRc
You might revise your opinion.
Submitted by staceyjohnson on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 2:02pm.
Wow lets put that up again.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usTWwSbpWRc
Hannity's dismissal of Huckabee and his of promotion Romney purely for the benefit of his pocketbook issues is also real telling. I may watch him but my skeptic ears are always on.
Submitted by geraldgrandfather on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 2:30pm.
Euteneuer is brash and full of bravado when taking on Hannity -who fits a Catholic mold 99% of the time- but flees in abject fear from the Catholic run amok, Chris Matthews. From what she said, Cheryl Dickow prefers this double-sided kind of accountability as well.
Catholics are the majority in most of South America, and you can see why it's so crappy down there. Vast numbers of followers don't even have faith, mix paganism with Catholic teaching, then want to flee to the U.S. which is a great land because of the early Protestant fathers. They have some nerve to criticise evangelicals when their own house is a shabby deck of cards.
Submitted by Lazar Kaganovich on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 2:35pm.
Lazar, your "obtuseness" is showing.
My question re this article is why aren't the campus conservatives doing something about Ms. Canney? There are options besides whining. Let's see some action based on what you've learned in college. And, for heaven's sake, pray to St. Thomas for direction and support!
Submitted by Cooky642 on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 6:41pm.
Wow lets put that up again.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usTWwSbpWRc
I'm as impressed as you are geraldgrandfather.
Fr. Euteneuer was superb. Oh Lord, give us more like him. How many times did Hannity call him "Sir"?. The guy disgraced himself. He is "side show carny" as Madeline said. He fits the mold of a media-protestant type of catholic very nicely. It's obvious that Hannity is angry with the Church and his "obtuseness" was also showing.
Let me see that again.
Submitted by goral on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 9:25pm.
this is the same "catholic " school that allowed protesters to heckle the catholic organization called Courage when it was holding its annual conference there. they allowed protesters onto private property who harrassed us while entering our begining Mass as well as a Mass celebrated by one of the bishops. protesters were allowed to camp out on campus grounds and stayed day and night thru out the weekend-fasting to protest the "spiritual violence" caused by courage people trying to follow and uphold church teaching on chastity.
the catholic college in st louis was also inhospitable ,(funny thats how liberal scripture "scholars " describe the sin of sodom and gommorrah ). allowing us to be leafleted by a faculty run protest about our upholding chastity for people with same sex attraction.
another waste of catholic dollars. lets donate to authentic catholic schools and let these others die out. or better yet,they should lose the right to be called catholic.
Submitted by mercyisfalling on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 9:29pm.
That is unbelievable, Mercy. You're right, they have no business calling themselves a Catholic university.
Submitted by Claire on Sun, 04/13/2008 - 5:23am.
Where are the parents of these kids and why are they not complaining since they are the "pocketbook" for most of teh kids who attend. If I sent my child to a Catholic University and this is how the administration of the school acted, you can be quite sure, I would be on the phone letting them know exactly how I felt. The same goes for the alumni-money talks-stop the donations and this snooty VP will be looking for a job hopefully at a public university.
Submitted by MREINER16 on Sun, 04/13/2008 - 11:13am.
I HAVE COMPLAINED!!! But as usual, it is to no avail. I have written both Fr,. Dease and Archbishop Harry Flynn about a similar matter but just received a very patronizing form letter. We are written off as "fanatics."
Submitted by jmtfh on Sun, 04/13/2008 - 12:17pm.
Every Catholic should be outraged! If all who read CE would take action, it could only help. I truly believe (some may say naively) that we can make a difference. I sent the following to Father Dease-
"Thank you, for you have made our quest to find a Catholic college a little easier. Killing the free speech of pro-life conservatives like Star Parker while allowing speakers who are totally against Catholic doctrine immediately displaces you from our Catholic college list. The world is full of garbage... we pay to have ours picked up, not delivered. We will definitely be adding you and Ms. Canney to our local prayer chain."
Anyone can have a conversion...
Submitted by all4Him on Sun, 04/13/2008 - 3:04pm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usTWwSbpWRc
Wow.
again...I honestly never saw that. Like I said, I don't watch him on a regular basis.
I honestly never heard him be nasty to someone...and he is really NASTY...wow!
:(
but other then him being a public figure, I dare say his attitude is very common. Too common actually.
Have you ever tried finding a true blue catholic OB-Gyn??
They are FEW and far between.
Madeline
Submitted by madhattertea on Sun, 04/13/2008 - 3:34pm.
St. Thomas University should close its doors for good. You cannot be a Catholic institution and go against church teaching.
Similar issues have been going on in Massachusetts (where I live), which is the second-most Catholic state in the union (51% of population), only trailing neighboring state Rhode Island (63%). The largest diocese is the Archdiocese of Boston, where Boston College is located. At B.C's 2006 Commencement, the school hired Condeleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, to be the Keynote Speaker. Her pro-Bush postioning lead The students and faculty wrote a letter to college president Fr. William Leahy asking to ban her from the ceremony. That did not sit well, and she spoke anyway. Cardinal O'Malley did not do anything about it.
The same thing happened in 2002 at Holy Cross, where pro-choice Chris Matthews was receiving an honorary degree and was going to speak.
In the USA and in English-speaking Canada, Catholics can get away with alot of stuff. In Europe, you would be reccomended for excommunication.
Christopher R. Whittle
Submitted by Crw9006 on Sun, 05/25/2008 - 1:22pm.
This is pathetic.