Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is in the national spotlight once again.
But this time, the epicenter is California State University, Stanislaus, where Palin will be paid $75,000 to speak on June 25 at a campus fundraiser.
The former vice-presidential candidate’s payday from the Cal State Stanislaus Foundation has prompted much speculation regarding what prices California’s financially burdened universities will pay to bring high-profile speakers to their campuses.
The event has sparked protest statewide, including the formation of a Facebook group with more than 3,000 members.
While the Stanislaus controversy has raised concerns within the UCLA community about the high cost of attracting prestigious speakers, various student leaders and officials have reported that high-profile UCLA speakers are usually voluntary, agreeing to speak at UCLA without costly payments.
According to Julie Sina, chief of staff of the College of Letters and Science Office of the Dean, commencement speakers for the College of Letters and Science are never paid. Rather, they have always opted to speak at UCLA on a purely voluntary basis.
“People have considered it to be an honor to speak at UCLA,” she said.
Similarly, the Burkle Center for International Relations, which has hosted both U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and author Christopher Hitchens within the last year, pays only modest sums to its high-profile guests, said Alexandra Lieben, deputy director of the Burkle Center.
“We have a record of bringing high-profile speakers to the university, so that helps attract other speakers to come,” Lieben said.
“We help them cover costs ““ we pay for hotel and airfare and things of that nature. But in general, people are pretty generous with us,” she added.
Student organizations also offer only humble monetary incentives to draw high-profile speakers.
Bruin Republicans, who brought Ann Coulter to speak earlier this year, used university funds to cover the costs of facilities and security, but remaining expenses were paid for by private organizations and donors, according to External Vice Chair Anneliese Mondorf.
“Young America’s Foundation and the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute funded her travel costs, and she received a severely discounted honorarium, which we didn’t deal with directly,” Mondorf said. “Funding for the venue and security was covered by the university’s waiver pool, which any student group can apply for.”
Bruin Democrats likewise do not pay directly for speaker visits.
“We have never had an event where we have paid people to come and speak,” said Matt Margolis, president of Bruin Democrats and a former Daily Bruin assistant Viewpoint editor. He added that speakers typically approach Bruin Democrats because they want to talk to students about important issues they care about.
Bruin Democrats Internal Vice President Mona Razani added that earlier this year, a panel of elected officials paid Bruin Democrats for the opportunity to speak.
“They come to us because we are a political organization, and our mission is to put the best candidates into office,” she said.