Loyola University Says No Political Speakers - Unless They Work for Obama (Updated)

by Michael Coyne - Former Bush advisor bad, current Obama advisor good: Will leftist/liberal hypocrisy on college campuses will ever cease? Can a university block a conservative speaker and permit a liberal one? That, after all, is exactly what Loyola University Chicago has done recently. The Young America's Foundation noted on July 22 that Loyola University Chicago squashed plans to host Karl Rove, former Deputy Chief of Staff and political strategist under President George W. Bush. Their stated grounds: Political speakers are not to be allowed on campus so close to an election, with November 2 not that far off. This was, of course, an outright lie, since, as YAF noted:

University officials denied the request to host Karl Rove, arguing that due to their 501(c)(3) tax status, they cannot host a “political” speaker before the midterm elections. Those with even the faintest knowledge of tax law understand that is simply not the case... As if that weren’t egregious enough, Loyola University Chicago has a history of hosting partisan speakers on election years. On September 1, 2004, Howard Dean was allowed to speak on campus. Just a couple weeks later, third party candidate Ralph Nader not only spoke on campus, but it was also advertised as a campaign event and donations were solicited

Today, emails were sent out to Loyola students announcing the following (emphasis added):

On Friday, August 27, Eboo Patel, PhD, the founder and executive director of Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core and a member of President Obama’s advisory council of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, will deliver a public lecture on the Lake Shore Campus. Patel will discuss “Interfaith Leadership and Transformative Education” at 7 p.m., in the Mundelein Center Auditorium.

Patel has spoken at Loyola previously. He and a number of other notable liberals was one of the speakers for their 140th annual commencement ceremonies in the Spring of 2010. Patel spoke at The Graduate School and Institute of Pastoral Studies. Other liberal speakers included Kevin Bales, PhD (President & Co-Founder, Free the Slaves), Susan Sher (Chief of Staff for Michelle Obama), and Clarence Page (Journalist, Syndicated Columnist). Source: Loyola Student Dispatch's Blog, April 27, 2010. What does Loyola have to say about this blatant hypocrisy? We can be sure more will follow soon. About Eboo Patel: A religion adviser to President Obama has close ties to the imam who wants to build a 13-story Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero. The two have been documented together discussing America as "the ideal place for a renewal of Islam," WND has learned. In February, Obama named a Chicago Muslim, Eboo Patel, to his Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Patel is the founder and executive director of Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core, which says it promotes pluralism by teaming people of different faiths on service projects. Full Article here... RELATED: Loyola University Refuses to Let Karl Rove Speak CNB Loyola to host interfaith leadership expert Loyola Student Dispatch The Real Jeremiah Wright, by Eboo Patel Washington Post Loyola Interfaith Youth Corps Facebook group Obama adviser: U.S. 'ideal place for renewal of Islam' World Net Daily Catholic Colleges and the Political Left CatholiCity Hindu puts Eboo Patel in his place Jihad Chat No Eboo, It Is About Fundamentalism NewsReal Blog Obama Adviser Eboo Patel: 'Van Jones, Faith Hero' NewsBusters Eboo Patel's Articles Muslim Voices