College denies visit from Lynn Swann
Megan Zaroda
Issue date: 10/20/06 Section: News
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College officials, noting that tax law prevents them from taking sides in political contests, said there was too little time before the November election to allow Swann's Democratic opponent, Ed Rendell, to be granted equal opportunity to campaign on campus.
In response, College Republicans, who invited Swann, claimed the Swann appearance could have taken place well within the law's required equal opportunity.
But the college's top officials ruled otherwise.
"The right answer is to deny the request to have Lynn Swann come to campus [Wednesday]," President Dan Weiss said.
Yet political campaigning has been reported on the Lafayette campus during election season.
On October 5, the Express-Times reported that Governor Rendell's campaign staff appeared without him along with three Lehigh Valley mayors at the Williams Visual Arts Building. As of Wednesday afternoon, Rendell campaign signs still lined the property.
During the 2002 election season, The Lafayette reported both College Democrats and College Republicans sponsored congressional campaign rallies.
According to College Republicans President Sara Walters '09, the group planned to host Swann for a state-wide conference call to other CR chapters. Walters placed a room request on October 5, but had not heard from the college until this Monday the 16th that it had been denied.
In a letter addressed to the College Republicans, Weiss said Lafayette could not "agree to the proposed use of facilities by Mr. Swann's gubernatorial campaign under the present circumstances."
Because Lafayette is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit institution, thereby receiving tax exemption, Weiss wrote, "we must refrain from utilizing our facilities in ways that support, or convey the appearance of supporting, a particular political candidate."
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