Protests planned as Sean Spicer set to speak at Northeastern Illinois University this week

Chicago Tribune (IL)

Sep. 10--A group of Northeastern Illinois University students, faculty and alumni are planning to protest after the school's president rejected a request to reconsider having former White House press secretary Sean Spicer take part in a panel discussion about presidential elections on campus Thursday.

But the discussion between Spicer and Fox News contributor and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, will go on as planned, according to university spokesman Michael Hines. It's scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the university's main auditorium, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., according to a release.

The letter to university President Gloria Gibson says "It would be an affront to humanity to host Spicer at NEIU."

It goes on to say Spicer is not an acceptable choice for a university that in 2018 had an undergraduate enrollment that was nearly 40% Hispanic and considers itself a safe space for the undocumented immigrants enrolled there.

"We find it particularly distressful that our university administration would ignore its claims to being an Hispanic-serving institution that 'stands in solidarity with undocumented immigrants' by providing Spicer this platform, and that it would do so in an attempt to raise the profile of this institution," a news release on the planned protest states.

The news release says any platform given to Spicer serves to legitimize policies such as, "the Muslim travel ban; the criminalization of immigrants; attacks on reproductive rights," which the group says have caused harm to many NEIU students, their families and communities.

Brett Stockdill, a professor of sociology at Northeastern Illinois, said he was "horrified" when he received notice, just before the school year began, that Spicer would speak. He said he spoke with other staff members who shared his reaction and heard from more than one Chicago Public Schools employee who said they no longer felt comfortable recommending NEIU to prospective students because they no longer felt it was a safe environment for students of color, immigrants, or Muslims.

That's when he decided to write the letter.

"I remain hopeful that she (Gibson) can show a commitment to our community, rather than to rich donors and rich speakers," Stockdill said.

Some of the undocumented immigrants who planned to give speeches at the protest rally -- outlining the negative effects some of the policies Spicer endorsed have had on their community -- backed out because they feared even more dangerous consequences.

"They're not just afraid of suspension or arrest, but of possible detention and deportation," Stockdill said.

Hines said the university will hold the event because the administration believes there's value in attendees learning more about the three "timely topics" covered in the title of the event, "Politics, the Press and the Presidential Election." The presentation is to be the sixth installment of the Goodwin Lecture Series, named for Daniel L. Goodwin, who made a donation to cover the lecturer fees for the series, launched in February 2017, Hines said.

Hines said he understands the implications of bringing in Republican Spicer and Donna Brazile, a Democratic political pundit who in 2000 served as Al Gore's presidential campaign manager, then spent 15 years as a commentator for CNN, and who earlier this year became a contributor for Fox News.

Hines said $50,000 total was paid from Goodwin's foundation to Gotham Artists for both speakers.

"After promoting (and lying about) such inhumane policies as Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer is cashing in on his notoriety," the protesters' letter states.

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The protest rally is being organized by NEIU senior Isaac Krantz-Perlman, who is a special education major who also works several days a week as a substitute paraprofessional for Chicago Public Schools.

"We've also been trying to get a meeting with the president, which hasn't happened yet, and the event is a few days away. Ideally we didn't want to have to rally as a response to it, we wanted the event to actually be canceled," he said.

kdoulgas@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @312BreakingNews

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