Star Parker is a bestselling author who travels the country speaking to young audiences about the harmful impact of abortion, especially in minority communities. What better place than the University of St. Thomas -- an urban, Catholic campus -- for this dynamic African-American woman to bring her prolife message?
For almost two months, St. Thomas' Students for Human Life organization looked forward to sponsoring Parker's planned appearance on campus April 21. Her fee was to be split by the St. Thomas Standard, a conservative student newspaper, and the Young America's Foundation, a Herndon, Va., group that brings conservative speakers and ideas to college campuses.
Students for Human Life applied to the university's Student Life Committee for a campus site where Parker could speak. But the committee turned thumbs down. Star Parker, it seems, was not welcome at St. Thomas.
Katie Kieffer, an alumna who helped plan Parker's visit, says that Vice President for Student Affairs Jane Canney, who oversees the committee, blocked the way. "She told me, 'As long as I'm a vice president at St. Thomas, we will not deal with Young America's Foundation,'" said Kieffer.
Canney did not return a call seeking comment. But Doug Hennes, a spokesman for St. Thomas, confirmed that those were Canney's words. On Thursday, the university released a statement that it "was not comfortable in allowing the Young America's Foundation to be involved with the Parker event."
"The foundation paid for commentator Ann Coulter to speak at St. Thomas in 2005, and her remarks were considered highly inflammatory and disrespectful to the mission and values of the university," the statement said.
Ann Coulter is a well-known firebrand. But Star Parker? What's the university afraid of if she speaks?
On Friday morning, Hennes did not elaborate on the statement that St. Thomas would refuse to permit any YAF-affiliated speaker to set foot on campus. "We're not comfortable. It's that simple," he said.