Daniel J. Flynn

    A business executive who directs his subordinates to donate to a political candidate can face fines from the federal election commission. Likewise, a supervisor in the federal government who encourages his workers to support a particular candidate can find himself up against criminal charges. At tax-funded, tax-exempt colleges, however, administration officials quite regularly coerce their underlings to financially support or volunteer for political candidates without sanction of any kind. 

A controversy erupted at Northwest Missouri State University last month when it was learned that the president’s office had sent out a letter to department chairs suggesting that University employees donate money and attend a local fundraiser for the state’s Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. Department heads then forwarded the memo to individual faculty members. 

The November 2 letter directed faculty members to “have a strong showing” for a fundraiser supporting Mel Carnahan, the Democratic candidate for Senate in 2000. Carnahan currently serves as governor of Missouri and is deemed by some on campus to be a friend of the University. His opponent in the race is Senator John Ashcroft, Carnahan’s predecessor as governor and a conservative Republican.

“I think it’s quite unethical really,” Professor Mark Jelavich offered. “I think when it’s coming from an administrator that can be quite intimidating to non-tenured faculty, it’s almost borderline coercion.” Others expressed concern that as a tax-exempt institution, the University was violating the law. 

The memo informed University employees that if they had trouble paying  the $25 entrance fee to the fundraiser, members of the administration would have no problem coming up with the money for them.  The school’s student newspaper reported that a large number of University employees were on-hand at the November 9 event for Carnahan.