If U staffers get their way, Bill Clinton’s upcoming appearance on campus will be more of a rally than a fund-raiser.
The former president will visit the U to raise money for his wife’s presidential campaign on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Union Associate Director of Operations Brandon Dalley said Hillary Clinton’s campaign chose the Union Ballroom over other Salt Lake City venues because they sought maximum political exposure, pointing to that night’s $500-a-ticket fund-raiser in Park City as evidence that local demand far exceeds the U event’s $50 price tag.
Not only is the U a cheaper option — the former U.S. president’s speech might even be free for some U students.
“We’re requesting as many student tickets as possible,” Dalley said. “That was one of the stipulations when I was talking to them on the phone originally. As many tickets as you can give us — we want hundreds.”
Dalley said he expects to know if Hillary’s campaign will offer free student tickets by Wednesday. Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Barb Snyder said the U is currently discussing the possibility with Utah Democratic Party head Donald Dunn.
$50 tickets are already on sale both at the campaign’s website (contribute.hillaryclinton.com/events/saltlake1104.html) or through the Utah Democratic Party’s site (www.utdemocrats.org).
“$50 is actually a pretty good deal,” said Arlyn Bradshaw, a U political science alumnus who works for Clinton’s campaign. “It’s the former President of the United States. I still remember when I was an undergrad and John McCain came and spoke, and that was just a senator.”
Bradshaw said Hillary herself wanted to come as little as two weeks ago, but the scheduling of the primaries made a trip to Utah impossible.
Before accepting the Clinton campaign’s offer, U officials consulted with the U’s Office of General Counsel to ensure that it would be acceptable to host a political fund-raiser in a public setting. Snyder said the concerns they had were mostly about giving equal opportunity to political opponents.
“Whenever you bring in anyone, you want to make sure you’re open to other people’s interests,” Snyder said. “We want to be fair and equitable. If any other candidate wanted to come in, we’d allow them to do so.”
One looming quandry still faces the U’s staff: locking down the many exits at the Union.
“We’ll have a lot of added security,” Dalley said. “Until we have that conversation about the Secret Service and all of that, I don’t think we can give too much detail.”
Dalley said a logistical meeting with U campus police will take place over the next couple of days. The Union will be closed to the public on Sunday.