Bygone DePaul is a series highlighting DePaul’s campus and how it has changed through the years.
In early 1986, a speakers committee in Student Affairs (comprised of students, faculty, and staff) invited Eleanor Smeal, president of the National Organization for Women to speak at DePaul. The invitation was blocked on the grounds that Eleanor Smeal’s pro-choice views on abortion meant that inviting her to speak at DePaul would be inconsistent with the mission of the University. The administrator who blocked the invitation maintained that the speakers committee was charged only to recommend speakers, not invite them.
In April, 1986, this matter was brought up to Faculty Council. They took a vote, condemning the actions as a clear violation of the principles of academic freedom. Their action was forwarded to Fr. Richardson, President of DePaul at the time.
Fr. Richardson managed the situation adroitly. In a statement on April 10, 1986, he upheld the decision to block the invitation on the grounds that the inviting committee was not authorized to invite, only to recommend, speakers. He left the possibility open that Eleanor Smeal could be invited by some other committee, following correct procedures. In the statement he said:
“In effect, my position is that any invitation to speak at DePaul, regardless of the particularly budgetary sources of funding, is subject to University policy. There are no proscribed topics or persons.”
The matter was rather confusingly covered by the local media, with some outlets saying she had been un-invited and some saying she was re-invited. In the end, Eleanor Smeal was invited and did speak at DePaul in May, 1986.
The whole affair sparked further debate within the University about academic freedom and religious institutions, which is documented in Fr. Richardson’s files, in University Archives.
Contact DePaul’s University Archives for more information.
Sources:
DPUA, Student Affairs. “Eleanor Smeal Invitation correspondence.” This is both internal correspondence and some external news reporting.
DPUA, President Richardson, Series 1. “Faculty Council on Academic Freedom and the Eleanor Smeal controversy.” This contains the follow-up discussions and actions that were taken about academic freedom.
DPUA, President Richardson, Series 2. There are a number of folders here about Eleanor Smeal, including newspaper reporting of the incident and her actual appearance, and internal and external correspondence on the issue.