Moore’s college visits stimulate hot debates

Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2004 | 9:40 a.m.

Controversial "Fahrenheit 9/11" filmmaker Michael Moore on Friday will try to get many of the Las Vegas Valley's young nonvoters to change their ways.

His 9 p.m. appearance at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center is a last-minute addition to Moore's 60-city "Slacker Uprising Tour" through 20 battleground states. That tour began Sept. 26 in Elk Rapids, Mich., and ends on Election Day in Tallahassee, Fla.

"I am calling for a nonvoter uprising, led by thousands of campus slackers who proudly sleep 'til noon and who believe papers are for rolling, not reading," Moore said in a statement promoting the tour.

"They are rightfully cynical, but this year their motto will be: 'Bush and Kerry Both Suck -- That's Why I'm Voting for John Kerry!' "

Moore's stated goal for the tour is to get 56 percent of the voting public to the polls on Election Day, but his added agenda of removing President Bush from power has led Republican-leaning students, alumni and donors to protest his appearance at several public institutions throughout the country.

UNR endured such protests over the last couple of weeks, spokeswoman Katherine Hall said, and university officials have fielded several complaints from wealthy donors who wanted Moore's Wednesday night appearance in Reno canceled. The criticism led President John Lilley to defend Moore's right to speak as a guest of the university.

"Historically universities have been a bastion of free speech, upholding the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States," Lilley wrote in a letter to faculty, staff, students and supporters of the university. "Exploring other people's points of view leads to greater understanding not only of that point of view, but also of one's own point of view."

UNLV spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said the university has not yet heard any complaints from donors or alumni. Moore's appearance became official only Monday, but she said the university would also stand behind his right to speak.

"Part of what the university is about is promoting free discourse," Grey said.

Keith Stickley, a UNLV senior and state chairman of the Nevada College Republicans, said his organization was more concerned with the use of student government fees to pay for Moore's appearance than about the appearance itself.

As the sponsor for the event, the student government is paying Moore an honorarium of $12,500 plus another $20,000 to cover the cost of using the Thomas & Mack Center, Grey said. The money comes from mandatory student fees.

"As a whole, I think we really don't care," Stickley said, noting that his organization believes that Moore's views are biased and "mostly false."

Stickley said the College Republicans and several other organizations on campus were working to bring some conservative speakers to campus such as political news analysts Dennis Miller and Sean Hannity to balance the recent onslaught of liberal guests.

In addition to Moore, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke in protest of Bush's environmental record at the university last week.

President Bush will be on campus Thursday.

Young Democrats President Zach Zaragoza, a UNLV junior, said his organization believed Moore's appearance would increase debate on campus and encourage more students to be involved in this election.

"We don't necessarily believe everything he (Moore) says, but he brings up a lot of points and questions the American people should ask," Zaragoza said.

"I think he's doing a lot to motivate people into the process," Zaragoza said.

The first 1,000 students will be able to receive one free ticket each to the event, UNLV officials said, and the rest of the 7,000-plus seats will go for $5 each. The ticket sales should cover the cost of the event, officials said.

No one from Moore's camp was available for comment on whether his visit to Las Vegas would include a trip to the Aladdin, where he has said he would sing with performer Linda Ronstadt. That offer was in reaction to Ronstadt being banned from the Aladdin by its previous owners after she angered some concert-goers by dedicating the song "Desperado" to Moore earlier this year.

Tickets for Friday's event, which will include a monologue from Moore, a question-and-answer period and additional scenes from "Fahrenheit 9/11," are available now from the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office or unlvtickets.com.