On Nov. 26, the Washington Post released a report that took us behind the scenes of former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Luskin Lecture for Thought Leadership speech at UCLA earlier this year.
There is no doubt Clinton would present college students with an influential speech about leadership and power — so, what would it take ASU to book the potential 2016 presidential candidate?
According to the report, Clinton's team stated that the "special university rate" is around $300,000. After that fee was paid by UCLA, a team had to provide Clinton with crudité, ginger ale and hummus. For the stage, her team demanded two chairs with rectangular pillows, a teleprompter, tea, and room temperature water with lemon wedges. Clinton's team also didn't approve of the podium UCLA provided and requested one that better suited the former U.S. Senator. As if that wasn't enough, Clinton also insisted that the speech only be recorded "for archival purposes."
Due to Clinton's celebrity status, her diva-like accommodations aren't alarming, but the colossal price tag is.
Her appearance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas last October sparked the same attention. UNLV students were so outraged by Clinton's $225,000 fee, they protested. Daniel Waqar, UNLV's Student Government Student Relations director said, "You could give scholarships to thousands of students, benefit research on campus, give more students grants for research and studying" with that enormous fee.
Although Clinton's team has stated that the revenue earned from her speeches goes to the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, that has been overlooked by many.
The money may be going to charity, but Waqar is exactly right. Students all across the country are either buried in student loans or slaving away to pay their college tuition. It is disgruntling to see universities young adults invest thousands of dollars in, spend a large chunk of cash, for an hour-long speech.
It is also displeasing to see a political leader who endorses public service have such expensive taste. Charging this immense amount of money makes Clinton's politics seem insincere. Unfortunately, Hillary isn't alone. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is another top earner, raking in about $270,000 for one speech. Former Vice President Al Gore is known for his pricey appearances as well, charging $156,000 for a speech in London.
These speeches should be centered around benefiting the college students. In an ideal world, politicians would do this for the good of the students and not for themselves.
If Clinton continues to demand this amount of money from universities, she might not garner as much millennial support in the upcoming election as she anticipates.
If Hillary is coming your way, spare yourself the money and time. Clinton is an extremely likely 2016 presidential candidate, and I have a feeling we will be hearing much more from her in the future. When that time comes — you won't have to pay a dime.
Reach the columnist at ambice@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @alliebice
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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