UMass Officials Quash Credit-for-Campaigning Offer
Univ. stops chaplain's college credit offer to students to campaign for Obama.
Sept. 24, 2008 — -- University of Massachusetts officials on Monday quashed efforts by an Amherst campus chaplain to offer two college credits to any student willing to campaign in New Hampshire this fall for Democrat Barack Obama.
Chaplain Kent Higgins told students in a Sept. 18 e-mail, "If you're scared about the prospects for this election, you're not alone. The most important way to make a difference in the outcome is to activate yourself. It would be just fine with McCain if Obama supporters just think about helping, then sleep in and stay home between now and Election Day."
Higgins added that an unnamed "sponsor" in the university's History Department would offer a two-credit independent study for students willing to canvass -- identify supporters -- or volunteer on behalf of the Democratic nominee.
"It is relatively (easy) to do late add-ons," Higgins wrote.
But university officials disavowed themselves of the effort after inquiries Monday by The Associated Press. They said it could run afoul of state ethics laws banning on-the-job political activity, as well as university policy.
"There is no independent study for credit in the History Department that involves partisan political work, and no such activity has ever been approved," said a statement issued by UMass-Amherst spokesman Ed Blaguszewski.
Audrey Alstadt, chairwoman of the History Department, said: "The History Department supports free exchange of ideas, the study of the human experience including the political system in the U.S. and respects the diversity of opinion and experience of our faculty, staff and students. We do not engage in or sponsor partisan political activity. We certainly do not give academic credit for participation in partisan politics."
Higgins said he never intended for the program to be limited to supporters of Obama, a senator from Illinois. Regardless of the opinions expressed in his e-mail, he said he would also have been open to those students who wanted to canvass for the Republican candidate, Arizona Sen. John McCain.
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