News - StatesmanJournal.com: Michael Moore will visit Salem

News - StatesmanJournal.com: "The Associated Students of Willamette University, which extended the invitation to Moore through its Issues and Controversies Board, has been negotiating since April to get Moore to Salem to coincide with the date of the video release, said Kristen Grainger, vice president and executive assistant to college president M. Lee Pelton.

The contract was signed a week ago. The contract stipulates the fee not be revealed, although Moore has been known to command as much as $30,000 for such an appearance.

Moore is controversial, but the university sees the talk as fitting into the Issues and Controversies Board’s goal of exploring points of view.

“We support our students,” Grainger said.

Pelton is planning to attend but not as a speaker, she said.

Moore is visiting college campuses in an effort to get students, historically the largest block of nonvoters in presidential elections, to the polls.

Salem is the only Oregon stop currently scheduled.

The talk is being held off-campus at a setting that can accommodate an audience of 6,600, which Grainger said was stipulated in the contract.

Tickets at $5, festival seating, go on sale to the public Monday at Jackson’s Books, the Book Bin and Border’s. Tickets already have been made available to Willamette faculty, staff and students.

As of Friday, 2,500 tickets had been sold on campus, and no Willamette facility seats more than 1,200. Grainger said she anticipates filling the Pavilion.

Judy Sugnet, chairwoman of the Marion County Democratic Central Committee, said she has not seen the Moore film nor did she plan to attend the appearance or otherwise be involved.

“I think he’s a very interesting and provocative moviemaker,” she said. “He tends to shine a light on things that are hypocritical. He tends to be polarizing, because sometimes facts polarize.”


RON COWAN
Statesman Journal