THE PUBLIC MIND: EDITORIAL ON FEC COMPLAINT LEFT OUT FACT LAWS VIOLATED

Dear Editor:

Your editorial of Aug. 15th regarding my complaint to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) obscured the fact that the FEC did determine that federal election laws were violated in connection with the 1988 visit of President Ronald Reagan to the Southeast Missouri State University campus. The FEC investigation concluded that "despite the intentions the University may have originally had as to the purpose of this event, the result was a political rally ... on behalf of clearly identified candidates for office."

The FEC determined that the University, the University Foundation, and the State Republican Party violated specific federal election statutes. The Commission's decision to take no further action regarding these violations in no way indicates that these violations did not occur. Rather, the Commission cited "the relatively small amount of goods and services provided by the University in excess of the law," and "the proper ordering of ~FEC~ priorities and resources" as their reasons for closing the file on the University.

W~hile the University cannot feel vindicated by this disposal of the case, it can take pride in the fact that prior to any FEC findings, steps had already been taken to ensure that this mistake will not happen again. Publicly-funded institutions and non-profit foundations are proscribed by law from participating in partisan political events. Democracy demands that taxpayer money and tax-free funds not be abused in this way.

I can imagine what President Reagan's visit to Southeast Missouri State University might have been - an occasion where history majors could have asked the President about matters of foreign policy, where business majors could have posed questions on the economy, and where agriculture majors could have engaged the President on farm policy. Such an event would have served both the mission of the University and the interests of the community. Instead, the University, as well as local schools which showed the televised broadcast in their classrooms, were duped into hosting a Republican political rally.

I am surprised that the editors of the local newspaper~~~ do not see how the community was shortchanged by this event. I hope that if Bill Clinton, or any future president, comes to Cape Girardeau, the visit will have more to offer us than a campaign rally.

~Janet M. Smith

Oak Ridge