» Tue, March 9th, 2010 - 8:04 am EST
South Florida’s Ave Maria University adopted a new dress code that bans women from wearing pants, pant suits, or slacks. Males are to wear suits.
Best-selling author and former AMU donor Leon Podles said it best: “I do think, as people have noticed, that Tom has control issues.”
See:
Articles from the AveWatch archive on Ave Maria’s issues with women:
- “Woman Kneels Before Monaghan“ – “In the presence of other employees, Monaghan then proceeded to tell Daum to kneel in front of him so that he could determine whether the skirt touched the floor and was subsequently in compliance with the dress code.”
- “Orsi on Immodest Dress“ – Listen to the self-described “Voice of Ave Maria”, Chaplain Michael Orsi, make the case for an Australian Muslim mufti who blamed women for inciting rape by their choice of dress.
UPDATE – story picked-up by: Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel’s “FloriDUH” column; Fumare [analysis, parody]; Florida Trend Magazine;
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» Fri, March 5th, 2010 - 11:15 am EST
UPDATE: (3/8/10) This story was picked-up/linked-to by: USAToday; Fumare; Pro-Life Blogs; Les Femmes;
**************
Matt C. Abbott
Renew America; March 5, 2010
The Ave Maria University, Tom Golisano Controversy
Full Text
New information:
Just one week before Republican strategist Deal Hudson published his article endorsing Ave Maria University’s honoring of billionaire Golisano, Hudson wrote in an email that his “jaw dropped” to read of AMU’s decision:
“What makes AMU any different from ND [Notre Dame]? How do they defend this?”.
New points from Abbott’s article (excerpts):
If you read Golisano’s December 3, 2009 letter to Monaghan, he stated, ‘I am pro-life now and have always been pro-life.’ By Golisano’s own admission, he has always been pro-life. The key word is always.
As such: When Golisano gave $1 million to Barack Obama in 2008, he did so having always been pro-life. When Golisano supported 50 NARAL-endorsed politicians, he did so having always been pro-life. When Golisano financed ads for NARAL-endorsed politicians, he did so having always been pro-life. When Golisano became the founding sponsor of, and gave between $10 and $25 million to, the Clinton Global Initiative, he did so having always been pro-life. When Golisano ran three times for governor of New York on an abortion-tolerant platform, he did so having always been pro-life.
Furthermore, Golisano has never recanted his breathtaking donations and endorsement of ‘pro-choice’ politicians and ‘pro-choice’ institutions. Golisano’s so-called pro-life record is so poor that Ave Maria University had to approach Golisano and ask him to clarify his position on abortion. It took 15 years for Golisano to claim that he was ‘misinterpreted’ by The New York Times as being pro-choice — and he finally did, in his December 3, 2009 letter to Monaghan, because he was called on it. It is important to note that The New York Times has never retracted Golisano’s quote saying he is ‘pro-choice.’
Hudson ends by stating that Golisano gave his $4 million to Monaghan and AMU because he believed in them. Then it would follow that Golisano believed even more in Barack Obama, the 50 NARAL-endorsed pro-choice politicians, and the Clinton Global initiative — since he has been immensely more generous with them.
Related:
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» Tue, February 23rd, 2010 - 9:09 am EST
Today’s InsideCatholic.com ran an article by Deal Hudson defending political activist Tom Golisano as a “pro-life Catholic”.
Back in November — the day before Ave Maria University announced that it was honoring Golisano with the naming of a campus building — AveWatch broke the story of how Golisano founded the socially liberal Independence Party in New York and gave $1 million to the DNC for Barack Obama’s 2008 nomination convention (see “Who is Tom Golisano?“). We followed with articles showing that Golisano also:
AMU’s PR person even admitted in a smoking-gun memo that Golisano had “contributions or positions that may be contrary to AMU’s mission.”
Hudson never cites this. Instead, he highlights a brief letter from Golisano who calls himself “pro-life”. Hudson — like the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) who flip-flopped on AMU’s honoring of Golisano — can now be lumped with Joe Biden and the other Catholic politicos who are content with “personally-opposed-but” as acceptable for being “pro-life”. Hudson implicates himself after criticizing Biden in 2008 as a “politician who won’t risk being ostracized” for a consistent personal and political position.
Why would Hudson and the CNS embrace Golisano as a “pro-life Catholic”? – maybe the hope of money and clout from Monaghan and/or Golisano. The deep longing to be at the center of influence has a seductive powerful effect. It is endemic of the “do as I say, not as I do” behavior of Monaghan, Ave Maria, and Hudson. Had Golisano been honored at Notre Dame instead of AMU, the outcry from Hudson, CNS, and Ave Maria would have been loud. Golisano ran for governor of New York three times as his Independence Party’s nominee; his political aspirations will surely be helped by Monaghan, Hudson, and Patrick Reilly, the head of CNS.
Deal Hudson and Tom Monaghan go way back. Before a sex scandal erupted with one of his college freshman students (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Hudson was the go-to man on all things Catholic for the Republican National Committee. He awarded Monaghan honors from Crisis Magazine in 2000 while serving as its editor/publisher (photo left). In 2000 and 2001, Hudson’s Morley Publishing Group accepted $15,000 from Monaghan’s Ave Maria Foundation. In 2003, while serving as Chairman of AALE, Hudson entered into questionable dealings on accreditation with Monaghan’s struggling Ave Maria College and Ave Maria University (see also); in 2007, the Department of Education spanked AALE’s ability to accredit schools (1, 2). Hudson even said that Monaghan and AMU President Nick Healy are potential “saints” during the Fr. Fessio firing imbroglio.
The USCCB’s 2004 document “Catholics in Political Life” is clear. Catholic institutions are not to honor political activists like Tom Golisano who gave millions to get not one, or ten, but over 50 NARAL-endorsed state and federal candidates into political office. Golisano has repeatedly shown that he will use his money and politically expedient means to achieve one end – reduced taxes. Rest assured, he will throw his extensive financial and political gravitas behind more NARAL-endorsed politicians in the future. In doing so, he will again throw the expediency of Hudson, Monaghan, Ave Maria, and Cardinal Newman Society into the light… and advance the cause for “personally-opposed-but”.
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» Fri, February 12th, 2010 - 2:58 pm EST
Dr. Charles Rice, Professor Emeritus of Law at Notre Dame, weighed in today on the controversy surrounding abortion services in Tom Monaghan’s real estate development, Ave Maria Town, Florida — specifically, the Town’s ability to ban or restrict abortion services as claimed.
Excerpts from the February 18, 2010 issue of The Wanderer, America’s oldest Catholic newspaper (full text):
Roe v. Wade is an interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment which provides that: “No State shall . . . deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” That Amendment therefore does not ordinarily apply to private persons and entities.
The Supreme Court has held, however, that a private property owner exercising a “public function” can be bound by the Fourteenth Amendment. The leading case is Marsh v. Alabama (1946), holding that Chickasaw, a company town owned by the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation, may not prohibit the distribution of religious literature on its sidewalks: “The property consists of residential buildings, streets, a system of sewers, a sewage disposal plant, and a ‘business block’ on which business places are situated. . . . In our view, the circumstance that the property rights to the premises where the deprivation of liberty, here involved, took place were held by others than the public is not sufficient to justify the State’s permitting a corporation to govern a community of citizens so as to restrict their fundamental liberties and the enforcement of such restraint by the application of a state statute.” 326 US at 502, 509.
Remember that, under Supreme Court rulings, the right to abortion is a fundamental liberty. The Marsh “public function” principle was later held not to apply to a prohibition of picketing in a privately owned and operated indoor shopping mall in a single large building.
Hudgens v. NLRB (1976). The Court in Hudgens reaffirmed Marsh on its facts: “The question is, under what circumstances can private property be treated as though it were public? The answer that Marsh gives is when that property has taken on all the attributes of a town, i.e., ‘residential buildings, streets, a system of sewers, a sewage disposal plant and a business block on which business places are situated’.” 424 U.S. at 516 (emphasis in original).
Under the criteria of Marsh v. Alabama, Ave Maria is as fully exercising a public function as was Chickasaw. Moreover, Florida state and local governments are directly involved in a symbiotic relationship with Ave Maria to an extent that was not present in the Chickasaw situation.
…
Will Ave Maria Town be required to permit the performance of some abortions? Yes, if, as seems clear, Ave Maria is subject to the Fourteenth Amendment under the criteria of Marsh v. Alabama.
The underlying problem here is that the architects of the Ave Maria scheme undertook to create a town and exempt it from the constitutional restrictions that apply to state and local governments and to private persons assuming public functions by the operation of such a town. The incoherence of that course legally means that it will apparently be up to the abortionists to decide whether some abortions will be performed in Ave Maria Town. Any claim to the contrary is, in my opinion, a misrepresentation.
Related AveWatch Article:
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» Tue, February 9th, 2010 - 8:23 am EST
For almost six years, Tom Monaghan and his lawyers have denied Katherine Ernsting the right to have her wrongful termination claim heard before a jury. Now it may cost Ernsting her house. This is what happens to those who shine light on the dark underbelly of Monaghan’s Ave Maria brand.
Detroit News; Feb. 9, 2010
“Fighting the college that pizza bought”
by Laura Berman
Excerpt:
Tom Monaghan, who built his Domino’s Pizza fortune on the promise of 30-minute delivery, opts for a slower and more circuitous route in litigation.
Just ask Kate Ernsting: Six years after being fired from Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, which was founded by Monaghan, she’s still trying to get her case in front of a jury. The wait has temporarily derailed her career and has her family facing the possibility of bankruptcy because she says “it costs money to overcome Tom Monaghan’s expensive lawyers.”
It’s been two years since a state appeals court panel approved her case, ostensibly clearing it for trial.
The Ave Maria lawyers resisted: They appealed to the state Supreme Court, which declined to hear it. They filed a motion arguing Ave Maria is entitled to an obscure “ecclesiastic abstention” that makes the college immune from secular court review, which was denied by a judge. In other court papers, lawyers argued Ave Maria College can’t pay a proposed settlement because its assets have been transferred to Ave Maria University in Florida.
Full story
The claims of Ave Maria in this litigation lack credibility to the point of being unconscionable. Example: their persisting in the claim that Ave Maria University is not the successor of Ave Maria College despite the fact that (a) AMU acquired the assets of AMC, (b) the university always used the college’s “avemaria.edu” domain name, and (c) AMU’s current website even admits (italics added) “As the successor institution to Ave Maria College (AMC), Ave Maria University assumes the responsibility of issuing AMC transcripts. AMC transcripts appear on Ave Maria University transcript paper.”
The legal strategy appears clear — avoid a jury by financially bleeding Ernsting to death.
Related AveWatch Articles:
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» Tue, January 12th, 2010 - 7:49 pm EST
UPDATE (2/3/10): As demonstrated below, Ave Maria development’s own declaration documents dispel the long-standing Monaghan-created illusion that abortion services are banned in his south Florida town. Abortion facilities are not banned if less than 25% of that facility’s activities involve the procedure.
So, how much reliance can current or prospective Catholic home buyers put in the efficacy of this 25% restriction at keeping Planned Parenthood or another provider out of Ave Maria Town? Zero.
Char Wendel, the CEO of Naples’ Planned Parenthood clinic, recently told Naples Daily News that “Abortion is only 2 percent of services that Planned Parenthood provides and the rest is other services.”
If the Naples PP clinic gets along on 2% of services, a ban of activity over 25% in Monaghan’s Ave Maria Town is meaningless. Catholic home buyer, beware.
Original Article (1/12/10):
Access to abortion is the law of the land. But whether a private company chooses to explicitly prohibit abortion facilities within its real estate development is another matter… and an area that south Florida developer Tom Monaghan successfully exploited to sell homes in his Ave Maria Town.
Rewind: The November 18, 2002 Letter of Intent that was said to establish the character of Ave Maria Town – as signed by Ave Maria University and Barron Collier Companies – stated (excerpt; see here; emphasis added):
“The New Town in its character, ambiance, restricted covenants, zoning, etc. shall allow no public activities which are offensive to traditional Christian values or which might represent a scandal to Catholic and Christian sensibilities. Thus, no topless bars, abortion clinics, “adult” bookstores or the like shall be permitted.”
The notion of “traditional Christian values” was a cornerstone in marketing the Town to prospective buyers, and an approach that garnered traction in targeted media sources. Example from a FoxNews.com story -
“Abortions, pornography and contraceptives will be banned in the new Florida town of Ave Maria, which has begun to take shape on former vegetable farms 90 miles northwest of Miami.”
But did Ave Maria Town ever really ban abortion clinics? That question was asked in this week’s January 14 edition of The Wanderer, America’s oldest Catholic national newspaper (temporary link; permanent link).
Section 6.5 “Restrictions and Prohibited Uses” from the 2007 “Amended and Restated Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions of Ave Maria Town Center I/CORE” (DCCR) shows that “facilities in which abortions, as defined in Chapter 390, Florida Statutes (2006), are performed” can exist in the Town as long as the procedure is not “a substantial part of the use of the facility, i.e. comprising 25% or more of the activities of the facility.” Also permitted within the 25% restriction is “use by which abortion is promoted or is the subject of counseling or referrals…”
A similar 25% stipulation exists for a “facility performing embryonic stem cell research or other activity involving the destruction of human embryos or any facility performing in vitro fertilization or human cloning..”
In contrast, the DCCR places a complete prohibition (ban) on many other activities (selected excerpts):
The following operations and uses shall not be permitted on any Lot under any circumstances:
(A) Labor camps;
(B) Junk or salvage yards;
(F) Rendering or distillation of fat or bones;
(H) Smelting of iron, tin, zinc, or other ores or scrap;
(I) Mortuary, cemetary, creamtory or undertaking;
(N) Trailer courts or mobile/manufactured home parks;
How are the conflicting statements on abortion facilities in the Letter of Intent and the DCCR explained, particularly since the Letter was said to be “a framework for drafting the full set of agreements required to achieve the intended result,” which is the Town? Some residents feel snookered. Was mere “intent” to prohibit abortion adequate in getting a desirable marketing effect on targeted prospective buyers? Was an actual ban on abortion facilities not really worth the effort?
Maybe a loophole exists using the Town’s complete ban on mortuaries and the “rendering of fat or bones.”
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» Mon, December 21st, 2009 - 9:46 am EST
On Friday, Washtenaw Circuit Court Judge Timothy Connors denied Ave Maria’s motion for summary disposition, ordering the wrongful termination suit of former college employee Katherine Ernsting to go to trial as planned on February 1. Ave Maria claimed that it was a “religious institution” and qualified for “ecclesiastical abstention” such that secular courts do not have authority to adjudicate Ernsting’s dispute. Judge Connor denied that argument on the grounds that Ernsting never claimed that her employment was terminated over religious practice; she always claimed wrongful discharge under the Whistleblower’s Protection Act.
The Judge also ruled that Ave Maria University (Florida) is a successor institution to Ave Maria College (Michigan). Ernsting’s damages can be assigned to AMU. Excerpt from Ernsting’s Brief in Opposition to Ave Maria’s motion:
During the course of this litigation and specifically while this case was on appeal, AMC’s Board of Trustees transferred assets and equipment to its successor, Ave Maria University (AMU). Both these entities are funded by the Ave Maria Foundation which was founded by Tom Monahan.
After the case was remanded, discovery was completed and summary disposition was denied, Plaintiff first learned of the transfer of assets to AMU resulting in AMC’s total lack of assets and funds and thereby its inability to provide relief in this matter. Defendant AMC continued to participate in the litigation and conducted settlement discussions as if it was a viable entity. AMC only disclosed that it had transferred all assets to AMU, rendering it unable to satisfy any judgment in this case, during discussions with counsel in April 2009. As a result, Plaintiff filed a motion for leave to amend the complaint to add AMU as a party defendant due to its successor status. Although Defendant AMC vehemently opposed the amendment, this Court ruled that the complaint could be amended to add AMU as a party defendant.
On Friday, Washtenaw Circuit Court Judge Timothy Connors denied Ave Maria’s motion for summary disposition, ordering the wrongful termination suit of former college employee Katherine Ernsting to go to trial as planned on February 1. Ave Maria claimed that it was a “religious institution” and qualified for “ecclesiastical abstention” such that secular courts do not have authority to adjudicate Ernsting’s dispute. Judge Connor denied that argument on the grounds that Ernsting never claimed that her employment was terminated over religious practice; she always claimed wrongful discharge under the Whistleblower’s Protection Act.
The Judge also ruled that Ave Maria University (Florida) is a successor institution to Ave Maria College (Michigan). Ernsting’s damages can be assigned to AMU. Excerpt from Ernsting’s Brief in Opposition to Ave Maria’s motion:
During the course of this litigation and specifically while this case was on appeal, AMC’s Board of Trustees transferred assets and equipment to its successor, Ave Maria University (AMU). Both these entities are funded by the Ave Maria Foundation which was founded by Tom Monahan.
After the case was remanded, discovery was completed and summary disposition was denied, Plaintiff first learned of the transfer of assets to AMU resulting in AMC’s total lack of assets and funds and thereby its inability to provide relief in this matter. Defendant AMC continued to participate in the litigation and conducted settlement discussions as if it was a viable entity. AMC only disclosed that it had transferred all assets to AMU, rendering it unable to satisfy any judgment in this case, during discussions with counsel in April 2009. As a result, Plaintiff filed a motion for leave to amend the complaint to add AMU as a party defendant due to its successor status. Although Defendant AMC vehemently opposed the amendment, this Court ruled that the complaint could be amended to add AMU as a party defendant.
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» Mon, December 14th, 2009 - 5:44 pm EST
In a stunning legal maneuver that made the pages of National Law Journal in July 2009, Tom Monaghan’s lawyers argued in court that Ave Maria School of Law was a “religious institution” claiming “ministerial exception” (i.e. any inquires into the school’s “underlying motivation for a contested employment situation” should be barred from government courts). Monaghan went into settlement negotiations just prior to the judge’s final ruling on the claim, part of a successful wrongful termination suit filed by three law school professors. Respected Canon lawyer Edward Peters called Monaghan’s claim “laugh-out-loud ridiculous” (see also Casimir Pulaski’s analysis).
Déjà vu. Monaghan is trying it again, this time in the Whistleblower lawsuit of former Ave Maria College employee Katherine Ernsting. In July 2004, Ernsting was fired/replaced as manager of financial aid after she cooperated in a federal investigation that forced Ave Maria officials to pay back $259,000 in financial aid that was illegally distributed to students on the Florida campus. Ernsting filed the whistleblower’s suit in 2004; for five years Monaghan has been blocking the case from being heard by a judge and jury. Click below for the text of Ave Maria’s motion for summary disposition.
Note: Ave Maria University (Florida) was added to the lawsuit since the College (Michigan) is now defunct.
Updates and responses will appear as they happen…
Read the rest of this article »
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» Mon, December 14th, 2009 - 2:48 pm EST
If a billionaire politico said “I’m pro-life”, and did the following, what would you think?:
AveWatch would call such a disconnect between saying “I’m pro-life”, and working so hard to get pro-abortion politicians into office, a ruse… a commonly employed political technique that cheapens the meaning of a consistent “pro-life” stance.
Over the weekend, the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) and Ave Maria University made a significant contribution toward legitimizing just such a ruse.
Background: Three weeks ago, after reviewing the above list of activities and contributions, the CNS expressed its concern for Ave Maria’s honoring of billionaire political activist Tom Golisano with a campus building in his name. There was even a smoking gun memo from AMU’s PR consultant to university administration admitting that a strategy was needed to deflect “any and all questions regarding other entities that Mr. Golisano has contributed funds to in the past that may be contrary to the mission of Ave Maria (or any positions he has held politically).”
This past Friday, however, CNS released a new statement that now endorses AMU’s honoring of Golisano. Why? In a December 3 letter to AMU’s Tom Monaghan, Golisano said “I am pro-life now and have always been pro-life”.
Excerpt from the CNS response (full text):
Patrick J. Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society, said in response to reading Golisano’s letter, “Having great hope for the future of Ave Maria University and sharing its commitment to faithful Catholic education, I am relieved and grateful that Mr. Golisano has publicly opposed legalized abortion. This is the best possible outcome of a situation that helps demonstrate the importance of Catholic institutions refusing honors for public opponents of fundamental Catholic teachings and avoiding even the appearance of compromising Catholic identity.”
How has Golisano “publicly opposed legalized abortion”, as Reilly claims?
- by refusing to give substantial support to pro-abortion politicians and programs? No.
- by clearly articulating his own agenda, as a gubernatorial candidate, to protect an infant’s life in law? No.
- by respecting the holy obligations of matrimony for stable family life? No.
For Reilly and Ave Maria, Golisano’s statement about his personal views was enough to completely erase his political record of actively and generously putting NARAL-endorsed candidates into office and the Clinton Global Initiative into developing countries. For Reilly, Golisano’s personal statement was enough to “avoid even the appearance of compromising Catholic identity” when it comes life. Wow.
There is a reason why Ave Maria and its defenders (i.e. Catholic.org) all fail to explicitly cite (or link to places that cite) Golisano’s very substantial support for people and programs that endorse abortion — because to know about that support makes honoring him indefensible.
Has Tom Golisano substantially supported politicians and programs that are contrary to AMU’s stated mission and/or the teachings of the Church? AMU’s own PR person even recognizes the answer.
Congratulations to Ave Maria, Patrick Reilly, and the Cardinal Newman Society for making “personally-opposed-but” the new standard for honors at a Catholic university. A gaggle of politicians are grateful.
Ave Maria and the Cardinal Newman Society have their credibility riding on what Tom Golisano does. We’ll be watching him.
Comments at Fumare.
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» Fri, December 4th, 2009 - 9:24 am EST
Three weeks ago, a newspaper writer and Ave Maria Town resident was indefinitely banned from setting foot on Ave Maria University property ahead of AMU’s controversial honoring of New York billionaire political activist Tom Golisano. AMU’s naming of a new campus building after Golisano was subsequently denounced by the Cardinal Newman Society. The banning of the reporter prompted a statement by the newspaper’s editor/publisher and was featured in several stories on Naples’ Fox 4 News (1, 2).
In one of the Fox 4 interviews, a student at AMU said
“It seems like there are other cases where it seems like the school is trying to shut down and silence people who might be critical,”
Yesterday, Fox 4 News ran a follow-up story on the school’s cultural intolerance of criticism – “Verbal attack on an Ave Maria student“. According to Fox 4, the aforementioned student’s statement “led 16 fellow students” to create a website devoted to personally bashing the student, calling him a “drama queen” and “a loser who will die alone,” among other things.
Comments elsewhere at 1, 2, 3.
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» Tue, November 24th, 2009 - 5:55 pm EST
The Cardinal Newman Society released a statement today concerning the decision of Ave Maria University to honor billionaire political activist Tom Golisano with the naming of a campus building.
Excerpts (full text of statement):
While Mr. Golisano may in fact support Catholic teaching, whether fully or in part, we could find no public statement from Mr. Golisano that has clearly disavowed what appears to have been his public “pro-choice” position. Nothing clearly dispels the impression that Mr. Golisano may espouse the “personally opposed but” position, soundly rejected by the Catholic Church, that abortion is disagreeable and immoral but ought to remain legal. In several instances, Mr. Golisano’s campaign contributions appear to ignore the bishops’ guidance regarding the obligations of Catholic citizens in elections that offer a pro-abortion candidate in opposition to a pro-life candidate.
The fact that Mr. Golisano’s positions remain unclear permits the appearance that Ave Maria University honored a publicly “pro-choice” individual who has repeatedly aligned himself with pro-abortion politics. The fact of Ave Maria University’s decision to honor an individual whose reputation at the time was of a “pro-choice” individual is of concern regardless of subsequent statements from Mr. Golisano.
The hopeful result of evangelizing or fostering dialogue with Mr. Golisano does not, in itself, make the honor appropriate.
As long as there remains the perception and possibly the fact that Ave Maria University’s athletic center is named for a publicly “pro-choice” individual, we fear a negative impact on a university that largely serves and employs faithful Catholics.
It is worth restating that Golisano never renounced the millions that he gave last year to NARAL-endorsed politicians and the Clinton Global Initiative (see also). The press conference that announced AMU’s “Tom Golisano Field House” was the perfect venue for him to disavow that support, or for Ave Maria to explain its position; but they did not. In fact, a memo passed between AMU administrators prior to the university’s press conference acknowledges Golisano as having “contributions or positions that may be contrary to AMU’s mission.” The initial AMU PR strategy to handle questions about Golisano’s contributions/positions was to simply “change the premise” of the question, as described in the administrators’ memo. Apparently, when that failed, the PR strategy shifted to imply that Golisano – by virtue of his throwing money at AMU – had suddenly become “pro-life.”
This is exactly why Tom Monaghan and Ave Maria are so dangerous to the formation of a credible consistent pro-life or Catholic position that is unencumbered by ulterior goals or a personal agenda:
A sizable donation to Monaghan’s Ave Maria instantly provides absolution to make someone like Tom Golisano suddenly appear as a credible pro-life Catholic supporter worthy of honor.
Exaggeration? Read this editorial at Catholic.org (excerpt from “Ave Maria University Receives Four Million Dollar Gift and Uncharitable Criticism“; commentary on the editorial here and here):
Mr. Golisano will now be associated even more with that Truth who is SOMEONE, Jesus Christ, who will also change his life. This gift of his to that University was a part of a loving Plan in his own life and you [AMU administrators] were all a part of it! His act of charity will lead him to the source of CHARITY, the God who is Love and who has a human face, the face of Jesus the Lord.
That tidbit will be quite valuable for Golisano’s future political aspirations among uninformed Catholics and pro-lifers. Tom Golisano ran for governor of New York three times on the pro-choice platform of a third party that he co-founded. He gave $1 million last year for Barack Obama’s DNC convention. Last year, he also supported 50 NARAL-endorsed politicians in New York state. But despite all this, Tom Monaghan conferred the pro-life label onto Golisano. And for what? – so that Ave Maria University students can play basketball in air conditioning.
See the AveWatch article that headlined Culture War Notes last week:
“Who is Tom Golisano?”
UPDATE, 11/24/09 – comments on the Cardinal Newman statement are at Fumare (h/t)
UPDATE, 11/30/09 – AMU responds to the CNS (h/t Fumare).
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» Wed, November 18th, 2009 - 12:28 pm EST
Naples’ Fox 4 News was booted off of Ave Maria University’s campus yesterday. Reporter Pooja Lodhia – “Students invited us on campus to talk about their experiences there. They called the university oppressive and silencing.” This comes in the aftermath of a Catholic newspaper reporter being banned from campus while trying to cover AMU’s honoring of billionaire Tom Golisano, a political activist who has given millions to campaign for pro-abortion candidates.
UPDATE, 11/18/09 – The AveWatch article “
Who is Tom Golisano?” ran as today’s headline at
Culture War Notes. Welcome to our many new CWN readers.
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» Tue, November 17th, 2009 - 7:15 am EST
Ave Maria University recently honored billionaire political activist Tom Golisano by naming a building after him. AveWatch has been documenting how the sociopolitical activities of the thrice-divorced Golisano conflict with Catholic Church teaching. See:
Did AMU know prior to the November 5 “Tom Golisano Field House” press conference that many people would object to a “Catholic” university honoring a man who recently gave millions to NARAL-endorsed pro-abortion politicians?
From a November 3, 2009 memo to University Council (formatting as per document):
Golisano: Recommendation from R. Falls
I recommend we come up with a single positioning statement that Ave Maria leadership can refer to with regard to any and all questions regarding other entities that Mr. Golisano has contributed funds to in the past that may be contrary to the mission of Ave Maria (or any positions he has held politically). Please keep in mind, that if we don’t like the premise of a question – we can always change the premise.
“Let me state how pleased and grateful we are to Mr. Golisano for his generosity and his obvious support of our mission. A gift of this magnitude is a clear demonstration of a personal commitment he has made to Ave Maria which encompasses our curriculum, our core values and our dedication to the teachings of the Church.”
It all comes down to how pressing the media might be regarding his other contributions (or positions) that may be contrary to AMU’s mission. This statement is strong because it focuses on two primary messages:
1. Our gratitude for the gift
2. Dedication to our mission
We can precede our answer above with a dismissal of a premise by saying:
“I think that question is not applicable to what we are celebrating today.”
I think it is just the best way out of the situation. Otherwise they will just pick apart any other answer we give them.
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UPDATE, 11/17/09 – Last night, Naples’ Fox 4 News ran its third video on the indefinite ban of a Catholic newspaper reporter and Ave Maria Town resident from Ave Maria University’s campus. The campus ban was enacted just hours before the Golisano press conference. One student said to Fox News “It seems like this school has tried to put down and silence people who may be critical of it.” (commentary at Fumare here and here)
(AveWatch concedes that AMU and Robert Falls are acting in what they see as the best interests of the University. Nothing on this site implies anything to the contrary.)
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» Fri, November 13th, 2009 - 8:54 pm EST
AveWatch asked the following question about Tom Golisano, the billionaire entrepreneur and political activist that Ave Maria University is honoring with a campus building in his name:
For the latest election cycle in which a full data set is available for New York State (2008), were there any candidates for office that both Tom Golisano and NARAL Pro-choice New York officially endorsed (i.e. gave financial support to)?
The answer:
In 2008, Tom Golisano financially supported 50 politicians that NARAL-NY deemed “pro-choice” and officially endorsed for the election.
The data was compiled from Golisano’s PAC “Responsible New York” (RNY) and from NARAL Pro-choice New York.
The RNY PAC is all Tom Golisano. He started it in July 2008 with a $5 million personal check. The New York State Board of Elections shows that Golisano’s PAC had only one other contributor ($500) since its inception. In January 2009, at the end of the aforementioned 2008 election cycle, approximately $980,000 remained in RNY. Where did the $4 million go? Take a look at the names, and successes, above.
Golisano’s financial support for NARAL-endorsed politicians in New York does not include his $1 million given to the Democrat National Committee for Barack Obama’s nomination convention in Denver. NARAL also endorsed Obama.
What kind of Catholic university names a campus building after someone who recently gave millions to get NARAL-endorsed politicians into office?
Tom Monaghan’s Ave Maria University.
Related:
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» Fri, November 13th, 2009 - 12:38 pm EST
Yesterday, Naples real estate broker Ross McIntosh offered a dismal outlook for the south Florida real estate market that Tom Monaghan gambled everything on with Ave Maria. This past year, only 10 permits were pulled in Monaghan’s Ave Maria Town development.
Image courtesy Ross W. McIntosh.
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» Wed, November 11th, 2009 - 10:04 am EST
UPDATE, 11/12/09 – Naples’ Fox 4 News picked up the story
UPDATE, 11/12/09 – Instapundit.com linked to the story. Politico.com lists Instapundit as one of the five best-read national conservative blogs, averaging over 425,000 page views/day.
UPDATE, 11/13/09 – another Fox 4 News segment
UPDATE, 12/1/09 – The Editor and Publisher of The Wanderer, Al Matt Jr., issued a statement.
Original AveWatch Article:
More on the banning and threatened arrest of Ave Maria Town resident and The Wanderer reporter Marielena Montesino de Stuart: (Click below for more…)
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» Mon, November 9th, 2009 - 2:12 pm EST
“… He did a lot of work.”
That is how pro-choice billionaire Tom Golisano described Tom Monaghan’s effort in securing a $4 million donation to Ave Maria University, as announced late last week.
Who is Tom Golisano? From the New York Times, August 18, 2008
“Democrats Get Big Gift for Denver” (excerpts)
ALBANY — Tom Golisano, the Rochester billionaire and registered Republican, donated $1 million on Friday to the host committee of the Democratic Party’s convention in Denver, making him one of the largest donors to the planning efforts surrounding the expected coronation of Barack Obama as the party’s nominee next week.
For his $1 million, Mr. Golisano gets a skybox at Invesco Field, where Mr. Obama will deliver his acceptance speech, and 50 additional tickets.
“We think one of the things New York needs to come back is a strong relationship with the federal government,” Mr. Pigeon said. Mr. Golisano, he added, “is looking at Obama’s message of change and hope and is very down on the last eight years of what the Bush administration has done…”
Mr. Golisano’s $1 million donation is far above the $2,300 limit for donors to the Obama campaign itself and is one of the largest “soft money” donations made to the convention committee.
At the AMU press conference on Thursday, Golisano noted that Monaghan visited New York “two or three times” to secure what he called an “investment” in Ave Maria .
Ave Maria will honor Tom Golisano by naming its new student recreation center after him, despite Golisano’s three runs for governor of New York on the pro-choice platform of the party he co-founded.
Last month, possibly while the drawings for the Golisano Field House were being made, AMU President Nick Healy went on camera and had the following exchange (excerpts; full text/video)
Naples Daily News: The university of Notre Dame invited President Barack Obama to be a commencement speaker. There was considerable religious and public debate over that. I would imagine that we would never see Ave Maria do something like that.
Healy: It would not. [..] The United States Catholic bishops have made a very clear rule that no Catholic college university is to honor a pro-abortion politician. Period. [..] But to have him preside over commencement, and to then award him a Doctor of Laws was a way of honoring him, and it sends a very mixed message to the whole community.
Maybe the naming of a building after a pro-choice politico isn’t Ave Maria’s idea of “honoring”.
Related AveWatch Articles:
- Who is Tom Golisano?
- Ave Maria University Donor: “…I’m pro choice.”
- Ave Maria Priest Gives Pro-Choice Donor Standing Ovation
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» Sat, November 7th, 2009 - 11:04 am EST
What is similar in these photos?
Both images show a university priest offering a standing ovation to a politician who ran for public office on a pro-choice platform and who raised campaign money for pro-choice Democrats.
What is different in these photos?
The university in the bottom photo allowed their politician to speak from behind its seal. The university in the top photo allowed its poltico to speak from behind the seal… and it solicited a $4 million donation from him.
The speaker in the bottom photo has never been divorced. The speaker in the top photo has made a mockery of marriage, having been divorced three times, now dating a woman over 30 years younger than himself.
Which priest is more pathetic?
Which “Catholic” university is more of a hypocrite?
Read:
- Ave Maria University Donor: “… I’m pro-choice.”
- Who is Tom Golisano?
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» Fri, November 6th, 2009 - 7:47 pm EST
Yesterday, we reported on how a Ave Maria Town resident (who writes for Catholic newspaper The Wanderer) was barred from a press conference at Ave Maria University and banned indefinitely from all campus property. See here for coverage of that press conference announcing AMU’s solicitation of a $4 million investment from Tom Golisano, a thrice-divorced pro-choice billionaire entrepreneur and political candidate.
At AveWatch’s request, to clarify speculation, Marielena Montesino de Stuart agreed to release documentation showing that her ban encompassed the campus property and not simply the press conference. Click below for more…
Ave Maria Town resident and Catholic newspaper reporter Marielena de Stuart (left) is told by AMU Director of Security and two Collier County deputies that she will be arrested if she enters campus property:
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» Thu, November 5th, 2009 - 3:56 pm EST
Tom Monaghan secured a $4 million “investment” from a pro-choice billionaire for Ave Maria University’s new “Tom Golisano Field House”. Golisano is a major donor to Democrat campaigns and the founder of a political party with a pro-choice platform.
From the New York Times during one of Golisano’s campaigns for Governor (10/23/94):
“Where do you stand on abortion?” one woman asked him.
Mr. Golisano responded, “The country has been very clear that it wants choice, and I’m pro-choice.”
Click below for more…
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» Thu, November 5th, 2009 - 3:39 pm EST
UPDATE, 11/6/09 – Read here. AMU clarified in writing today that the campus ban issued yesterday had “no intention to exclude” the reporter from the parish and the adoration chapel.
Original AveWatch Article:
A reporter for America’s oldest Catholic newspaper, who is also a resident of Tom Monaghan’s Ave Maria Town, was threatened with being arrested today for setting foot on Ave Maria University campus. Click below for more…
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» Thu, November 5th, 2009 - 12:45 pm EST
UPDATE, 11/13/09 – Be sure to read the follow-up AveWatch articles “Ave Maria University’s Golisano and NARAL Both Endorsed the Same 50 NY Politicians Last Year“, “Ave Maria’s $4 Million Donor Gave $1 Million for Obama Coronation“, and “Ave Maria University Donor: “… I’m pro-choice.””
Original AveWatch article:
Early yesterday morning, AveWatch released the article “Who is Tom Golisano?” Later in the day, local rumblings started over a mystery donor to Ave Maria University.
Today, Tom Monaghan announced that a $4 million donation from Golisano will be used to build a new student recreation center at AMU, named after Golisano. See: Reuters, Buffalo News, Naples Daily News. Click below for more…
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» Wed, November 4th, 2009 - 6:28 am EST
UPDATE, 11/5/2009 – Today, Tom Monaghan announced that Ave Maria secured $4 million from Golisano for a new gym at AMU – “The Tom Golisano Field House” (see Naples Daily News article).
UPDATE, 11/17/09 – Monaghan and Ave Maria University named a new building after Golisano. Since the article (below) was posted, AveWatch has shown that Golisano not only gave $1 million to the DNC for Barack Obama’s convention, but also financially backed 50 NARAL-endorsed politicians in New York last year. The New York Times quoted Golisano as saying “… I’m pro-choice.” Did Tom Monaghan and AMU know that Golisano’s contributions and positions were contrary to this “Catholic” university’s mission? An internal AMU PR memo suggests as much. AMU went so far as to issue a campus-wide ban on a reporter from America’s oldest Catholic newspaper ahead of the “Golisano Field House” press conference. A Fox News reporter was also booted from campus when students tried to talk about AMU being “oppressive and silencing.”
Original AveWatch article (11/4/09):
Billionaire Blase Thomas “Tom” Golisano is the founder of payroll service Paychex, owner of the Buffalo Sabres, co-founder of the Independence Party of New York State, and #289 on The Forbes 400 Richest Americans 2009. He fell short three times running for New York state governor under his Party. He recently made headlines for changing his primary residence from New York to Florida to avoid taxes. He has a house in Naples. In June the NY Post reported that 67 year old Golisano, who was divorced three times, is now dating 35 year old tennis Hall of Famer Monica Seles (excerpt):
He also brought Seles to a Sabres game, where the Tennis Hall of Famer sat with him and former President Bill Clinton. And, when asked in a Forbes.com article last fall what the coolest number in his cellphone was, Golisano crowed, ‘Monica Seles.’
According to the Albany Times Union, Golisano is near the top on a list of contributors to the Bill Clinton Foundation. Click below for more…
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» Tue, November 3rd, 2009 - 10:22 am EST
After falling short within Catholic circles, Ave Maria appears desperate to claim moral authority over something or someone. Beware pro-lifers. The focus is turning to you. Click below for more…
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» Sun, November 1st, 2009 - 8:14 pm EST
More bad news for Tom Monaghan’s south Florida real estate development and its residents -
Today’s Naples Daily News reports that two significant local employers have halted plans to build in Ave Maria Town indefinitely. Medical device manufacturer Arthrex originally bought 13 acres for what was said to be a “immediate manufacturing need”. Since then, the company acquired manufacturing and office space in North Naples, hiring 100 new people to meet that need. The other business, Florida Community Bank, put a hold on building both a branch and its headquarters in Tom Monaghan’s Ave Maria Town.
Related Article: “Florida Auditor Reports on Ave Maria Town Government”
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» Sun, November 1st, 2009 - 2:54 pm EST
On September 24, 2009, the Auditor General for Florida sent the Board of Supervisors for the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District its audit for 2008. Since no media outlet in Naples or Ave Maria Town chose to cover the report over the past month, AveWatch offers the PDF here. Click below for excerpts of potential interest…
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» Sun, October 25th, 2009 - 11:57 pm EST
courtesy NDN
Remember the August story of Chris Spina, the overweight middle-aged Naples realtor who got “support of the coaching staff at Ave Maria” to compete for a position on the AMU basketball team? The tryouts were last week and, unfortunately, Spina didn’t get invited to wear a Gyrene jock. According to today’s Naples Daily News, Ave Maria University basketball coaches Jamon Copeland and Luke Niewald did not find the 54 year old Spina or two 19 year old walk-ons to be better than the players already on the 15 person squad. (Photo right shows AMU Coach Niewald, right, giving instructions to the three).
But that was not the most interesting part of the story. NDN excerpt:
Spina, who runs a real estate business in Bonita Springs, enrolled at Ave Maria as a full-time student for the fall term. Committed to finally earning a bachelor’s degree, Spina has rented a dorm room on the Ave Maria campus for the days he’s doesn’t feel like commuting back to Lee County.
A 54 year old full-time student living on a college campus in a dormitory room?! Are there no apartments or rooms to rent in Ave Maria Town?
According to AMU’s Enrollment Kit and Housing Contract:
“To live on campus, an unmarried person 24 and older must receive special permission.”
“Married students must live off campus.”
An August profile in Naples Daily News says that Spina is a “father of three”. If he is not divorced, then he is violating the married student rule. Collier County Clerk of Court records show that a Christopher J. Spina of Bonita Springs had a dissolution of marriage filed August 2008, and foreclosure filed against him in May 2009. AveWatch presumes, but does not have confirmation, that these Chris Spinas of Bonita Springs are the same.
We do not know if on-campus rules apply to Spina. Example from the Housing Contract:
“All students living on campus are required to purchase the Meal Plan.”
Ave Maria’s judgment here deserves scrutiny. It seems socially odd and awkward to have AMU approve of a 54 year old (presumably divorced) full-time student living on campus among 19 year olds. That, of course, is in addition to his trying to displace these kids from a spot on a sports team. Imagine the campus dorm social dynamics if Spina actually made the team.
Even more strange is that an institution claiming to be “unabashedly Catholic” would force married 22 year olds to live off campus while a (presumably divorced) middle-aged male partakes of campus dorm life. Even state-sponsored universities offer married student housing. It is not as if AMU lacks room for married students.
As AveWatch noted recently, AMU enrollment for Fall was off by as much as 57% of projections stated by the University in Spring of this year. Approximately 45% of AMU’s current undergraduate dorm space is unoccupied. That’s a stunning number (about 500 open slots).
This is also not a good reflection on the Town’s development. Spina’s room rent could have helped prevent one of Ave Maria Town’s foreclosures or short sales amid the south Florida housing market bust; instead, Spina’s rental went to Ave Maria.
With the unhealthy amount of control that Tom Monaghan and Baron Collier Company exert in AMT, one wonders how a normal diverse college town economy will ever develop. Consider the lock-up that AMU alone has on housing in AMT. In the Middlebrooke area of Ave Maria Town, the University owns at least 32 properties (see “Monaghan Buys Monaghan” and “Landowner-Voter Inequity May Be Worse Than Reported“). Between the housing plunked on all these properties, and the excess dorm space that AMU is apparently willing to rent to even middle-aged students, the rental market appears saturated and monopolized for decades to come.
A 54 year old (presumably divorced father of three) rents a dorm room on campus at Ave Maria while vying for a spot on the basketball team. Such is Tom Monaghan’s world-class business model for Catholic higher education… the university that he said…
“… very well could be the single most important effort that has taken place in the Catholic church in this country or in any part of the world to date.” (5/10/2008)
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» Mon, October 19th, 2009 - 10:08 pm EST
To keep pace with AveWatch’s growing user base, the site is now available on iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry, and other mobile devices through the following web address:
http://avewatch.com/m
There may be a delay of up to 30 minutes between when the main website is updated and when the new material appears on the mobile version (due to server caching). If you save AveWatch Mobile to the home screen of your device, you will get our snazzy glossy icon as a bookmark (right).
Those who run their own website can unobtrusively embed AveWatch Mobile using iframes, or by parsing our RSS feed. Otherwise, simply link to AveWatch using our new image bars:
http://avewatch.com/ftpfiles/avewatch_80×15.gif
http://avewatch.com/ftpfiles/avewatch_88×31.gif
Right-click (control-click) and “Save As” to keep the bar, or insert (img src) the bars via the address indicated.
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» Thu, October 15th, 2009 - 12:05 pm EST
It was announced today that Florida Shores Bancorp signed an agreement to acquire the controlling interest in Tom Monaghan’s south Florida “Shamrock Bank”. Shamrock will change its name to “Florida Shores – Gulfcoast”. According to the announcement, the CFO of all things Ave Maria, Paul Roney, will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board.
Full text here
Related AveWatch articles here
UPDATE, 3:40pm EST – The Fort Myers News-Press just picked-up this story. Naples Daily News at 4pm EST here.
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» Thu, October 15th, 2009 - 10:33 am EST
Fumare continues to document the dramatic academic decline of Ave Maria School of Law (see also “Ave Maria Law: We have ‘One of the Finest Academic Records Anywhere’“).
The Fumare graph above shows how AMSL’s class composition (by LSAT Tier score) devolved from a healthy low of 9% Tier IV in 2002 up to a whopping 61% in 2008. Not depicted in the graph is that 2003 was the year that Tom Monaghan entered a joint venture with Baron Collier Company to create the active adult lifestyle brand “Ave Maria Town”. That same year, Monaghan rejected a request from Ave Maria School of Law co-founder and Board member Charles Rice to view a copy of the joint venture agreement while the AMSL Board considered relocation to Tom’s town. The strong change in the School’s LSAT trend from pre-2003 to post-2003 coincides with Monaghan’s new found interest as a speculative real estate investor in the swamps of south Florida.
The Ave Maria Town brand did nothing positive for Ave Maria School of Law. But, how is the “Every Family. Every Lifestyle. Every Dream.” brand doing otherwise? – Not good, according to recent observations by Town resident Marielena Montesino de Stuart. Photos of abandoned projects on fundamentals like a gas station contrast sharply with Ave Maria’s continued investment in luxuries like art projects.
In August, AMU’s Director of Campus Ministry entered into foreclosure on the condominium he secured in Naples in 2006. Coupled with the Town’s foreclosures and short sales, it makes one wonder if the University’s salary structure is adequately meeting the needs of employees.
All things considered, an issue asked by AveWatch back in April is raised again – whether Ave Maria Town’s development was a victim of the economy or a contributing factor to that economic downturn (see “(Second) Mortgaging the Future of Ave Maria Employees“).
Related AveWatch Articles:
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