OREM — Sean Hannity is headed to Utah Valley State College — and Utah GOP gubernatorial candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. is paying for it.
On the day tickets sold out for the controversial appearance of filmmaker Michael Moore at the college on Oct. 20, UVSC announced Hannity, a noted conservative radio talk show host heard locally on KSL Newsradio 1160, would speak Oct. 11 as a "balance" to Moore, whose fee to speak is $40,000.
The sellout for Moore's address should gross $30,000 for the college. Hannity's appearance is a potential sellout, too.
Some of Moore's expenses are being paid by donors, and Huntsman campaign spokesman Jason Chaffetz said Huntsman helped arrange Hannity's appearance and will pay his travel costs. The money will come from donations solicited by the campaign specifically to pay for Hannity's travel.
Hannity said he would appear for free — though he had been hoping to go head-to-head in a debate with Moore, the director of "Fahrenheit 9/11," a documentary critical of the Bush administration.
UVSC student government president Jim Bassi said a debate was never considered. Even before controversy started to swirl over Moore's scheduled appearance, student leaders were looking to book a high-profile conservative speaker to counter Moore's liberal views.
"Hopefully, the community will recognize that we have sought to create a balance with our speaker selection and won't hold individual students or the school responsible for the views of any speaker," Bassi said.
"As a student government, we feel we are committed to the success of the student body as well as the institution as a whole."
Mike Mower, a member of UVSC's Board of Trustees who worked with Huntsman to bring Hannity to UVSC, also expressed disappointment at the public outcry over the student government's decision to invite Moore.
"The board of trustees supports the student government decision to bring speakers of their choice to campus," Mower said. "While the speakers do not directly reflect the views of the members of the board of trustees, we appreciate the student effort to bring balance to their speaker series prior to the national election."
Bassi admitted that the college won't always be able to balance its speaker series in such a timely manner. Campus leaders, however, felt students needed to hear from both sides of the political aisle before the Nov. 2 general election, he said.
A campus rally Wednesday to protest Moore's upcoming visit was peppered with both cheers and jeers for Moore.
Students appeared split over the idea of circulating petitions calling for an election to nix Moore's speech and recall the student government officers who invited him.
Ten percent of the student body — or 2,415 students — needs to sign the petitions to put the issue to a vote. As of Wednesday, more than 2,000 signatures had been collected. And a new Web site — www.recalluvsc.org — has been created to garner more support.
But students looking forward to hearing the "Fahrenheit 9/11" director speak are raising their voices, as well.
"Please let Michael Moore come to UVSC and talk to us," Ephraim Amou-Berry, a student from Nigeria, told the crowd. "Please, let the truth out. It is how we can build a better society."
A campus police officer said police have broken up several shouting matches, some involving UVSC faculty, over the last few days.
Huntsman's camp will fly Hannity from New York to Utah and on to Phoenix, where he will broadcast his show during the final presidential debate there, Chaffetz said.
"Short of the president, there is no one better than Sean Hannity to give the Republican view of the political climate," he said. "It's in our best interest to have him speak to students before they go out and vote."
Huntsman's opponent, Democrat Scott Matheson Jr., applauds Huntsman's concern for a balance of political views in Utah. "In fact, with more support for political balance in Utah, I should be elected governor," Matheson said with a little chuckle.
But balancing checkbooks and viewpoints isn't enough for some people, said UVSC President Bill Sederburg.
"The whole political climate right now is one where people don't want to be appeased," he said. "But I think the student government has stepped up to its responsibilities. And I think the role of the college is maintained."
E-mail: lwarner@desnews.com