UB told that John Edwards will fulfill his Sept. 26 Speaker Series commitment
Scandal not causing change in schedule
Former presidential hopeful John Edwards still plans to appear at the University at Buffalo later this month, despite keeping a low profile since acknowledging an extramarital affair.
In July, UB announced that Edwards and Republican strategist Karl Rove have signed on to debate the issues of the presidential campaign Sept. 26 as part of UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series.
Last month, though, Edwards admitted he had an extramarital affair with a filmmaker working for his campaign. Since then, both he and his wife, Elizabeth, have stayed out of the public eye, prompting questions about whether Edwards would speak at UB.
“We have been in constant contact with the agent, and they assured us last month he was committed to keeping his public schedule in September, including our date,” said Dennis R. Black, UB’s vice president of student affairs.
Black said UB talked with Edwards’ representatives again Wednesday “to ensure he does intend to keep his commitment, [and] at this point, they’re saying he intends to be in Buffalo on Sept. 26.”
The former senator from North Carolina and two-time presidential candidate, who ran for vice president in 2004 on the Democratic ticket headed by Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry, is still scheduled to speak next week at Hofstra University, but his wife, who has been diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer, has withdrawn from the event.
Both Edwards and his wife have withdrawn from a Sept. 23 event at Salem State College in Massachusetts.
Tickets for the UB event will be distributed to students next week, while tickets are still on sale to the general public at the Alumni Arena ticket office, all Tops outlets and online through Tickets.com.
Black said Edwards is not granting interviews to the media. Black also declined to disclose the fee to Edwards. Both are conditions agreed upon in his contract.
While the presidential election is supposed to be the focus of the event, the audience certainly will be interested in how Edwards handles the topic of his affair.
“The elephant in the room is clearly going to be his personal situation,” Black said. “I guess it wouldn’t be surprising if, in his remarks, he deals with it himself in some fashion. If not, it wouldn’t be surprising if it was a question posed from the audience.”
