Crean In, Sanchez Out as Speaker at Chapman

ORANGE — Although she is an alumna and the choice of a faculty-student committee, Chapman University has rejected Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) as commencement speaker in favor of businessman John Crean, a mover in GOP circles and a university trustee.

University officials decided to pass over Sanchez, 36, who in November became the first woman and first Latina elected to Congress from Orange County, because the three students on the committee did not want a politician and rejected her in favor of trustee John Crean for the May 25 address. Four other members of the committee, all faculty, voted for Sanchez, who graduated in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Crean, who never went to college but founded Fleetwood Enterprises, the nation’s top motor home manufacturer, is a major donor to the university. He also has hosted most of the county’s conservative leaders at his Upper Newport Bay estate, the Village Crean, as well as many state GOP events there.

Dean of Students Joe Kertes said he believes politics played a role in the decision to skip over Sanchez, who defeated incumbent Robert K. Dornan in a controversial race. A congressional committee is investigating Dornan’s claims that voter fraud contributed to his 984-vote loss.

“The students felt it was inappropriate to have a politician representing a particular political persuasion to speak at graduation,” Kertes said. “They had nothing against her as a person; it was, should we say, the political party she represents.”

Luis Ortiz-Franco, a mathematics professor and chairman of the school’s Student Life Committee, which was charged with choosing the speaker, said he regrets the university’s decision.

“I personally feel that it’s an outrage,” he said. “Loretta Sanchez has all the qualities to be one of best dynamic speakers at the university, given that she is a woman, a Latina, an alumna and a national leader. This is political, basically.”

None of the students on the committee could be reached, but there was some support for heeding student concerns.

“I think it’s basically up to the students,” said Carrie Leonard, president of the Associated Students organization. “It’s their commencement; they should pick someone they are all comfortable with.”

Sanchez’s aide, Steve Jost, shrugged off the issue.

“It’s their school and they ought to be able to hear who they want,” Jost said. “She’s a big girl. She’s giving commencement speeches at Cal State University Fullerton and Cypress College. Frankly, she’s very honored so early in her career to be asked to do commencements.”

Wylie Aitken, Sanchez’s campaign chairman, said she was “probably one of the biggest success stories of Chapman. To pass her over, I’m not sure why they’d do that. Maybe they like cooking,” he said, referring to Crean’s cooking show on cable TV, “Home on the Range.”

The speaker selection came before the Student Life Committee after the student senate rejected Sanchez, Kertes said. Ortiz-Franco said that Provost Harry Hamilton gave him two names to consider, Sanchez and Crean. After some discussion and consultation with student and faculty groups, the committee took a vote, with Sanchez winning, 4 to 3. Ortiz-Franco then passed on the results to Hamilton, along with the committee’s suggestion that administrators solicit other student opinion.

In the end, Hamilton signed off on Crean. Hamilton was not available for comment, a university spokeswoman said.

Other selections discussed by students, faculty and administrators had scheduling conflicts, Chapman spokeswoman Ruth Wardwell said.

President James Doti, who said he was not involved in the selection process, noted Crean’s support for the university but also suggested Sanchez might be tapped in the future.

“There is a chance Loretta will speak in the future; just not this year,” Doti said, calling her “certainly one of my heroes.”

Crean said he was unaware of the controversy over his selection.

‘It’s really an honor for me,” he said. “It’s strange; I couldn’t even get out of high school.”

Also contributing to this report was Times correspondent John Canalis.