Student Leaders at UNLV Ask Clinton to Donate Speaker Fee

Student leaders at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Friday made a request through a letter addressed to family foundation of Hillary Clinton that she do the right thing and donate some or all of her speaking fee of $225,000 for speaking to the UNLV Foundation, back to UNLV for the benefit of the students.

Clinton, who is a former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State has received critical comments after it was reported on Monday what her speaking fee was by a newspaper in Las Vegas.

Typically, Clinton is paid $200,000 for speaking to private businesses, but some have criticized her for charging an education institution.

The student letter was addressed to the Clinton Foundation located in New York and written on behalf of the more than 23,000 undergraduate students at UNLV, represented by Elias Benjelloun the president of the student body, who was a co-signor on the letter.

The letter gave a welcome to the former Senator saying UNLV students were happy she was speaking at the annual fundraiser for the Foundation on October 13. However, the leaders of the student body suggested she should not accept a full fee for her speech.

The letter said that Clinton should keep with her history of advocating for all students in higher education and charitably donate a portion or all of the speaking fee of $225,000 back to the Foundation.

The student body said they were aware the Foundation fee had been paid through private donations and not through taxpayer or university funds, but they said the money raised was to help the school and students.

Benjelloun the student body president said that tuition at in-state Nevada universities tripled over the last decade and was approved recently for another increase of 17% over the upcoming four years.

The letter of two-pages was also co-signed by the student government’s public relations director at UNLV Daniel Waqar.

A spokesperson for Clinton did not release an immediate comment.

The Republican National Committee slammed Clinton on Friday noting that her fee for speaking at UNLV was four times more than what the average person in Nevada earns for a year.