Exactly right. I’m not sure why this tidbit is turning into a rehash of the Obama visit. Here is a miniature timeline:
- Giving from July 2007 - June 2008: $347,155,514
- Severe financial crisis comes to light: September 2008
- Obama visit: May 2009
- Giving from July 2008 - June 2009: $226,689,374
The impact from Obama’s visit would be more keenly felt in the fiscal year from July 2009-June 2010, figures which are curiously absent.
I’m sure Obama’s visit had
some impact, but it surely wasn’t anything close to $120 million dollars worth. That is, unless we are to expect that Notre Dame would have received that much in the last three months of their fiscal year.
And what happened in September of 2008, right at the start of that fiscal year? Oh yeah, the economy tanked. But Notre Dame’s shortfall has to do with
Obama?
Believe me, I completely agree with those who protested Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame. It was a terrible scandal. But I think this story shows that some people are trying to get a little bit too much mileage from that controversy.