I must admit, as much as I am a proponent of the Republican Party and all things conservative, the College Republicans event with former Senator Fred Thompson held recently was not one of my favorite events. If you don’t know who Fred Thompson is, maybe those who are fans of the original Law & Order will perk up when I say he played the character of District Attorney Arthur Branch. As soon as I woke up on Tuesday morning and looked out of my snow-covered window, I knew it wasn’t going to be good. Needless to say, it was a crazy 12 hours from that point on.

By 7:30 pm, the executive board of the College Republicans received word that Sen. Thompson’s plane had been delayed in Washington, DC because of the snow and he would not be landing until after 8:30. Great. It was a long wait until Sen. Thompson arrived, and I would just like to thank those who waited ever so patiently to hear this man speak. Even though it was a Tuesday night with Mary Ann’s calling, there was a generous amount of people who stayed and waited it out. To those who left or gave attitude to the board of College Republicans, do we look like God? We can’t control the weather or air traffic control, my sincerest apologies. But alas, Sen. Thompson arrived and walked immediately into the Irish Room to begin speaking.

As a surly man well over six feet tall, Sen. Thompson seemed genial and ready to start. The overall theme of his speech was what it means to be Republican and the concept of federalism. Although his speech and all of the questions asked were highly engaging, the entire event did not seem worth the $15,000+ Sen. Thompson was paid to speak.

Companies such as the Young Americas Foundation, the Harry Walker Agency, and the Premiere Speakers Bureau work with political figures and other seemingly important people and represent them while booking speeches such as the one that Boston College Republicans held on Tuesday. For a college group such as College Republicans, our budgets only allow us for one, maybe two speakers each year and with unfortunate events such as the weather playing into the situation, it does not seem fair that over half of our yearly budget go to someone who arrived late (not under his control, I know) with a less than satisfactory crowd. In addition to their exuberant prices, the people at these agencies working behind the scenes are more of an annoyance than a help. A last minute police escort requested less than 24 hours before the event? Would you like the Secret Service, too?

Lastly, although Sen. Thompson did arrive late, the numbers in the crowd were a little less than acceptable. I don’t think people realize that opportunities such as these will not continue beyond the college experience. Unless students plan on making a lot of extra cash they can spend freely after graduation, instances such as these are very few and far between. I urge students to take advantage of the FREE speakers held at Boston College. If you have time, go to these events that in the future you might be charged $2,400 to attend. These events are free, people. Eat them up while you still can, the charge is on us.