Former U.S. Representative and presidential candidate Ron Paul will speak at Syracuse University later this month.

Paul will present a lecture titled “Defining Liberty” at Hendricks Chapel on March 26 at 7:30 p.m. College Republicans at SU will host the event, which is free for SU and SUNY-ESF students and $5 for the general public.

Paul served as a representative for the 14th and 22nd congressional districts in Texas. He ran for president in 1988 as a Libertarian, and in 2008 and 2012 as a Republican.

Zach Weiss, the director of communications for College Republicans at SU, said the organization tries to provide the SU community with speakers that offer a range of perspectives.

“The idea for our speakers is to show everyone the political landscape, pretty much everyone on the right,” he said. “We’ve seen an interest from students on campus that they want to hear a Libertarian perspective.”

Paul’s lecture is based on his book, “Liberty Defined,” Weiss said. He expects Paul to discuss his “manifesto” on fiscal and social issues.

College Republicans at SU worked with third-party groups such as Young America’s Foundation, which Weiss said specializes in being the “middle man” to help student groups book speakers. Student Association, YAF and Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow helped fund bringing Paul to speak, Weiss said.

Patrick Douglas, SA’s comptroller, said College Republicans at SU needed $40,000 to have Paul speak. SA gave the organization $30,000, which came from the student activities fee, Douglas added. YAF, CFACT and other groups provided the remaining $10,000.

Weiss said he hopes people will enjoy the lecture, adding that Paul is a “really unique man with a lot of really unique ideas” that people may not have heard before.

“They’re really logical and eye-opening sometimes. I would love everybody to sit back and enjoy those and take those in and think about them a little,” he said. “It would just kind of unite conversation on our campus.”

Published on March 6, 2014 at 2:14 am

Contact Ellen: ekmeyers@syr.edu | @ellenkmeyers