I am writing in response to the staff editorial appearing in the Sept. 30 issue entitled “Opportunities missed during Ralph Reed’s speech.” As to the editorial’s assertion that “the college itself failed to meet expectations” for the Reed speech, I argue that many variables make programs more or less successful in the eyes of event patrons, who include students, faculty, staff and members of the greater community.

While the Q&A session following Reed’s talk may not have met the expectations of some, the statement that the administration “chose to cajole Reed with an unrepresentative sample” of questions is simply wrong. Staff members were earnestly sorting questions into a range of topics when Reed finished his talk in only 35 minutes. He then chose to respond with rather lengthy answers.

The typical audience at a speaker event is attentive for about 75 minutes; therefore, we plan for 10 minutes of introductory material, a 45-minute talk and a 20-minute Q&A. We learn from each event experience, and in retrospect, we might have extended the Q&A period based on the brevity of Reed’s remarks and audience interest in questioning him. I acknowledge that some patrons were disappointed in our decision to stick to the prescribed format.

What your readers were not told in the editorial is that Ralph Reed answered questions from 30 students and faculty for 80 minutes shortly after arriving on campus. I was present at this session, and asked Reed publicly if any topics were off limits. He answered, “None whatsoever.” He proceeded to answer each question he was asked. Staff who handle major speaker programs believe the student session is where the speaker is really engaged, one-on-one, and we seek to provide this opportunity whenever possible.