As part of the Hipp Lecture Series on International Affairs and National Security, Wofford College welcomed former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence to campus. The event was fully booked in Leonard Auditorium as students and members of the community lined up to see this lecture.

Pence discussed many things during his speech, including foreign policy in the United States war on information with our adversaries, such as China and Russia. His other talking points, although not directly related to international policy, focused on the domestic issues within the United States.

The phrase “national security” has been frequently discussed in recent years and is of great concern to many citizens residing within the United States, proving the lecture series to be of great timeliness.

The Hipp Lecture Series was initially founded in 2011 and has been instrumental for the learning of international affairs for students studying the major as well as those who are generally interested.

Previous guests include former President Donald Trump, Presidential Candidate Ben Carson, former Governor of South Carolina David Beasley, former Chair of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Rogers, CBS News Correspondent Major Garrett and former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Some students who attended had much to say on their thoughts of the event.

“The Mike Pence lecture was an incredible experience. The opportunity to shake his hand and have a very brief conversation with him after the event is a moment I will look back on even after my four years at Wofford,” said Jack Grabarczyk ‘26.“Listening to him speak on national security and interact with fellow Wofford students was incredible, and I am so glad I could experience it.”

Pence specifically addressed Wofford students throughout his lecture, stating advice such as “I want to challenge you to make a lifelong commitment to become men and women of integrity.”

Presidential candidates are not uncommon lecturers at Wofford, but this is the first time a former Vice President has come to speak as part of the lecture series. As with many of the other political events, there is much controversy in the visitor’s presence on campus, including from members of Wofford’s College Democrats.

Emma Sutton ‘23, president of the Wofford College Democrats, gave her opinion regarding Pence’s visit to campus.

“I saw Mike Pence’s visit to campus as an opportunity for students, regardless of their political affiliation, to get energized about politics,” Sutton said. “While Pence is certainly a divisive figure, I hope students who attended came away from the event motivated to vote in our midterm elections coming up on Nov. 8, especially those who disagree with his politics.

“In the future, I hope Wofford continues to host a variety of voices on campus to encourage students to have thoughtful and informed political conversations. Now, more than ever, it is vital that students with different backgrounds, perspectives, and identities feel that this is possible, and that they attend a school that encourages this.”

Students were also selected by Wofford College’s President’s Office to ask their own questions to the for- mer Vice President on various is- sues, including both domestic and foreign policy, re-alignment, GOP division and the United States Constitution.

“Having the chance to ask Vice President Pence my own personal question was a unique and surreal experience. He listened intently to each students’ question and answered thoughtfully,” said Hal Crosswell ‘23. “He responded to my question about a concern of lack of civic knowledge by emphasizing the importance of Americans being educated on the Constitution.”

Judson Stewart ‘25 was also able to ask a question to the Vice President but had some differing comments when it came to his lecture.

“Shaking a former Vice President’s hand is an insane experience in itself. It’s always an honor to meet some- one like that,” Stewart said. “In terms of the speech, I wish he would have focused more on things like national security and preserving democracy. The majority of what we said was very resounding and you can tell he’s a guy that loves his country; it just would have been nice to leave some of the partisan stuff aside.”