What started out as a simple letter about a missed book signing became an opportunity to conduct an interview with United States Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Trinity sophomore Michael Morris said, “Nothing happened for about a year. (Then) his offices called my dad because he was going to be at the Marriott Hotel.”

Paul was hosting a fundraising event at the Marriott Hotel on Feb. 21, 2014. Morris said when the senator entered the office, “the room got silent when he walked in and everyone wanted to shake his hand; he had to stop with everyone.”

Morris said that during the interview, Paul “was moving around a lot. It was interesting to see all of the security.” Things were rushed because Morris could only speak with the senator for five minutes. “He was easygoing, although he was busy.”

Morris explained his interest in interviewing Paul: “He asks the questions many people don‘t bother to ask. I am interested in Paul because of his prominence. Because of his filibuster, he has risen to high esteem. I support his tenacity and advantageous ideas, insofar as he avidly promotes freedom and constitutionality of legislation.”

Morris has decided to work with Paul’s campaign in his Louisville offices. “It will probably be for stuff like fundraisers for the local campaign, menial tasks, phone calls, etc.,” Morris said.

Morris and Paul spoke about President Obama’s State of the Union Address, legislation regarding suspected homegrown terrorists being held without due process, why Paul is popular among young people, and if the Republican Party needs to grow more among various ethnic backgrounds.

“I have worked to vigorously defend the proper role of the federal government, as outlined by the Constitution,” Paul said in response to the State of the Union Address. “The president has acted unilaterally on a number of issues, including the Second Amendment and also Obamacare. In response, I recently introduced legislation called the Constitutional Checks and Balances Act, which authorizes members of Congress to bring an action for declaratory and injunctive relief in response to a written statement made by the president.”

In response to President Obama’s legislation regarding suspected homegrown terrorists being held without due process and having property taken away by the government, Paul said, “I have been and will continue to be a vocal defender of the Fourth Amendment right of American citizens to be free from unreasonable searches and seizure. Regarding indefinite detention, I have fought against the provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that pertains to this.”

When it comes to taking the Republican Party to a higher level, Paul said, “The first step is showing up — going to places where Republicans haven‘t traditionally gone. We need people with tattoos, without tattoos; people with ponytails, without ponytails. When the Republican Party looks like the rest of America, I am confident we’ll win again.”

“It makes you feel insignificant,” Morris said of meeting the senator. “You just have to realize he was just a guy who worked to this place. He‘s a man like us.”