Kansas University spent about $30,000 to bring former President Bill Clinton to campus Friday.

The largest single piece of the total was for StagePro, a Lawrence-based production company that charged $12,700 to set up a stage and temporary sound system at Allen Fieldhouse.

The carpet covering the basketball court cost $5,000. The other big expense was to cover expenses of two Clinton staffers who spent the week in Lawrence in preparation for the talk. Their bills totaled $2,000.

The money comes out of the Robert J. Dole Institute for Politics’ budget, which includes a mix of state, private and federal funds.

Clinton did not charge his usual speaking fee, which ranges from $75,000 to $250,000.

“He told me that was an absolute testament to his friendship with Bob Dole,” said Jonathan Earle, associate director of the Dole Institute of Politics.

• Maril Hazlett didn’t quite understand.

The Lawrence resident had to hand over her bottled water to Allen Fieldhouse security, but then could buy a bottle of water for $2.50 just inside the door.

People line up outside Allen Fieldhouse before the inaugural Dole Lecture featuring former President Clinton. The line of people waiting Friday extended from Allen Fieldhouse and wrapped around onto the sidewalk of Naismith Drive.

“It’s silly,” she said, “but also after two hours in the sun, I don’t care where the water comes from.”

Mid-America concessionaires seemed to keep busy selling water, with a constant stream of customers. A manager didn’t return a phone call seeking sales totals.

• Four national television outlets joined a predominantly local media contingent covering the speech.

CNN showed the first half hour of the speech live. C-SPAN plans to broadcast it at a later date, to be announced.

NBC News sent a crew to Lawrence as did the program “Extra.”

Kansas Public Radio, 6News and KUJH, the student-run station at KU, all carried the event live. It will be rebroadcast on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 at 10:30 p.m. Monday and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The University Relations office at KU issued more than 100 media credentials for the speech.

• Kim Bates has served as a sign-language interpreter for many speakers, but never a former president.

Bates, with Services for Students with Disabilities at KU, traded off with another interpreter during the speeches.

“This was an honor,” she said. “It was challenging, yet exciting.”

She tried to get a copy of Clinton’s speech ahead of time but failed.

“The challenge is mainly using another language to get across his points and concepts,” she said.

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