He may not be the frontrunner for the upcoming presidential race, but Stephen Colbert is the students' speaker of choice in this year's Distinguished Speaker Series.
Colbert, the comedian known for his straight-faced delivery of political satire on his Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report," will replace James Earl Jones in the Series. Jones had to cancel his scheduled appearance on April 4 after being cast in the Broadway production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
"I'm kind of disappointed; I was looking forward to seeing Mufasa," said Sergio Solis, a senior urban and public policy major, referring to Jones' role as the voice of Mufasa in "The Lion King."
Colbert has consistently been ranked among the top picks for student choice speaker along with fellow political comedian Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show." Hopes of sharing a good laugh with the comedians this year began to dwindle when Stewart's price tag was higher than the funds allotted for the Series, and Colbert originally declined our invitations in order to finalize his book, I Am America (And So Can You!).
"It was kind of a far-fetched option," said Peter Grollitsch, Student Association president, on the attempts to bring Colbert to campus, "but it was always in the back of our minds."
In December, Bill Regan, director of the Office of Special Events, put in one last bid for Colbert to speak at UB, which was accepted shortly thereafter. Coincidentally, Colbert chose to come on the same date that Jones, who was the Graduate SA choice speaker, cancelled.
"The ideal situation would have been having both," Regan said, "but this is a very palatable plan B."
"I like James Earl Jones, but Colbert is better," said Aaron Greenberg, a junior political science major. "He's more relevant, (and) with the elections coming up, I think he has more interesting things to say."
Regan said that it is unknown whether Colbert will come on stage as his character from "The Colbert Report," the right-wing, patriotic, Bush-loving, news pundit - a persona intended to mock news anchors like Bill O'Reilly - or if he will take the Conan O'Brien approach of last year's series and show us who he is off set (his off-camera character).
Either way, Colbert is sure to create a memorable night at UB.
"I'm really excited," said Jamie Boerman, a freshman pharmacy major. "There's a lot of expectation for him to be funny."
Along with a laughter-induced side-ache, students have a good chance of leaving Colbert's speech having learned something. According to a study by the Pew Research Center in 2007, viewers of "Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show" know more about America's national and international affairs than the consumers of other news sources, such as Fox News Channel.
At the very least, students might walk away with an inclination to taste some Americone Dream, the Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor created in honor of the comedian.
Judging from his recent attempts to join the race for the 2008 Presidential election, and his surprise roast of President Bush at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner - where he criticized the President, who was sitting a few feet away - Colbert's speech at UB will likely address the upcoming election through a left-wing standpoint.
With previous Series speaker Michael Moore's obvious anti-Bush message, and the political views that Colbert will bring, some may wonder if there is room for any conservative thought in the Distinguished Speaker Series.
"People tend to look at the line-up without noting that over the long haul we cross political aisles," Regan said. "But, I'll be the first to admit that there tends to be a liberal viewpoint."
Grollitsch said that if a "viable" conservative speaker becomes an option, the school will put in a bid for him or her to be a part of the series as well, adding that he's fully aware of a liberal slant to the speakers, and empathizes with students who don't have that perspective.
Tickets for the Colbert event, which will take place at 8 p.m. in Alumni Arena on April 4, will be made available to students on Friday, Feb. 29, and Tuesday, March 4 - one free ticket per student with UB ID. An allotted number of tickets will be given out on each day, with 3,000 free tickets set aside for students.
Sale of public tickets begins Feb. 4, but students have a special opportunity to purchase some for friends and family prior to the public sale, on Jan. 30 at the Alumni Box Office from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. General admission costs $40.
"If you're going to substitute James Earl Jones, it better be someone good," Solis said. "Colbert is a good substitute."
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
