Continuing the ongoing Distinguished Speaker lecture series, Jon Stewart, the host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, will be gracing the UB campus with his presence Saturday night.
The late-night host is the third speaker in this year's series and highly anticipated by students, as shown by his selection as the Undergraduate Student Choice Speaker.
TIME magazine recognized Stewart's considerable impression on the American public by citing him as one of the 100 most influential people in 2005.
"[Stewart] has a significant impact because people are more likely to agree with him because of how he tells the news," said Matt Westley, a sophomore physics major.
Stewart uses humor when reporting the news, poking fun at the mainstream media. In turn, many people rely on him get their news.
"A lot of people who don't read the paper or watch CNN will watch him to get informed," Westley said.
Because of Stewart's popularity and busy schedule, bringing him to UB has been an ongoing battle.
"We have been trying for the past three years to get Stewart and are very happy to have him coming this year," said Peter Grollitsch, president of the Student Association (SA).
Grollitsch stressed that due to students' reactions, between comment cards and word of mouth, Stewart has been the first choice for several years.
"We try to bring stuff people want and there was not anyone else out there people wanted to see speak," Grollitsch said.
Grollitsch believes Stewart's speech will be particularly interesting in light of the recent presidential election this year.
"We try to bring in people that are educational and entertaining, and we think Stewart will be both," Grollitsch said.
Grollitsch is not alone in thinking Stewart will give an appealing speech; many students are pleased that he will be speaking at UB.
"College is about being serious, but having fun too, and that is what [Stewart] is all about," said Andrew Baran, a sophomore business major.
Baran respects Stewart because he can take serious news and make it funny, which is harder than just delivering the facts.
However, some students do not believe that Stewart's speech will be as educational as it will be entertaining.
"I don't think [Stewart] says anything; I really believe it is just satire and not real news," said Liz Mills, a junior pharmacy major.
Though Mills had no idea why SA chose Stewart, she is looking forward to seeing him because she thinks his comedy is "hilarious."
Other students share Mills' beliefs and do not see Stewart as a relevant speaker.
"It is something to do, but I'm not saying [Stewart] is the ideal speaker for the college," said Brandon Button, a junior accounting major.
Button saw Stephen Colbert in April and enjoyed his speech, but thought the event was over-hyped.
"Why can't we have someone interesting come speak?" Button asked.
SA made 2,000 tickets available to UB undergraduates, some of which were given away free of charge. Others were set aside to sell to students before being made available to the general public. The speech, which will be held in Alumni Arena at 8 p.m. on Saturday, is expected to have around 6,500 attendees.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
