Jon Stewart, Steve Forbes and characters from the movie "Napoleon Dynamite" are among the guests the ASUA Speakers Board is trying to bring to campus this year.
The Associated Students of the University of Arizona passed a resolution Wednesday for a $125,000 loan to allow the Speakers Board to pursue these big name acts, said Carrie Pixler, director of the Speakers Board.
Stewart is one of the top choices for this year, Pixler said.
"I really am going to try and go after him," Pixler said. "I think he would be highly successful at U of A."
If Stewart accepts the invitation, the only available date for him to appear in McKale Center is April 8, which is when ticket costs would be the cheapest. Otherwise, a smaller-capacity venue like Centennial Hall will have to be chosen, Pixler said.
Nick Oreshan, a student-employee at Replay Entertainment in the Student Union Memorial Center, said he thinks bringing Stewart to the UA would be a hit.
"In here we have a lot of people who come in for the Jon Stewart DVDs," said Oreshan, a management information system sophomore.
Actors Efren Ramirez and Aaron Ruell, who portrayed Pedro and Kip, respectively, in the movie "Napoleon Dynamite" are also on the Speakers Board hopefuls list.
The event would be held Oct. 20, pending approval from the proper studio areas, said Pixler.
The bid to bring Ramirez and Ruell to campus would cost $13,500 and would be funded out of the Speakers Board budget.
If Stewart were to come to campus, it would cost an estimated $125,000 for the speaking engagement alone, not counting hotel accommodations, plane ticket or other outside expenses.
This year's Speakers Board budget is estimated to be around $31,000, however the final amount will be revised and approved at the ASUA meeting Wednesday, Pixler said.
"We do realize that since Speakers Board is given such low numbers to work with as a special event that we're going to take out loans for the bigger acts," she said. "We've decided at this point it's not about quantity of speakers, its really about the quality."
The recently approved ASUA resolution means the Speakers Board has enough money, in addition to their forthcoming budget, to bring speakers to campus. Money for loans taken out by branches of ASUA comes from the University Budget Office, located in the Administration building.
The budget for the Speakers Board is funded by ASUA, which receives its funding from a variety of sources such as student activity fees, profits from the UofA Bookstore, administration grants and transfers, and rollover from the previous year, said ASUA Treasurer Keven Barker.
"It's kind of like when your parents send money for food," he said. "It all gets put into one account."
The money then gets distributed to each area of ASUA in hopes that it will make the college experience better.
"It's very beneficial for all the students and ASUA to bring in somebody noteworthy that they'd be excited to see," Pixler said. "We could get them talking about their student government and how they could be involved."
Pixler said students are encouraged to submit ideas for other speakers they would like to see. Students can call 621-ASUA or visit the Speakers Board area of the ASUA offices, located on the third floor of the student union.