This year, the ISU lectures program has offered a diverse collection of speakers and subjects certain to have sparked the interests of ISU students.

From Ben, of Ben and Jerry’s Ice-Cream, Jose Tapia, of MTV’s “Real World” and future presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, to improv-entertainer Carrie Seim, this year’s lectures program has offered a variety of speakers.

“[Attending lectures] is such an opportunity to personally meet people; this isn’t television, it’s live,” Patricia Miller, program manager for the lectures program.

Every year, Iowa State brings between 100 and 150 lecturers to entertain, inform and enlighten students and community members alike, Miller said.

Miller mentioned some unique experiences she has had while working with the lectures program.

For example, when Helen Thomas, correspondent to the White House, spoke in April 2007, a male audience member requested that she autograph his boxer shorts. “To be able to have Helen Thomas autograph your boxer shorts — where else would you have this opportunity?” Miller said.

During the 2006-2007 school year, students have had the opportunity to hear lectures on nearly every topic. Jodie Sweetin, more commonly known as ‘Stephanie Tanner’ from the 1990s hit show “Full House,” spoke about her road to recovery from drug addiction.

Mike Leahy addressed a packed crowd as he delivered his lecture “Porn Nation,” about the increasing problem of pornography addiction and a hyper-sexualized culture.

“It’s impressive that this many people would show up, so I suppose [the lecturer] will be pretty good,” said John Dicke, junior in accounting, before attending “Porn Nation,” which packed the Great Hall of the Memorial Union in March 2007.

One of the most enticing components of the lectures program is that every lecture is free.

“I’ve attended several lectures this semester, mainly because the subjects seem pretty interesting,” said Andrew Dust, junior in economics, at the lecture “Africa and the Curse of Foreign Aid.”

The lecture was given by Andrew Mujuni Mwenda, an award-winning Ugandan journalist.

The 2007-2008 lineup includes John Oliver, comedian and correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and Richard Florida, economist, urban theorist and best-selling author of “The Rise of the Creative Class.”