Entertainers Leonardo DiCaprio and Jon Bon Jovi will stop at Iowa State on Thursday as part of their tour around the country in support of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

They will be speaking in the atrium of the Design Building at 10 a.m. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.

Erica Carnes, vice president of the ISU Democrats, said DiCaprio and Bon Jovi’s visit was confirmed Tuesday.

“It’s been kind of hectic around here,” she said. “We’re all really, really excited for this.”

Visits to Des Moines and Simpson College in Indianola are also on the celebrities’ Thursday tour schedule.

Carnes said that the national Democratic party wanted to bring people like DiCaprio and Bon Jovi to large universities in swing states before Election Day on Tuesday.

“Obviously, they’re encouraging young people to vote and get involved with the process, and giving them reasons to vote for Kerry,” she said.

Unfortunately, Carnes said, Bon Jovi will probably not perform a concert.

Garrett Dancik, graduate student in computational biology, said he’s happy about Bon Jovi’s visit.

“I’m from New Jersey, so we have lots of pride when it comes to him,” he said. “It’s a shame he won’t be performing.”

Alison Schafhauser, sophomore in preprofessional health programs, said she hadn’t heard of DiCaprio’s pending visit.

“Leonardo DiCaprio kind of fell off the face of the earth for a while,” she said. “‘Titanic’ happened, and he kind of sunk with it.”

The celebrities have also stumped for Kerry in other states, including Wisconsin and Florida, said Carrie Giddins, spokeswoman for the Iowa Democratic Party.

DiCaprio’s tour isn’t the only thing he’s doing for the Democratic Party. A phone message DiCaprio recorded for the Democratic party has apparently reached the phones of female ISU students — encouraging them to vote for Kerry.