Every possible debate, from Newlyweds to sports stars, was discussed at the first meeting by the Distinguished Speakers Series (DSS) Wednesday night to decide next year's lineup.

The meeting, which was open to the public, only brought out about twenty people, about half being members of the actual committee that selects the final list of speakers each year.

Judy Albin, DSS adviser, said the weather and Wednesday night's men's basketball game could have been factors of the low turnout. Many more students have attended the annual meeting in the past.

However, those who did attend offered different names for more than an hour to booking agent Theo Moll. During a conference call, he told the audience about relative fees as well as the availability of the suggested names.

More than 75 names were mentioned, as well as the idea of a public debate between liberals and conservatives.

"I think debates are a great idea," Moll said. "It takes some planning to find people who feel comfortable being paired together and to do it within a budget, though."

When asked about the famous Newlyweds, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, Moll laughed. "Oh boy, I don't know what to say," she said. "I wouldn't discount that they would do lectures, but I don't know anything about them."

Several sports stars were mentioned, such as tennis star Pete Sampras, but Moll said athletes are usually a hard group to get to speak.

However, former San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Steve Young and Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. were mentioned as those who were willing to speak, depending upon price.

Different authors were another big topic, including Dan Brown. He wasn't available this past year because he was writing a follow-up to the best-seller The Da Vinci Code, Moll said, but is a possibility for next year. Others mentioned included Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club; and Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed.

Several current government officials were mentioned, such as U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, but elected officials are generally not allowed to receive money for giving lectures and are usually better acquired through personal contacts, Moll said.

Students at the meeting recommended a number of entertainers and politicians, including actress Angelina Jolie and former President Bill Clinton.

Matt Boyer, committee chair, read many names submitted via e-mail for feedback from Moll.

While next year's budget for the series is uncertain at this point, Boyer said the committee can choose to have as many or as few speakers as they want depending on how they choose to spend their money.

Besides the price of each speaker, the committee takes into account availability, likelihood of cancellation and finding a diverse group of speakers for the university, he said.

"We haven't had a speaker from the business world in a while, and I would like to fill that gap," Boyer said. "We'll decide based off the feeling we get from what the students want."

He said the committee never picks someone who isn't suggested at the meeting or through e-mail messages. Now that the committee has gathered student-suggested names, it will look into them and decide to whom offers should be made.