The walls of the HUB Auditorium remained silent last night, as no student or community member came to the brainstorming session for next year's Distinguished Speakers Series (DSS) that was scheduled at 6 and open to the public.

The annual session to develop the list for next year's series usually produces about 200 names suggested from students, community members and organization representatives.

"It could have been because it's Thon weekend, or because we usually have it at the end of January, not February," Matt Midles, Distinguished Speakers Series Committee chair said.

He added that the session was advertised in press releases, radio announcements, e-mail lists and was also announced twice Tuesday night at Ruth Westheimer's speech.

Since no new names were offered, the committee will be taking suggestions via e-mail at studentactivities@sa.psu.edu.

"We believe the students should have a say in who's coming," Midles said, adding that every name suggested will be put on a master list.

"Some of the names are a little outlandish," Midles said, "but we'll consider it. If you don't name the name, they certainly aren't going to come."

The only time the committee won't consider a name is if the person had spoke as part of the series in the last 5 years, Midles said.

After a master list is compiled, the names are sent to the committee's booking agent, Theo Moll from Keppler Associates.

Moll tells the committee that the speakers' availability, how much they cost and how difficult they are to work with.

"There are a lot of people who are extremely difficult," Midles said. "Either they cancel all the time or they have extravagant demands."

The committee, which consists of about 11 members, will then spend the rest of the semester narrowing down the list to about 25 names.

"We use a lot of different ways to narrow [it] down," committee member Todd Bacastow said. "We try to be as fair as possible and represent as many views on campus as possible."

Committee member Adam Sheetz said they consider a variety of things when deciding on a speaker.

"We want someone distinguished in their field, someone who appeals to the student body and community, and someone who has a diverse area of expertise," Sheetz said.

Midles said that while DSS brought a larger number of smaller speakers this year, they are looking to get three or four bigger names for next year.

One area Sheetz said they are lacking is business-related speakers.

"We've been looking for business, but it's hard because there aren't a lot of people that are mainstream," he said.

Bacastow added that those who are mainstream don't have an incentive to come.

"Take Bill Gates. Every school wants someone like that to come," he said. "But you can't persuade him with money, it has to be a business interest. The same is true for Hollywood types."

DSS is funded by the Student Activity Fee. They will request allocations from the University Park Allocation Committee in April.