The brown bear in Owen Science & Engineering Library remains silent when asked about the ongoing contest to name it. Mouth open and claws raised, the stuffed bear stoically observes the WSU community members who come to enter the contest to name it by putting suggestions in a nearby box. These people are eager to offer their input, and one group thinks it has a winning name: Stephen Colbear.

Its group on the social networking Web site Facebook had grown to more than 600 people Wednesday, less than a week after it was started by Brandon Brackett, the residential education director at McEachern Residence Hall. “People who don’t watch the show won’t understand, but people who do watch the Colbert show think it’s the greatest thing ever,” Brackett said, referring to the popular Comedy Central show “The Colbert Report.” The suggested name for the bear comes from comedian Stephen Colbert, the host of the satirical news show. Brackett said he started the group because he thought it was a fun idea, but the group’s influence has made it to the contest entry box.

“I would say we get several every day for Stephen Colbear,” said contest organizer Linda Shippert, the science and maps librarian at the Owen library. She said there have been approximately 250 entries so far, ranging from silly names – such as “Professor Grumpy” and “Fluffy” – to more serious ones.

Though the contest is not a strict vote, there are no rules for how many times a person can enter, Shippert said. “If we get many entries for a particular name, that might influence our decision,” Shippert said with a cryptic smile.

The contest began during the last week of September and the winning name will be announced during Dad’s Weekend in early November, Shippert said. The name will ultimately be decided by a committee of Owen library faculty and staff members who have agreed to not enter the contest. Shippert could not give her opinion, since she will be on the naming committee, but said she had not heard of “The Colbert Report” until she heard about the Facebook group a week ago. The bear itself was donated to the university by the River Center Foundation at the Dungeness River Audubon Center in Sequim. River Center founder Annette Hanson planned the donation in honor of her husband, Mark, who died last fall.

Brackett said the bear is an especially fitting recipient of Colbert’s name because Colbert is known for listing bears as a major threat to America on his show.

“Whenever he talks about bears, it’s like he’s scared of them,” said Holly Gibson, the RED at Stephenson East. Gibson said naming the bear after Colbert would be fun for students who understand the pun, but the publicity could also benefit the city.

“[Colbert] might even come here, and that would be great for the Pullman community,” Gibson said.

Another reason to choose that name is because Colbert likes to have things named after him, Brackett said. In August, Colbert asked viewers of his show to e-mail the Saginaw Spirit, a Michigan team in the Ontario Hockey League, to ask the team to name its new mascot after him. Colbert was present at the Sept. 30 game when the mascot –Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle – made its first appearance. He also encouraged his viewers to vote on a Hungarian Web site to have a bridge in Hungary named after him.

Brackett said it’s important for WSU to be seen as a top research institution that can still have fun – especially on national TV.

“It would be really cool to see our university on TV – even for a few seconds – in that funny, humorous way,” he said.

Colbert had not returned calls for comment as of press time.