By: Kevin Thomas ~Staff Writer~

Comedian Gibran Saleem will be coming to Xavier in the Atrium of Gallagher Student Center at 9:30 p.m Friday to share his jokes and observations about the world we live in and, presumably, eat some of the free Busken donuts and Buffalo Wild Wings that will be provided by the Student Activities Council (SAC).

Because the X-treme Fans campout that will occur on Friday night as well, SAC decided to not have a Muskies After Dark event, but rather a more scaled down event.

Saleem will not be the first comedian to come to Xavier. In years past, SAC has brought in many joke-tellers, including the newest member of Saturday Night Live, Melissa Villaseñor, and Cristela Alonzo, who now has her own show on NBC.

Saleem was first seen at a conference hosted by the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) that SAC attends twice yearly.

“We saw Gibran showcase at… NACA,” Dustin Lewis, the associate director of student involvement and advisor to SAC said, “At the conventions, [the students] see lots of different performers and can ultimately bring them to campus.”

There are hopes that Saleem will spark some dialogue through the show because he is an American born Pakistani. “We thought that his comedy was really relevant,” Lewis said.

“We thought that it also touches on some important geopolitical issues. We find humor is a good way to sort of create conversation with people, and also to make people feel more comfortable around things they are uncomfortable around. As well as to shape up some of the discomfort, too.”

According to a bio of Saleem on nhk.org, “Gibran’s jokes challenge people’s perception of skin color, and he is pursuing his dream of going beyond racial stereotypes and making it to the top in entertainment.”

Saleem is based out of New York City and has an impressive resume. He has performed in the New York Newswire photo by Hannah Paige Michels Comedy Festival, Boston Comedy Festival, Out of Bounds Festival (Austin, Texas) and the Big Sky Festival (Billings, Mont). He took first place at the Hoboken Comedy Festival and has also performed on MTV Iggy, Popcorn Flix, PBS and more.