By Jon Gambrell
Enquirer contributor

OXFORD - The "Motor City Madman" is set to hit Miami University - to lecture on politics.

Ted Nugent, a '70s-80s rock star known for his hit song "Cat Scratch Fever," will talk about his political views for this year's Conservative Week, sponsored by Miami's College Republicans.

His speech, set for Feb. 19, will be free and open to the public, though a time and location have not been set.

According to Matt Nolan, a junior political science and history major and president of College Republicans choosing Nugent was perfect for the largely apolitical student body.

"When you hear people talking about politics, they just don't care," the 21-year-old from Salem, Wisc., said. "Part of the reason we wanted to bring him is because some people don't like him. We want to counter the liberalism that dominates college campuses."

Nugent, 55, campaigns for expanded rights for hunters and gun owners. A member of the National Rifle Association and a Michigan county sheriff's deputy, Nugent hosts a radio show in Detroit and publishes Ted Nugent Adventure Outdoors magazine.

Nugent's hunting doesn't sit well with Miami senior Tamara Matheson, president of the campus group Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, though she said she respects that Nugent uses all of the animals he kills.

"I understand where he's coming from, especially with the antibiotics used on huge corporate farms," she said. "It still doesn't make it right."

Another Miami student, senior Ben Wagner from Hamilton, said seeing Nugent isn't in his plans.

"He seems like a jerk and I don't know any of his songs other than 'Cat Scratch Fever,' " he said.

Nolan said he shared a lot of Nugent's political beliefs, but shied away from the rocker's wild antics.

"I wouldn't act like Ted Nugent on a daily basis," he said.

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E-mail jgambrell@fuse.net