Lace up those bowling shoes and order a White Russian because "The Dude" is coming to the UW.

Jeff Dowd, the man behind the unkempt character 'The Dude" in The Big Lebowski will be in the HUB auditorium this Wednesday at 7 p.m. to lead students through a screening of the popular movie and to discuss culture and political activism in the past, present and future.

Pi Sigma Alpha (PSA), the UW chapter of the National Political Science Honor Society, is sponsoring Dowd's visit, which is part of the "Jeff 'The Dude' Dowd College Tour," aimed, in part, at combating the growing trend of political apathy among young adults.

"We're at the cliff's edge, and it's really time for us to be involved in some way," Dowd said.

Once a Husky himself, Dowd lived in Seattle from about 1969-81 and attended UW for several years.

During that time, he was involved in the Vietnam era anti-war activism and worked with such groups as The Seattle Seven, the Black Student Union and MEChA.

Dowd was also part of the group of students that started the Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG) on the UW campus.

"It was a time of phenomenal discussions," Dowd said. "Everyday you would learn something new. There was so much debate going on."

Now a movie producer and distributor in Los Angeles, Dowd said he would ultimately like to see that kind of enthusiasm return to the political sphere, especially in young people.

In addition to his college tour, Dowd has worked on several films and documentaries intended to educate people on political happenings and the importance of taking part.

He has also just completed a book entitled, The Dude Abides: Classic Tales and Rebel Rants.

PSA officers Nicko Fusso and Dylan Gruver are very optimistic about Dowd's appearance and, much like Dowd himself, hope that the event will help to inspire students to start making the changes they would like to see for their future.

"Having the innovation to start something big can be really rewarding," Fusso said. "I want students to see a guy like this and say, 'I can get involved too.'"

With their ID cards in tow, students can purchase tickets to the event for $1 at the HUB ticket office and are encouraged to get there sooner rather than later, as Dowd expects this appearance to be sold out like all the rest.

For those students who have never seen the movie before, Dowd said not to worry.

"You don't have to be a Lebowski fanatic to enjoy it," he said. "The discussion will definitely be about more than Lebowski."

Following the event, Dowd said he will be encouraging as many students as possible to come out to the Ave. with him for the chance to grab a drink and just "hang out."

"I'm going to buy him the biggest White Russian ever," Gruver said.

Reach reporter Brittany Rogers at news@thedaily.washington.edu.