Your daily dose of news, notes and links from around Kansas University.

• Here’s a little update on the parking fee increase situation, which got a little muddled when I tried to cite a student publication at the University of North Carolina. Admittedly, that wasn’t the brightest idea I’ve ever had.

The skinny from Donna Hultine, KU’s director of parking and transit, is this: Yes, KU is considering parking fee increases, but we’re still a ways off from knowing what they might be — or if the provost’s office would approve them.

She said that she’s submitted different budgets to the provost’s office but that it would be a little premature to talk about the specific details at this point, while things are still being figured out.

The parking department is considering fee increases, Hultine said, as a way of paying for improvements to crumbling parking lots before they become useless.

I also asked about what recent fee increases looked like over the past few years. We used the price of a gold parking pass as a sample.

In the 2004-05 school year, that pass cost $180. Since then, the price has increased three times: to $235 in 2005-06, to $255 in 2006-07 and to its current price of $285 in 2008-09.

No word yet on when we might hear about potential fee increases.

We’ll continue to follow this situation here at Heard on the Hill World Headquarters — you know, the real way, by talking to people who know what’s going on and asking them about it.

• Wednesday marks the beginning of Into the Streets Week at KU, a week devoted to highlighting volunteer activity among KU students.

Several activities are planned.

They include a talk from Greg Mortenson, an activist and author who wrote the book “Three Cups of Tea.”

He has helped build schools for children in central Asia and co-founded the Central Asia Institute, and has promoted literacy and education in the region for about 15 years.

He will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Lied Center. His talk is free for students and $10 for nonstudents. Tickets are available at the door.

On Friday, students will “Fast for Change,” when they will not eat during the day, and donate the money they would have spent on food to the Lawrence Community Shelter. A benefit concert featuring DJ Set, Bennykress, Dutch Newman and Soul Services will be at the Jackpot starting at 9 p.m., and the $5 charge for everyone will benefit the relief effort in Japan.

On Saturday, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., students will sleep overnight in South Park to raise awareness for issues faced by the homeless.

Donations of socks, coffee and cereal will be accepted at the event.

More events during the week can be found on the calendar at the Center for Community Outreach’s website.

• Speaking of helping the Japan relief effort, KU’s Japanese Student Organization has listed several ways to help.

KU Provost Jeff Vitter provided the information on his website last week.

One easy way is to visit the JSA’s tables in the main floor of the Kansas Union and at Wescoe Beach, where they’ll be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Texting REDCROSS to 90999 from your cellphone will allow you to automatically donate $10 to the effort.

• There are never any fee increases associated with Heard on the Hill. All I ask is that you send in a tip now and again. Tell me something I didn’t already know at ahyland@ljworld.com.