KU events this week: Office hours, bucket lists, war on computing (and/or snow)

Posted by Matt Erickson

February 25, 2013 at 11:33 a.m.

This week's weekly KU events roundup comes, of course, with a big caveat: After last week's snowstorm that ground the campus to a halt (almost), another 8 to 10 inches is forecast for tonight and Tuesday morning.

(By the way: I'm curious, as I bet some of you are, what might happen if KU were forced to cancel classes for another day or two this week. According to this history of weather-related cancellations, three full-day class cancellations in a single semester would be the most for KU since at least 1972. I asked KU spokeswoman Jill Jess if any possible schedule adjustments had been discussed in case campus closes again this week; she said there's nothing to announce at the moment.)

One event I'd planned to include, scheduled for today, has already been canceled. If any of the others listed become casualties of the weather, we'll let you know.

But in the meantime, here are some things CURRENTLY scheduled for this week:

• First up: Wednesday morning will be my regular Heard on the Hill office hours, 9 a.m. to noon in the Media Crossroads at the Kansas Union. I can tell you I'll be there as long as the campus is open. So come ask me some questions and give me a piece of your mind.

• Another event sponsored by the Student Union Activities group, in a busy month for those folks: "The Buried Life," a program based on the MTV show by the same name. It starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday in room 120 at Budig Hall. I can't say I've seen the show, but I'm told it involves a couple of guys who help people cross off goals on their "bucket lists," and they'll be talking about that subject. Tickets are free for students, $2 for faculty/staff and $5 for anyone else. Get them in the Union Programs Box Office on the Kansas Union's fourth floor.

• Mary Evelyn Tucker, a scholar on religion and ecology from Yale University, is visiting this week for a couple of events related to her film "Journey of the Universe." There will be a screening and panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Liberty Hall, a colloquium 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Spooner Hall, and a lecture 7 p.m. Thursday at the Spencer Museum of Art.

• Cory Doctorow, a science-fiction author and co-editor of the blog Boing Boing among other things, will talk from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday in Alderson Auditorium at the Kansas Union. The talk's descriptive title: "The Coming War on General Purpose Computing: Every single political issue will end up rehashing the stupid Internet copyright fight." It's free, but it's in the smaller of the union's two auditoriums, so space will be limited. It's sponsored by the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction.

Again, if I failed to note anything you think is important, add it in below in the comments.