Topeka trip will take KU representatives to Capitol

Representatives from about 20 academic and administrative units will visit the state Capitol on Thursday, March 18, as part of “KU in the Capitol.” The group will highlight KU’s outreach efforts and the impact university contributions have on the state’s economy. Displays will be in the first-floor rotunda between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Legislators will receive information and will have an opportunity to speak to students and staff. This is the first time the university has embarked on this kind of universitywide, coordinated effort in the Capitol. Organizers hope to repeat the program next year and include additional units. Chancellor Robert Hemenway also gave testimony to the House Budget Committee on March 4 at the Capitol.

English department to present jazz symposium

“Live Words of the Hip World: Free Jazz, Spoken Word and Rap,” a free, public symposium devoted to the interaction of contemporary African-American verbal and musical expression, will begin at 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 12, in Alderson Auditorium at the Kansas Union. Three English literature scholars specializing in the literature of music and popular culture and of African-American and American writers will speak about free jazz, spoken word, rap and “floetics,” a term that refers to recent lyrical developments in hip-hop music. Speakers will be Howard Rambsy, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and William J. Harris and Jeffrey Mack, both from KU. KU’s Department of English, Project on the History of Black Writing and Interdisciplinary Jazz Group are sponsoring the symposium.

Oral history workshop to feature Langston Hughes visiting professor

The Hall Center for the Humanities will conduct “Learning to Hear the Stories V: Voices from the Past—Speaking through the Present,” a workshop on oral history and tradition, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, March 12, in the Kansas Union ballroom. This year’s speakers include Madison Davis Lacy, the Langston Hughes visiting professor of theatre and film at KU and an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work appeared in Ken Burns’ Jazz, and Peggy Bulger, director of the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center. For more information, contact the Hall Center at hallcenter@ku.edu or 864-4798.

Outstanding academic advisers sought for awards

Nominations are being accepted for outstanding academic advisers. Forms are available at www.advising.ku.edu/eval/advisornomination
.shtml. Faculty, staff and students may nominate individuals they consider outstanding in their work with students. Selections will be made based on the information provided. Nomination forms and required references are due by 5 p.m. Thursday, April 1. Contact Bridget Bradley in CLAS Undergraduate Services at 864-3500 or bbradley@ku.edu for further information or nomination forms.

Rankings place KU debate team among top 5 in nation

The latest National Debate Tournament Varsity rankings place the KU team fifth in the nation. The University of California-Berkeley team is ranked No. 1 nationally with Emory University in Atlanta; the University of Texas at Austin; and Michigan State University in East Lansing ranked ahead of KU. Harvard University and Dartmouth College trail KU, ranking in sixth and seventh place. NDT Varsity rankings are based on the top two senior division teams from a school at eight tournaments.