GARY | Although a few events in October were impacted by last month's flood closures, the majority of this month's events at Indiana University Northwest will take place as scheduled, according to a list of happenings.

Fall convocation

The Fall 2008 Convocation, originally scheduled for Oct. 9, 2008, and featuring esteemed Lincoln scholar Edna Green Medford, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Howard University, has been postponed. A new date has not been determined. However, a second convocation event, scheduled for 6 p.m. Dec. 5, and featuring acclaimed author and nationally recognized Lincoln expert Harold Holzer, Ph.D., is expected to take place as scheduled. More details on that event will be announced in coming weeks.

Debate viewing parties

Political junkies, party partisans and anyone else interested in the U.S. presidential election can join the IU Northwest community for two upcoming debate viewing parties in the Moraine Student Center. The remaining debates between GOP hopeful U.S. Sen. John McCain and Democratic nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama will take place on Oct. 7, and on Oct. 15. Pre-debate and post-debate discussions will help bring the issues into focus as members of the campus and the Northwest Indiana community engage in lively civic discourse. Light refreshments will be served.

A follow-up Political Views Debate on Oct. 16, sponsored by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society, will draw on these events in a conversation that will be moderated by Sandra Hall Smith of SPEA. This event will take place in the Library Conference Center beginning at 7 p.m.

Discussion

The IU Northwest campus community will host this year's "Reading in the Region/One Book, One Campus" reading and discussion events on Oct. 13 and 14. This year's book is "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother," by James McBride. The discussion sessions will be held in Library Conference Center 105 ABC from 1 to 3 p.m. on Oct. 13 and from 10 to noon Oct. 14. Copies of McBride's book remain available to borrow at the IU Northwest Library or to purchase at the Barnes & Noble campus book store. For more information on Reading in the Region, visit the Web site at http://www.iun.edu/~lib/reading/reading2008.shtml.

Arts summit

The IU Northwest Center for Regional Excellence will host the Third Annual Regional Arts Summit in collaboration with South Shore Arts on Oct. 17. This year's theme for the day-long event is "Outreach and Advocacy: Adventures in Arts Education." The Summit will feature morning discussion sessions and two guest speakers: Arnold Aprill, who is founding and creative director of Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE); and Ra Joy, executive director of the Illinois Arts Alliance. The afternoon session will consist of a panel discussion on successful education partnerships, led by Towle Theatre managing director Jeff Casey, along with vocal, theatrical and dance performances from arts-grant recipients. For more information on the Third Annual Regional Arts Summit, or to reserve a spot, contact Shari Pettis at South Shore Arts by calling (219) 836-1839, ext. 100. The deadline for registration is Oct. 13.

Reception rescheduled

Due to September's flood closures, a related gallery reception scheduled for Sept. 26 was canceled. This event will be incorporated into the Oct. 17 Summit. The original exhibit, which consisted of a variety of artworks from Northwest Indiana artists, is no longer on display, but images of the artwork will be shown in a slide presentation in the Savannah Auditorium beginning at 3:30 p.m., and awards will be presented to the winning artists. The Summit's closing reception will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Savannah Center.

Money Smart

IU Northwest will host Money Smart, a free financial expo aimed at teaching people strategies for better money management on Oct. 18. Sponsored by an assortment of public, non-profit and financial institutions in the Northwest Indiana and Chicago area, Money Smart offers more than 20 workshops related to four crucial financial areas: Making Ends Meet, for people who want to learn how to stretch their dollars and establish good spending plans; If It Sounds Too Good ... for people who want to learn how to spot and avoid scams, predators and pitfalls; Enhancing Your Money Power, for people who want to improve their spending, savings and retirement strength; and Youth Track, for students age 7 to 18, because it's never too early to get a good start. There will also be foreclosure experts on hand to help families who are in the foreclosure process look for possible ways to keep their homes. The Money Smart program is free, and lunch is included; advance registration is required. Call (219)

980-4800 or (800) 982-4801 to reserve a space. Morning registration begins at 8 a.m., with opening remarks at 8:30; Workshops begin at 9.

One Dollar Book Sale

The IU Northwest Anthropology Club will bring back the Big One-Dollar Book Sale for another week of great deals on great books beginning Oct. 20. The event will be held in the Moraine Student Center from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 to 1 on Friday. Books cost $1 each, with special deals for quantity purchases. Book donations are also accepted for this popular event, which brings hundreds of people to campus from across Northwest Indiana to stock up on novels, non-fiction, self-help, and many other varieties of books.