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Dark Water Rising: The True Story Behind the Hurricane Katrina Animal Rescues - THE FILM
7:00 PM – Gallery, Memorial Union - This is the true story of what really happened to 50,000 starving and stranded pets in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.Over 50,000 dogs and cats were left behind in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The pets (mostly dogs) that survived the flood were locked in houses and chained to fences without food and water for up to six weeks.

Book Lusting: The Pleasures and Perils of a Life of Reading - Nancy Pearl
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Nancy Pearl has become a rock star among readers since the release of Book Lust and the Librarian Action Figure modeled in her likeness. The former Executive Director of the Washington Center for the Book is a regular commentator about books on national Public Radio's "Morning Edition" and NPR affiliate stations. In 2004, Pearl became the 50th winner of the Women's National Book Association Award for her extraordinary contribution to the world of books. The 2006 Banned Book Week speaker.

Girls Fight Back - Erin Weed
7:00 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Girls Fight Back was founded in 2001 by Erin Weed after the murder of her college sorority sister, Shannon McNamara. This terrible tragedy inspired Weed to learn all she could about personal safety, self-defense and women's empowerment. After training with the best violence prevention experts and self-defense instructors in the world, she created the innovative Girls Fight Back approach. Mixing humor and empowerment with the practical needs of today's woman, Weed has created revolutionary personal safety programs, courses, educational tools and a cutting-edge women's self-defense studio.

Bemba Colorada with Joey Villagomez & Vince Acevedo
6:30 PM – Great Hall, Memorial Union - Come for the comedy, stay for the music! The Opening Ceremonies for Latino Heritage Month 2006 will include the band Bemba Colora with comedians Joey Villagomez and Vince Acevedo. Bemba Colora will play a variety of Latin music including salsa, merengue, and cumbia. Comedians Joey Villagomez and Vince Acevedo along with Bemba Colorada, will provide a fun and entertaining night rich in Latino culture. Joann McKay, Director of the Des Moines Latino Heritage Festival, will open the eveniing with brief comments.

Place Work, Piece Work, Public Work - Julie Ellison
7:30 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Julie Ellison is director of Imagining America, a consortium of universities whose mission is "to strengthen the public role and democratic purposes of the humanities, arts, and design." She is a professor of English and in the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Michigan. Part of the Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities series on Places, Peoples, and Spatial Practices.

Why Look at Racism Today? A Catholic Response - Bryan Massingale
8:00 PM – Sun Room, Memorial Union - Bryan Massingale, the Msgr. Supple Endowment Fall Lecturer, is working with the US Bishops on the development of a pastoral letter on the sin of racism and is a Associate Professor, Department of Theology, Marquette University. He (S.T.D., Accademia Alphonsianum, 1991), [Systematics/Ethics], specializes in Roman Catholic moral theology with a focus on Catholic social thought, liberation theologies, African American religious ethics, and racial justice. His recent work applies Catholic social thought to the issues of affirmative action, racial reconciliation, environmental justice, and terrorism and the challenge of peacemaking.

The Importance of Being Entrepreneurial in Today's Changing University Climate - Michael Morris
4:00 PM – 1352 Gilman Auditorium - Michael Morris, the 2006 Helen LeBaron Hilton Chair, is Professor, Witting Chair in Entrepreneurship, and Head, Department of Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises, Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University. Dr. Michael Morris is internationally recognized for his writing and teaching on the topic of entrepreneurship. His most recent books include: Corporate Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurial Development Inside Organizations (with D. Kuratko) and Entrepreneurial Intensity: Sustainable Advantage for Individuals, Organizations, and Societies.

Comedy! Christian Finnegan with Kyle Grooms and John Mulaney
8:00 PM – Stephens Auditorium - Admission Free - Doors open at 7 p.m. - Christian Finnegan, as seen on Comedy Central, is currently on VH1's hit series Best Week Ever. Other credits include Comedy Central Presents, Chappelle's Show and Premium Blend, and performances at clubs and colleges all over America, most recently with Comedy Central's No Class College Tour and FHM's Comedy Tour. Also performing from the Comedy Central line-up: Kyle Grooms and John Mulaney.

Jim Hightower Campus Tour for Sensible Federal Budget Priorities
12:00 PM – Central Campus, Iowa State University, Rain location: Great Hall, Memorial Union - Jim Hightower will discuss current federal budget priorities and how changes can be made to provide for children's health insurance, education, alternative energy development, job training, and world hunger efforts. Sensible Iowans will be there with their "Carny Mobile" containing interactive and enjoyable educational carnival style games to teach players about our current federal budget. Free pens and other goodies. Jim Hightower will be touring Iowa's universities and community colleges on behalf of Iowans for Sensible Priorities.

A Philosophy of Public Environmental Education - Mark Rigstad
7:00 PM – Oak Room, Memorial Union - Mark Rigstad is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Oakland University in Michigan. His research and publications focus on the history of political philosophy in early modern Britain, and on philosophical issues of military and environmental justice in contemporary global politics. He received his doctorate from the Johns Hopkins University where he was an interdisciplinary Fellow in the History of Political Thought.