KU for Ukraine event, featuring stories, poetry and music, to support Ukrainian students

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An upcoming event in Lawrence aims to provide both community and financial support for Ukrainians at home and abroad.

The event will start at 7 p.m. Monday, April 18, at Maceli’s Banquet Hall, 1031 New Hampshire St. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

“The event, which shows support for Ukrainians both at home and abroad, is part of a larger effort to support Ukrainian students at KU and enable KU to host displaced Ukrainian scholars and students on campus,” according to a news release from event organizers.

“The present destruction of Ukraine by Russian military has disrupted life for millions of people, including many university students and scholars. KU has a strong Ukrainian tradition, having taught Ukrainian languages and culture for many years, along with being home to great Ukrainian scholars and students. In the past weeks, current days, and coming months, Ukrainian higher education will need support and help to survive, resettle, and rebuild. Faculty, staff and students at the University of Kansas aim to aid and support them in this endeavor.”

The event’s lineup, according to the release, is as follows:

  • KU Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer will provide opening remarks about KU’s institutional efforts to support Ukrainian students and scholars.
  • KU Slavic and Eurasian Languages and Literature faculty Oleksandra Wallo and Vitaly Chernetsky will share personal accounts of Ukrainian life during wartime.
  • KU Theatre and Dance faculty, Laura Kirk, David Ruis Fisher, and Jane Barnette will perform Ukrainian poetry about war, with dramaturgy by KU Theatre and Dance doctoral student Marzi Ashrafian.
  • The program will conclude with KU School of Music faculty member Boris Vayner and colleagues performing Ukrainian music joined by Ukrainian musicians from the broader Kansas City community, including Elena Bosworth.

KU’s Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages & Literatures, International Affairs and Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies have set up a dedicated fund for donations, according to the release. KU is collaborating with Ukrainian Global University, an emerging consortium of higher education institutions in Ukraine to identify needs and hosting opportunities for displaced students and scholars.

Maceli’s will host a cash bar, and all profits will be donated to the fund, according to the release.

“With the support of KU Endowment, donations from the community will be accepted at the event as well as online before, during, and after the event through the LaunchKU page” at this link, according to the release.

No tickets or registration are required, but donations are encouraged.

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