Coming events

The opening ceremony for Black History Month is at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 1, in Student Center Ballroom B. Among the activities will be a discussion on the genesis of Black History Month.

The Saluki men's basketball team looks to extend the nation's longest home-court winning streak to 34 games and the record for consecutive home Missouri Valley Conference wins to 43 when it hosts Indiana State, Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7:05 p.m. at the SIU Arena. Tickets are $18, $16 and $10 apiece depending on seat location, and $6 for children in the upper bowl. SIUC student admission is free with a valid SIUC student ID.

The world-renowned Russian National Ballet performs the timeless classic Sleeping Beauty, Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Shryock Auditorium. Tickets are $29; $23 for senior citizens 60 and older and children 15 and younger. Tickets are available at the SIU Ticket Office in the SIU Arena or the Student Center Central Ticket Office. Tickets may also be ordered by phone at 618/453-2000, or through Ticketmaster at 866-646-8849.

"Real Needs & Red Ink: How Do We Fund Vital Services In Illinois," a symposium that explores the state's ability to meet critical vital service needs given the state's structural budget deficit is set for 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3, in Student Center Ballroom B. The event is free. Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability is the keynote speaker for the event, which is sponsored by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. There will be two panels -- one examining spending pressures and one that looks at fiscal and social issues that exist.

The Saluki men's basketball team faces Missouri Valley Conference foe Wichita State, Saturday, Feb. 4, at 11 a.m. in Wichita, Kan. The game is being televised on ESPN2.

The Heartland Honor Band Festival will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4, at Shryock Auditorium. Admission is free.

Collage: Poetry & Music with poet Mwatabu Okantah and the Cavini String Quartet performs at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 6, in the Student Center Auditorium. The performance features spoken poetry woven in and around the music. Okantah is Poet-in-Residence and director of Pan-American Studies at Kent State University; the Cavini Quartet is a quartet-in-residence at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The group will also perform at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the Student Center Auditorium.

Journalist Earl Caldwell, who has spent a career witnessing and writing on many of the nation's most significant civil rights events in the last 40 years, presents a lecture at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 6, in Student Center Ballroom D. Admission is free.

The Saluki men's basketball team hosts Missouri State, Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 8 p.m. at the SIU Arena. Tickets are $18, $16 and $10 apiece depending on seat location, and $6 for children in the upper bowl. SIUC student admission is free with a valid SIUC student ID. The game is being televised by ESPNU.