Tickets to hear the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet will be available Jan. 8. The Dalai Lama will be speaking at two events in the McLeod Center May 18. One is a panel discussion at 9:30 a.m. and the other is a keynote address at 2 p.m. Tickets for the events will be sold separately.
A limited number of tickets will be available to University of Northern Iowa students for no charge. Students who reserve tickets will receive a voucher, which must be redeemed for tickets April 19-23. A valid UNI student ID and a ticket will be required for admission on the day of the event.
Any student seats not claimed by April 23 will go on sale to the public. The cost of tickets for the panel discussion is $15, while the keynote address tickets will cost $50, $25 and $15. The tickets are available at UNItix locations, by phone at 273-4849 or online at www.uni.edu/dalailama. There is reserved seating for both events.
UNI professor of religion James Robinson recommends that students try to come see the 14th Dalai Lama if they can.
“(The Dalai Lama) is one of the great world figures for issues of peace, for religious harmony, for good and righteous living … a very important voice for a very oppressed people,” Robinson said. “He’s a sort of embodiment of what, in terms of moral character, people could well strive for … It’s really, in many ways, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people.”
Robinson acknowledged that some students might only want to come to one of the events. “I would recommend the afternoon keynote address of those two.
“There will be any number of events leading up to the Dalai Lama coming and I encourage students to go to as many of them as they can,” he continued.
The events will be hosted by UNI and community partners to build awareness of the Dalai Lama, leading up to May 18. More information about the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet can be found at www.uni.edu/dalailama. Clicking on “Affiliated Events” at this site will show details for the community events as the information becomes available.
