The ICCB in Lawrence, Kansas -- Expectations and Preparations

A summary of local answers to the questions frequently asked by conference participants…..

What's the weather going to be like? Certainly warm and mostly sunny, quite possibly hot, with some rain likely to occur -- probably in the form of brief but impressive thunderstorms. Tornadoes are unlikely at this time of year. Comfort advice: almost all buildings are air-conditioned; it is wise to have a light sweater, shirt or jacket in case you encounter overenthusiastic cooling. Statistics for the week of July 6-12 in Lawrence (past 30+ years):

	Mean	Std. dev	Record Max./Min
Daily high temp.	32.5^oC (90.6^oF)	3.6^oC (6.4^oF)	41.7^oC (107^oF)
Daily low temp.	21.2^oC (70.1^oF)	2.8^oC (5.0^oF)	55^oC (12.8^oF)
Daily precip.	3.1 mm (0.12”)		0 - 171 mm (0 - 6.74”)

How do people dress? Casually, in general, but if you want to dress up that's OK (see the note above about air conditioning).

Smoking: All KU buildings and many retail establishments are no-smoking areas; smoking areas are available outdoors. Many eating establishments offer a choice of smoking or non-smoking sections.

Drinking: On Sundays, liquor can be purchased by the drink, but no bottle sales are allowed. By law, grocery and convenience stores can sell beer or other alcoholic beverages that have NO MORE THAN 3.2% alcohol; liquor stores sell a full range of products. [Note that Ray’s Liquor Warehouse, 1215 W. 6^th, and the Free State Brewery, 636 Massachusetts, are conference sponsors. We recommend them.]

Is it safe? Anonymous crimes against persons are rare in Lawrence; you should be personally safe with only the most rudimentary of precautions (e.g., do not wander alone in the dark, or say loud uncomplimentary things about Jayhawks in a bar late at night). Thefts of opportunity do happen -- do not leave valuable items unsecured (a locked hotel room is quite safe). For potential hazards associated with outdoor activities, see the Field Trip handout sheet. However, note that you don 't have to go out of town to meet chiggers, the infamous (and nearly invisible) midwestern mites that inhabit grass, apparently for the single-minded purpose of finding warm, moist, tender human skin to burrow into and cause to itch.

Any particular advice for foreigners? The language is English and the currency is US dollars -- don't expect the average person on the street or the local bank to deal with anything else (exchange your currency or non-dollar travelers' checks at your port of entry, but major credit cards are widely accepted for both purchases and cash advances). However, Lawrence and KU have a large community of international students and scholars; people are accustomed to diversity, and a wide variety of foods are available.

Communications: Internet access is available at the conference and several downtown coffee shops. Public phones that accept credit cards or prepaid telephone cards are available in many locations -- the US prefix for an international call is 011, followed by country code and number.

Transportation: See the conference program for shuttle bus times to and from the hotel and special events. Lawrence also has a municipal bus service (see handout), taxis, and airport shuttle services (advance bookings recommended).