The Student Chamber Showcase, Sunday, March 11, at Assumption University Chapel, is an opportunity for students performing in smaller musical groups to step into the spotlight.

The concert begins at 2:30 p.m. and promises great variety in its performances by voice majors, percussionists, string players and trombonists:

• Celestial String Quartet
  Xinrui Jia, violin; Tenyce Doan, violin; Fiona Lam, viola; Grace Wiebe, cello
• Rockin’ Trombone Quartet
  Adam Gittleman, Martin Skipper, Nikolas Steel and Michael Stone
• Opera Trio from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte
  Elizabeth Zuwala, soprano; Shelby Marchand, mezzo-soprano; Stephen Knight-Messenger, baritone
• Opera Scene from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro
  Christina Bell, soprano; Emily de Bekker, soprano; Adam Iannetta, baritone; Beka Bajic, soprano
• University Percussion Ensemble
  Chris Chamberlain, Meghan Chamberlain, Rashaana Cumberbatch, Jessica Dickie, Aaron Eichler, Sondra Gallina and Taylor Unis

Admission to this program of promising young talent is $10 with a student rate of $5. Order by phone at 519-253-3000, ext. 4212, or purchase online at www.uwindsor.ca/music.

More than 1500 guests pre-registered for Spring Open House, says Zora Savic, but the campus can expect more visitors than that: “We always have students who register at the last minute.”

Student communication and events coordinator in the liaison office, she says almost 40 presentations on academic programs are the heart of the day.

“Getting a chance to meet our faculty members is a highlight for the students and their families,” Savic says. “They love to hear from professors about what to expect.”

More one-on-one time is available during the information fair in Ambassador Auditorium, and tours of the campus, the St. Denis Centre and residence halls also prove popular.

One of the key events in the student recruitment process, Spring Open House will run 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, March 9.

A diversity exhibition highlighting the communal involvement and activism of teacher candidates will form the centerpiece of the fifth annual Social Justice in Education conference, Friday, March 9, in the Neil Education Building.

The theme of this year’s conference, a day-long series of workshops for education students, is Breaking Down the Barriers. The workshops will address issues such as sexuality and gender, critical thinking for social justice, bullying awareness, Aboriginal/First Nations issues, embracing diversity and equity in the classrooms as well as the developing world.

Organizer Ashley DeGrandis, social justice representative on the Education Society, says teacher candidates will also have the opportunity to attend the Teaching for Social Justice Cafe, a poster display event, which will provide students with insight on inclusive and diverse lesson plans and resources.

The Diversity Exhibit will be on display to the public in the Neil Education Building’s third floor lobby for an hour starting at noon.

Canadian Interuniversity Sport recognized a pair of Lancers as the country’s outstanding performers on the track this year, Thursday morning prior to the start of the national championship tournament.

Nicole Sassine, a fifth-year kinesiology student, was named female track athlete of the year. She received a similar honour at the Ontario University Athletics championship after she won gold in the 300m and the 4x200 relay and added silver medals in the 60m hurdles and the 4x400.

“Not only did she score a team-leading 22.5 points to help our women’s team win the OUA banner, but she is a superb team captain and provides great leadership throughout the season,” said Windsor head coach Dennis Fairall.

Matt Walters, a third-year liberal arts major, was named male track athlete of the year. A 2011 OUA all-star in cross country, he went on to earn an award as most outstanding male performer in track events at the OUA meet, where he captured a gold medal and a pair of silvers to help lead the Lancers to a remarkable 14th straight conference banner.

“Matt’s 3:44.92 in the 1,500m earlier this season on Windsor’s track was an incredible performance,” Fairall said. “He leads the nation in that event and has a great chance at gold this weekend.”

The three-day national meet started Thursday at the University of Manitoba’s Max Bell Fieldhouse. Learn more on the championship Web site.

Two other Lancer teams are blazing a path toward their national title challenges this weekend.

The women’s basketball team is in Ottawa for the CIS east regional, looking to earn a berth in the Bronze Baby tournament. Read more on the Lancer Web site.

The men’s hockey team will face the UQTR Patriotes in the OUA bronze medal game Sunday; the winner advances to play for the University Cup. Read a preview at goLancers.ca.

UWindsor students overwhelmingly turned down a proposed universal bus pass that would have seen them pay for Transit Windsor services through their student fees.

In balloting by University of Windsor Students Alliance members Wednesday and Thursday, “no” votes held more than a 2-1 margin.

Voters also elected the 2012/13 executive: Kim Orr as president, Mohammad Akbar as vice-president university affairs, Eric Pigeon as vice-president finance and operations, and Alyssa Atkins as vice-president administration. These preliminary results are unofficial until ratified by the alliance council.

Too much money at the top is bad for everyone, says Linda McQuaig.

“Our society tends to regard large fortunes as evidence of great talent or accomplishment,” she says. “Yet the vast new wealth isn't due to an increase in talent or effort at the top, but rather to changing social attitudes legitimizing greed and government policy changes that favour the new elite.”

One of Canada’s best-selling authors, the Toronto Star columnist will explore the themes of her most recent book, The Trouble with Billionaires (co-authored with law professor Neil Brooks), in a public lecture Sunday, March 11, at 7 p.m. in room 1120, Erie Hall.

McQuaig is the author of nine books on politics and economics – including six national bestsellers – such as Shooting the Hippo (short-listed for the Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction), The Cult of Impotence, All You Can Eat, and It’s the Crude, Dude: War, Big Oil and the Fight for the Planet.

How dedicated are the student volunteers of the University of Windsor Emergency Response Team? Dedicated enough to compete well against state-registered emergency medical technicians, says Rose Briscoe.

Community liaison officer for Campus Police Services, she takes pride in the showing of a UWindsor team in a skills competition held in Baltimore last month as part of the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation Conference.

“Our team competed against 32 teams from across the US and Canada, placing third overall,” Briscoe says. “The teams from competing universities are state-registered emergency medical technicians, but Windsor consistently does extremely well during the competitions at this annual conference.”

The Emergency Response Team provides first response medical services to the campus. A delegation of 13 members attended the Baltimore conference, learning from seminars on topics ranging from airway management to multi-trauma patients to mass casualty incidents.

Five took part in the skills competition, which measures response to scenarios based on actual EMS calls: Kyle Brown, Adam Bulkiewicz, Samantha Leahy, Andrew Peltier and Dara Tate. The Windsor team placed first in the medical and communication competitions and in the top five of the trauma situation.

Members of the University of Windsor Emergency Response Team showed their dedication with a top-three finish in a skills competition.

The Department of Physics is inviting nominations and applications for the position of department head, until March 19.

The appointment will be effective May 1, 2012, for a term of three to five years, and candidates must hold a tenured appointment in the department. For more information, please see the online posting of the internal search.

The University of Windsor Campus Community Police are working closely with Windsor Police Services with their investigation of an altercation originating at the University Pub that resulted in the injury of three young men early Friday morning. The University Pub is now closed until further notice.