Keaton KwokDrama student Keaton Kwok (right) shares a laugh with a volunteer helping him carry belongings into his new home Sunday during residence Move-in Day.

Volunteers ease move-in for new residence students

When residence students descended on campus Sunday, an army of volunteers was waiting to help.

“It takes a lot of work to get hundreds of people settled into their dorms quickly and efficiently,” said Sandra Davis, manager of residence life. “The Windsor Inter-Residence Council has done a spectacular job of being prepared for our students.”

The student-run council recruited volunteers who checked students into their residences, provided directions to newcomers, and hauled gear up into their rooms. Among them was Karlee Fischer, who joined the transition support team LEAD@UWindsor after enjoying her own first-year experience.

“I loved welcome week and it looked like a fun time to get involved,” said the second-year biology and biochemistry student. She said she remembered the help she got moving into Alumni Hall last September.

Fischer’s friend, second-year engineering major Stephanie Girges, was also helping to haul gear from the curbside Sunday.

“I liked all the help we got during Head Start and other orientation programs, so I thought I would try volunteering this time around,” she said.

For Diandra Houghton, a first-year criminology and sociology student, having helpers to carry belongings into her Macdonald Hall home made one less thing to worry about. She left Cambridge at about 5 a.m. for the drive to Windsor.

“We’re both anxious and excited,” said her mother, Crystal Houghton.

And along with all the excitement of leaving home, meeting new people and making new friends, the University experience is still about education, said new acting student Xanath Fuentes.

“I am really excited about improving my skills, just learning more about acting,” she said.

Crystal and Diandra Houghton
Crystal Houghton appreciated the help her daughter Diandra—beginning studies in criminology this week—got to move into Macdonald Hall.

Drew Nevills
First-year engineering student Drew Nevills came prepared to fill his dorm room in Laurier Hall.

Xanath Fuentes
Xanath Fuentes, about to begin her studies in acting, poses for her student identification card photo, Sunday in Vanier Hall.

UWindsor Welcome Week continues today with the Tough Lancer competition kicking off the Lancer Cup, a water balloon fight in the residence quad, students embarking on scavenger hunts and an Amazing Race-style competition, culminating in food and games at the Beach Party and barbecue.

Wednesday’s activities include mandatory academic orientation sessions for new students in every program, and the Welcoming Celebration at 3 p.m. in the St. Denis Centre, featuring a draw for a $3,000 tuition voucher, sponsored by the University of Windsor Alumni Association.

Find a full list of event descriptions, locations and times at www.uwindsorwelcome.ca.

Dillon HallPresident Alan Wildeman provided the campus community with an initial projection for fiscal 2015-16 in an update Friday.

President provides update on budget projections and student recruitment

In an e-mail message sent to the campus community Friday, UWindsor president Alan Wildeman provided an initial projection of the 2015-16 fiscal year and information regarding student recruitment efforts.

Ram Balachandar, executive director of the Centre for Executive and Professional Education, will now have responsibility for all international recruitment except for the United States and the Caribbean. And effective January 1, 2015, Lionel Walsh, assistant dean in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, will succeed business professor Dave Bussiere as assistant vice-provost, student recruitment.

Read the full document on the presidential communications website.

Lancer receiver Evan Pszczonak grabs a pass.Lancer receiver Evan Pszczonak opens the scoring for Windsor, pulling down an Austin Kennedy pass over Laurier defensive back Yann Dika-Balotoken and turning downfield for a 90-yard touchdown play.

Fans fill stadium for football opener

Thousands of fans streamed into University of Windsor stadium Monday to cheer on the Lancer football team in a hard-fought 39-30 loss to Queen’s to open the 2014 season.

Leading the way for Windsor was quarterback Austin Kennedy, who threw for 393 yards and three touchdowns—two to receiver Evan Pszczonak, including a 90-yard play to open the scoring for the home team. Dylan Whitfield’s 11-yard catch and a 32-yard run by Beau Lumley accounted for Windsor’s other majors.

Read the full game summary, “Lancer football falls 39-30 to Queen’s in season opener.”

Next up for the Lancers are the Laurier Golden Hawks on Fan Appreciation Day, Saturday, September 6, on Alumni Field at 1 p.m.

Cheering fans
Fans cheer Beau Lumley’s touchdown run late in the first half.

Kid on bungee cord
The game also marked the Windsor stop of the NFL on Campus tour, which gives spectators a football experience. Here, a youngster struggles against a bungee cord to evade a tackle.

Korissa Williams
Lancer basketball star Korissa Williams measures her long jump against those of pro football players.

Winston wiggles
Mascot Winston joins residence staff and student volunteers for the Windsor wiggle at halftime.

fans sit on the hill
With the stands full, fans took to the grassy hill on the west side of the field.

See video of the Lancers hitting the field, the tailgate concert and more on the UWindsor Vine page.

Men’s soccer wins opener over Golden Hawks

The Lancer men’s soccer team opened its 2014 campaign with a 3-1 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo on Saturday. Marco Bernabo, Joseph Camaj and Bobby Evans scored for Windsor. Read a full game recap at goLancers.ca.

The women dropped a 5-0 decision to Laurier.

Both soccer teams play on the road again next weekend, taking on the Brock Badgers Saturday and the McMaster Marauders on Sunday. The Lancers open their home seasons on Saturday, September 13, when they host the Guelph Gryphons on Alumni Field.

University and college commit to cooperation

A new body will explore ways that the University of Windsor and St. Clair College can be “better together,” says acting provost Bob Orr.

The Cooperative Development Committee demonstrates a serious and evolving relationship between the two institutions, he says, pointing out that its membership includes senior administrators from each school.

“It reflects a broader commitment to combine strengths and best practices,” says Dr. Orr. “Are there things we can do better together than separately?”

He says existing articulation agreements in a number of disciplines provide an example of cooperation that benefits students, adding that the new downtown campus increases opportunities for collaboration in services and operating processes.

“It puts us in physical proximity for the first time,” says Orr. “We will want to look for educational resources we can share.”

He cites the college’s experience with the Blackboard learning management system, which the University is just beginning to roll out: “Now we have colleagues right here who have a fair bit of experience implementing this system.”

Besides Orr, the committee comprises UWindsor vice-president planning and administration Sandra Aversa and registrar Alice Miller, and representing St Clair College, Patricia France, senior vice president, college operations; chief financial officer Dolph Barsanti and registrar Mike Silvaggi.

The group has held an inaugural meeting; members invite suggestions for avenues to explore with regard to collaboration to benefit both institutions.

Mark BagleyOpening the Marketplace food outlet in the CAW Student Centre for breakfast will make it more accessible to everyone, says manager Mark Bagley.

Student centre to serve weekday breakfasts

The Marketplace food outlet in the CAW Student Centre will serve breakfast this year, reports manager Mark Bagley.

“Our Homestyle station will open at 7:45 a.m., Monday to Friday,” he says. “We will be serving a rotating menu featuring eggs, home fries, waffles, pancakes, French toast and various breakfast meats.”

In addition, patrons will be able to choose from grab-and-go items, including whole fruit, toast and cold cereals.

The Tim Hortons kiosk will continue its past practice of opening at 7:30 a.m. Bagley says that centralizing morning operations in the student centre will make it more accessible to the entire campus community.

“Our hope is that everyone will feel comfortable taking advantage of this service,” he says.

The Food Services schedule through September 7 is available here. Regular hours of operation for each location are posted at uwindsor.ca/food.

Sessions to help graduate and teaching assistants improve their teaching skills

A program organized by the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the GA/TA Network will help UWindsor graduate students improve their teaching skills, whether to benefit their current students or to prepare for careers in which they’ll need to discuss, present, and provide feedback to others.

GATAcademy—sponsored by the Faculty of Engineering; the Faculty of Education; the Faculty of Science; the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the Odette School of Business; the Faculty of Nursing; and the Graduate Student Society—offers a mix of workshops created especially for new graduate and teaching assistants, but also of practical use to GAs and TAs at every level of experience.

This year’s sessions will be led by experienced GAs, TAs, and instructors from FAHSS, science, engineering, psychology and education, as well as staff from Leddy Library, the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the Student Success Centre, and the International Student Centre.

Topics include:

  • Providing an Effective Lab Experience
  • Teaching in the Multicultural Classroom
  • Publishing, Copyright, and Open Access
  • Effective Explanations
  • Active Learning: Effective Tutorials and Dynamic Discussions
  • Teaching With Stats and Data: Tools, Tips, and Tricks
  • Teaching With Technology: The Fun, the Cool, and the Efficient Stuff…
  • Professional Practice: Understanding Issues in Professionalism for the 21st Century
  • Grading and Feedback
  • Academic Integrity
  • Life as an Online or Blended Course GA/TA: Navigating the Technology Minefield
  • The First Day
  • Language and Communication: Effective Communication Across Cultures and Languages

The program runs Wednesday, September 3. Space is limited, so centre staff encourage faculty to inform their GAs and TAs that they will need to register quickly. More information and online registration are available at: http://cleo.uwindsor.ca/workshops/76/.