An event to officially celebrate the start of the campus campaign for the United Way will feature free coffee and doughnut bites, as well as a chance for UWindsor employees to win an extra vacation day.

The United Way flag will rise outside Chrysler Hall Tower on Tuesday, November 1, to signal the University’s commitment to the charity’s programs to reduce the effects of poverty across Windsor-Essex County.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. on the tower’s west side (or in the CAW Student Centre Commons in the event of rain). After presentations on the charity’s community impact, faculty and staff in attendance will have the opportunity to enter a prize raffle for a free vacation day or a $50 gift card to Costco.

Volunteer canvassers will distribute pledge forms to colleagues on October 31 and November 1, seeking their support for the United Way’s investment in three priority areas: reducing poverty, supporting kids and families, and strengthening neighbourhoods.

The 10-year journey described by Homer in his epic poem has come into common parlance as a synonym for a long series of vicissitudes. In a lecture Wednesday, October 19, Ian Storey will discuss modern attempts to retract the ancient journey in the Odyssey.

Dr. Storey is a professor emeritus at Trent University and the author of the books A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama, Euripides: Suppliant Women, Eupolis: Poet of Old Comedy, and the three-volume Fragments of Old Comedy.

“Seeking Odysseus” is free and open to the public. It begins at 4 p.m. in McPherson Lounge, Alumni Hall.

Cable community television channel TVCogeco will air recordings made by the Media and Educational Technologies group in IT Services of the University’s 106th convocation ceremonies.

Cogeco will show them for cable customers on its channel 11 service on Saturday, November 5:

• Session 1 — engineering, nursing, and science at 3 p.m.
• Session 2 — arts, humanities and social sciences; business; education; human kinetics; and law at 7 p.m.

The recordings were originally live webcasts of each session, and are available for viewing on the Convocation website. Professionally produced DVDs of each session may be purchased online at cleo.uwindsor.ca/ctl/ecommerce.

Senator Murray Sinclair addresses Convocation after receiving an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Bill Altenhof hopes that serving as a councillor in the Town of Tecumseh will allow him to benefit its residents.

The UWindsor engineering professor won a byelection Friday to replace the late Michael Rohrer in the town’s Ward 2. His 676 total votes put him well ahead in a field of six candidates, with almost half of the 1,359 votes cast.

“Ultimately, it’s about giving back to the community which has been so good to me and my family,” says Dr. Altenhof, who was born and raised in the village of St. Clair Beach, which amalgamated with Tecumseh in 1999.

He says he will take his cue on priorities from voters.

“One important item you obtain from campaigning is feedback and concerns from residents,” Altenhof says. “I heard a lot about safety on our streets — traffic safety, pedestrian safety, bicycle safety. We want our streets to be safe for all and the best approach is to take a pro-active approach to best ensure no incidents occur.”

He says his experience as an engineer will come in handy on the file, and in getting him up to speed on issues facing the community.

“I am fortunate to have sat on a number of federal, provincial, and university councils and committees and I believe these experiences will bring me up to speed quickly,” he says. “The 2017 budget will be a topic in the very near future.”

Altenhof indicates that engineers are often brought into situations which need immediate attention: “Generally, engineers get involved in tasks and activities very quickly.”

His first council meeting is October 25.

A free session Tuesday, October 25, will feature an engaging discussion on copyright fundamentals and practical tips on managing copyright in creative work or business.

Guest speaker Catherine Ozimek, a lawyer with the firm Mitchell & Associates, will deliver “Copyright: Hero or Villain? Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs, Artists and Creators,” part of the EPIC Law Lunch and Learn Series.

It starts at noon in the Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre and includes lunch for registered attendees. Register online.

Come hear what it’s like to work for firms representing management or labour firms, to be in-house for a union, and to represent both employees and employers during a panel discussion Wednesday at Windsor Law.

The Moot Court is the setting for the panel on “Careers in Labour and Employment Law” October 19 from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Panelists include:

• Claire Bebbington, a graduate of Windsor law working in the labour and employment department of McTague Law Firm;
• Windsor Law grad Andrew Black, in-house counsel for the Labourers' International Union of North America, Local 183;
• Stephanie Hobbs, an associate at Goldblatt Partners;
• Matt Dewar, a partner at Levitt LLP;
• Windsor Law professor Janelle Diller, advisor to the International Labour Organization on international law and policy relating to human and labour rights, development and migration.

Find more information in the Facebook event.

The student awards office has announced winners of the Board of Governors in course medals.

These medallists are ranked by major average and must achieve a cumulative average of at least 83 per cent:

• Arts: Robert Lahoud
• Social Sciences: Stephanie Sarah Nardone
• Business Administration: Marissa Sabrina Biasi
• Engineering: Alex Michael Smith
• Law – JD: Dragana Bukejlovic
• Law – Dual JD: Raffaella Rullo
• Human Kinetics: Paige Coyne
• Nursing: Nicole Danielle Couvillon
• Science: Dan Ursu
• Inter-Faculty: Yasin Mustafa Avci
• Education: Marie Josee Guindon

The recipients are still working toward their degrees and await recognition in their individual faculties.

Paul Wong picked up a portapak video camera in the 1970s as a renegade against the world around him and has become one of Canada’s most renowned multimedia artists, says arts professor Sigi Torinus.

“Capturing the everyday, he uses video as mirror and probe, both to discover his own identity and to reflect the world back onto itself,” she says. “His work is varied and eclectic, ranging from conceptual performances to complex narratives and site-specific spectacles.”

Wong will discuss his work as a media subversionist and cultural strategist in a free public artist’s talk at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 19, in room 115, LeBel Building.

The Organization of Part-time University Students is hosting a Let’s Talk social from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, October 20, in the CAW Student Centre’s Ambassador Auditorium.

The agenda will feature:

• a presentation by members of the Toastmasters club;
• updates on the Ontario Student Grant; and
• free refreshments.

Part-time students in attendance may enter a draw for a $250 bursary.

The event is free but organizers ask that those intending to come RSVP to opus@uwindsor.ca so they know how much food to order.