The student-led anti-tobacco program Leave the Pack Behind is encouraging smokers to quit. On November 15, the program launched its “wouldurather” contest, which rewards students for quitting, reducing their smoking, and staying tobacco-free.

The six week province-wide contest is designed for Ontario residents between the ages of 18 and 29.

“Wouldurather” has four categories:

• Quit for Good: a smoker who quits could win $5,000;
• Keep the Count: a smoker who reduces his or her tobacco use by 50 per cent could win $2,500;
• Party without the Smoke: the social smoker who avoids cigarettes when drinking could win $1,000;
• Don’t Start and Win: offers a lucky winner $500 for not taking up the habit.

Approximately one in four people start smoking after they are 18, so the last category aims at the wannabe smoker.

“Most young adults have their first cigarette after 18, which is basically when they come to university,” says Aicha Hassani, UWindsor campus coordinator of the contest, adding that the best way to reach the demographic is by talking to them on campus.

“Young adults associate drinking with smoking, which is really the worst since it’s hard to quit by then, so we’re trying to break the association,” says Hassani.

The group conducts outreach on campus, talking to students about smoking and quitting. Its members set up booths, where they offer informational material on how to quit smoking and how to help family members who smoke, as well as holding educational talks.

The contest is open until January 22 and the draw will be held on March 6. Early-bird entrants who register between November 15 and December 31 will be entered in an additional draw for a $500 prize. To register visit the contest website. For more information on Leave the Pack Behind, visit its website or Facebook page.

—Loren Mastracci

The annual holiday luncheon for faculty and staff will take the form of a stand-up reception in a casual setting, says executive chef Paolo Vasapolli.

The event is scheduled for noon Wednesday, December 7, in Vanier Hall’s Winclare Room. It promises festive food stations, seasonal music, door prizes and the company of friends and colleagues.

“Our format puts an emphasis on mingling and visiting,” Vasapolli says. “We have heard from so many patrons that this is one time of the year that they see each other socially.”

Tickets are $12 per person, including tax and a festive beverage. Each department is asked to delegate an individual to coordinate purchases. Tickets go on sale today; they are limited to 350 and expected to sell out by December 2. Find details on the event website.

The Elf on the Shelf is a new holiday tradition, sent from the North Pole to homes around the world to help Santa determine who’s naughty and who’s nice.

Lily Powis of the alumni affairs and donor communications office wants to share this tradition with members of the campus community and has donated an elf still in its original packaging along with its accompanying book for a lucky DailyNews reader.

A trivia quiz about the 2003 movie Elf will determine the most deserving recipient. One winner will be selected at random from all correct responses received by noon Wednesday, November 30.

1. Will Ferrell plays the titular character, a man who has been raised as an elf in Santa’s workshop. What is his name?
   a) Bobby
   b) Buddy
   c) Hermie
   d) Legolas
    
2. Which comic actor plays his adoptive father, Papa Elf?
   a) Tim Allen
   b) Ed Asner
   c) Bob Newhart
   d) Steven Wright
    
3. At the film’s climax, what song generates enough Christmas spirit to power Santa’s sleigh?
   a) Here Comes Santa Claus
   b) Jingle Bell Rock
   c) Must Be Santa
   d) Santa Claus is Coming to Town
    

Contest is open to all readers of the DailyNews. Send an e-mail with your responses to uofwnews@uwindsor.ca. One entry per contestant, please. Note: the decision of the judge in determining the most correct response is inviolable.

Not all of the questions posed in the Leddy Library Research Question Competition are serious, but they all ask people to imagine the world in new ways, says Simon du Toit.

Three UWindsor students received prizes for participating:

• Yasin Avci finished atop the voting for his query “What can be done at the University of Windsor to get this institution into the ranking for the top 10 universities in Canada?”
• Jelena Djukic’s question “Can Antarctica sustain a year-round community with today’s technology?” was drawn at random from among the submissions.
• Shannon Crampsie won a draw for voting.

The Research Question Competition is held each fall as a precursor to the UWill Discover Undergraduate Research Conference. Dr. du Toit is conference chair.

“It’s a fun way for students to connect their curiosity with research opportunities,” he says.

He reminds people to mark the event in their calendars — Friday, March 31, in the CAW Student Centre.

Toronto poet and former UWindsor writer-in-residence Margaret Christakos will read alongside master’s students in creative writing Simina Banu, Samie Bauder, and Katerina Stavridis in a free public event Monday, November 28, at Common Ground Art Gallery.

The evening will also feature a presentation by master’s student Sam Whittaker on the poetry of Canadian innovator bp Nichol (1944-1988).

Christakos is the author of nine collections of poetry, including Excessive Love Prostheses (2002), Sooner (2005), What Stirs (2008), Welling (2010) and Multitudes (2013). She has also published a novel, Charisma (2001) and — her latest — an inter-genre memoir, Her Paraphernalia: On Motherlines, Sex/Blood/Loss & Selfies (2016). She teaches creative writing at OCAD University and the University of Toronto.

Find more information on the English department website.

The UWindsor student group Get Real will host a poetry slam titled “Rainbow Rhythm and Rhyme” on Tuesday, November 29, 5 to 7 p.m. in the CAW Student Centre Commons.

The poetry will revolve around topics such as LGBTIQ+, gender, and intersectionality.

“Our mission is to defeat homophobia and bullying and promote inclusive language,” says the group’s president Victoria Pedri, “It is also about self-expression, arts, and entertainment.”

While homophobia is an issue present on campus and in the community, Pedri says many people are actively fighting it.

“I believe a lot of the problem lies within our language and a larger misunderstanding of gender and the LGBTQ+ community,” says Pedri, “It’s why education, inclusive language, and kindness are so important to our mission.”

—Loren Mastracci