Jessica Rudi, Joshua Bowden, Mabelle Yousif, and Maral HaireekProspective students Jessica Rudi, Joshua Bowden, Mabelle Yousif, and Maral Haireek, seniors at St. Joseph’s high school, take a break from open house activities after lunch in the student centre.

Open house shows human side of post-secondary experience

The prospect of starting university is exciting, and high schoolers got a taste of that excitement at open house on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Maral Haireek, a Grade 12 student at St. Joseph's Catholic High School in east Windsor, plans to study mechanical engineering. She attended Saturday with a group of friends, and said she was glad she did.

“I just wanted to see some of the lecture halls, and see what the environment is like,” she said as she took a quick break for lunch. “I was really impressed by the engineering facilities.”

Her classmate Mabelle Yousif is hoping to study neuroscience, and said the open house helped to reassure her that the University of Windsor will be a good fit.

“I got to talk to the dean of science,” she said, adding that she may not have enjoyed the opportunity at a larger school. “I really got the sense that he cares.”

That is the entire premise of the day’s activities, said Beth Natale, director of student recruitment.

“It gives us a chance to show the human side of the campus community,” she said. “It’s all about helping students picture themselves here.”

The event was structured a little differently, with check-in and an information fair located in the Centre for Engineering Innovation, academic program presentations across campus, and lunch in the student centre.

“We wanted to stretch the footprint a little bit,” Natale said. “Recruitment is a team sport, and this is a campus-wide project.”

Liaison officer Crystal Bryan accompanied prospective students and their families on one of three buses shuttling visitors from the Toronto area, which she calls home. She said the trip gave her a chance to reassure them that Windsor is not too far.

“I’m still close enough that I can visit my parents,” she said. “It’s close enough that they can visit me — but they have to call first!”

Organizers were finalizing a count as DailyNews was published, but noted a record-setting 4,400 visitors had pre-registered for Saturday’s open house.

still from “Buskin’ in the Subway” The Windsor International Film Festival will screen “Buskin’ in the Subway” Nov. 4 as part of its collection of local short works.

Silver screen to showcase cinematic short stories

Education professor Cam Cobb and B.Ed student Chris Di Staulo teamed up to create a 10-minute documentary that will screen during the Windsor International Film Festival as part of its “WIFF Local Shorts” collection, at the Chrysler Theatre at 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4.

Their entry, Buskin’ in the Subway, follows a day in the life of Don Stevenson, a 70-something Toronto busker. Stevenson shares stories from a life that saw him cross paths with Etta Jones, Etta James, B.B. King, Janis Joplin, Santana, Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, and more.

Monday’s screening will feature 12 films, including several with a UWindsor connection:

  • film student Braunte Petric’s Defender, which describes the work of Windsor law professor Julie Macfarlane on behalf of litigants who represent themselves in court;
  • student Yongjun Liu’s A Normal Evening, depicting the struggles of trying to be happy in Canada on the eve of Chinese New Year;
  • Essence of Death, by MBA grad Matthew Sabelli, a fable on life, the afterlife, and what it means to exist;
  • alumnus Francesco Loschiavo’s post-apocalyptic tale Into the Grey; and
  • two by student Gemma Eva — the thriller Rough Love, and with classmate Calum Hotchkiss, the period piece The Rabbit and the Snare.

The Chrysler Theatre is located at 201 Riverside Dr. W. Find more information, including a list of the local shorts, on the festival website.

still image from the film “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band”The film “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band” will screen Nov. 10 on WIFF’s closing night, sponsored by the University of Windsor.

Trivia quiz to hand out film festival tickets

DailyNews readers can win tickets to the Windsor International Film Festival, courtesy of the Office of the President. A celebration of the art of cinema, the festival will feature almost 300 screenings at three downtown venues through Nov. 10.

As a sponsor, the University has received tickets to distribute to students and employees. What better way than through a trivia contest?

Ten winners will each receive a pair of ticket vouchers, selected at random from all correct responses submitted by 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4. To enter, just send your answers to these three questions about the festival:

  1. In 2019, the Windsor International Film Festival will celebrate which anniversary?
    a) 10th
    b) 12th
    c) 15th
    d) 20th
    e) 25th
     
  2. The new WIFF Alley will provide a corridor from University Ave. to which other downtown street?
    a) Chatham St.
    b) Maiden Lane
    c) Pitt St.
    d) Riverside Dr.
    e) Wyandotte St.
     
  3. Which University of Windsor building joins the Capitol and Chrysler theatres as a venue for WIFF screenings?
    a) CAW Student Centre
    b) Dillon Hall
    c) Human Kinetics Building
    d) SoCA Armouries
    e) Windsor Hall

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.

red tree outside Essex HallThe Beautiful UWindsor photo contest invites submissions of original pictures of the campus, like this 2018 entry by Adit Patel.

Contest seeks images documenting campus beauty

Everyone can be a photographer, and a contest this month invites students, staff, and faculty to capture images that show the beauty of the UWindsor campus.

Part of the Windsor Proud spirit campaign, the Beautiful UWindsor photo contest offers two chances to win for students, and this year an additional prize has been designated specifically for employee entrants.

Students, staff, and faculty can submit their photos for a chance to win the People’s Choice Award chosen by a selected group of judges from around campus for their chance to win one of two Fujifilm Instax Mini 70 instant cameras. All students who enter will also be put into a draw for a $50 Amazon Gift card.

To enter, submit your photos by Nov. 19 to Sarah.Racinsky@uwindsor.ca. Remember that any submissions must be an original photo that you took. Find more details on the contest website.

Chefs prepare a big batch of the famous Food Services vegetarian chili.Chefs prepare a big batch of the famous Food Services vegetarian chili.

Reminder: free lunch on offer Tuesday

UWindsor students and employees have a chance to warm up with a free lunch during Fall Fest on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Catering Services staff will serve a hearty vegetarian chili with rolls and farm-fresh apples starting at noon in the Student Courtyard between Dillon and Memorial halls.

Sponsored by the Office of the President, Fall Fest is open to all faculty, staff, and students. The event will continue while supplies last, proceeding rain or shine.