UWindsor aeronautics student Olivia White is one of four women across Canada awarded an inaugural scholarship named to honour Air Canada’s first female pilot.

Funded by Air Canada and the Northern Lights Foundation, the Air Canada Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship provides young women aspiring pilots $5,000 towards their aviation studies.

The winners range in age from 18 to 26: White, Urooj Ali, Rebecca Beylerian, and Yasna Taieb.

White applied for the scholarship in December 2019. She was informed she was one of the winners in February, but it wasn’t announced publicly until March 6 at Air Canada headquarters, where the recipients toured the flight operations centre, talked to operations staff, and met Cameron, who was hired by the airline in 1978 at 23 years old.

White says Cameron is one of her heroes.

“She was the only woman in her flight school when she earned her licence,” she says. “She is unbelievably kind. It’s amazing to be connected with a woman like that.”

White earned her private pilot’s licence while in high school, so even though she is in her first year of university studies, she is taking first- and second- year courses in aeronautics leadership.

“I am really enjoying the program. It’s a small program so you get to know everyone, and program co-ordinator Tamsin Bacon knows all the students by name and makes time for us to meet with her,” says White. “When I was getting my licence, I was the only teenager learning with a group of 30+ year old men. It is so nice to be studying with a group of my peers.”

She earned her night rating as soon as she arrived at UWindsor and plans to get a commercial licence by year’s end.

“Next is instrument rating and then multi-engine rating,” she explains.

After graduation, White hopes to get a job as a pilot where she can gain experience and get the needed hours as a professional pilot, and then fly for Air Canada.

—Susan McKee

The Law Society of Ontario will confer a medal on Jeff Berryman, UWindsor associate vice-president academic, in recognition of his career achievements and contribution to the legal profession at its annual awards ceremony, in May in Toronto.

The award honours outstanding service in the profession, whether in the area of practice, in the academic sphere, or in some other capacity where the service is in accordance with the highest ideals of the legal profession.

Holding the rank of distinguished university professor and a former dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Berryman is an exemplary academic role model, the society says in its citation:

“He is recognized both nationally and internationally as a scholar in his field of expertise — contracts, remedies, and restitutions. He has provided exceptional leadership at the University of Windsor and continues to provide invaluable inspiration to his students and the faculty.”

Law society treasurer Malcolm Mercer says the awards recognize important contributions and important leadership.

“Each recipient provides a worthy example of professional service,” he says. “We look forward to honouring them at our annual awards ceremony with the Law Society’s highest awards of recognition.”

—Rachelle Prince

Social distancing restrictions imposed by public health officials to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus has resulted in the cancellation or postponement of UWindsor events.

The By the River literary reading by Karl Jirgens, Mark Laliberte, and Jade Wallace has been cancelled.

A March 18 pasta dinner for English students and the Creative Writing Gala scheduled for March 19 are cancelled.

The Celebration of Nations, March 19, is cancelled.

A reception celebrating the Photo Show exhibition in the SoCA Gallery, March 19, is cancelled.

The Pensions and Benefits series of seminars for members of the University’s retirement plans have been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.

The March 20 symposium hosted by Making It Awkward: Challenging Anti-Black Racism has been cancelled.

The Organization of Part-time University Students has postponed its March 20 awards banquet and plans to reschedule for October.

The Windsor Film Society’s March 20 screening of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer has been postponed indefinitely.

The Windsor Military Studies Conference has been rescheduled from March 20 and 21 to Sept. 18 and 19 at the SoCA Armouries.

The Korea workshop in the International Student Centre culture series, March 25, is cancelled.

The book signing of “A Cultural History of Marriage” by Christina Simmons, March 25, has been cancelled.

University Players has cancelled its production of Stag and Doe, scheduled to open March 27.

The March 27 performance of Considering Matthew Shepard by the UWindsor Chamber Choir and University Singers has been cancelled.

The philosophy student conference, March 27 and 28, is cancelled.

The March 28 University Jazz Ensemble Cabaret has been cancelled.

A fundraiser concert for the Greg and Sharon Butler Scholarship, March 29, has been cancelled.

Accessibility Awareness Day, March 31, is cancelled.

The Lancer Evening of Excellence athletics awards banquet, March 31, has been cancelled. Organizers will provide an update on possible rescheduling or an alternative means of recognizing award recipients within the coming weeks.

The April 2 launch of poetry books by Samantha Badaoa and Laurie Smith has been postponed to a later date yet to be determined.

The University Wind Ensemble Spring Concert, April 3, has been cancelled.

The Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry has cancelled its April 7 Windsor Campus Awards of Excellence Dinner and hopes to reschedule in the future.

Mare Nostrum restaurant will operate only for takeout and delivery from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests should order in advance by phone or app.

This list is not comprehensive. The University has announced it is cancelling or postponing all non-essential events both on and off campus. Check with organizers to determine the status of any previously-announced events.

As a response to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the national university athletic association, U Sports, has issued a three-week moratorium on all in-person recruiting in its 12 sanctioned sports.

This moratorium applies to all in-person recruiting visits. Recruitment by phone call, text message, social media, email, or other non-in-person media are permitted to continue during this blackout.

U Sports will revisit the decision in the coming weeks to determine whether to extend the moratorium.

Publication of DailyNews, the University of Windsor e-newsletter, may become irregular during the move to essential-services-only in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The public affairs staff remains dedicated to keeping the campus community informed and will produce and distribute DailyNews as warranted.

Editor Kevin Johnson invites readers and contributors to send story ideas and suggestions to UofWnews@uwindsor.ca.