Red Dress Day is a day of remembrance, but also an opportunity to take action, says Beverly Jacobs.

Senior advisor to the president on Indigenous relations and outreach and an associate professor in the Faculty of Law, she says the May 5 observance helps to bring awareness of the critical levels of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada.

Inspired by an installation by Métis artist Jaime Black which placed red dresses in public spaces throughout the country, participants in the grassroots movement hang red dresses from windows and trees to represent the loss felt by families and survivors.

“It’s a visual reminder of the really high numbers of Indigenous women and also two-spirited, lesbian, and gay members of our community suffering the impact of colonization and the genocide against Indigenous people,” says Dr. Jacobs. She researched and wrote the 2004 “Stolen Sisters” report for Amnesty International that brought international attention to the issue and identified it as a human rights violation.

A national inquiry issued hundreds of calls for justice that are still waiting to be implemented, Jacobs says: “We need people to learn and understand this history to turn awareness into action.”

Watch for red dresses displayed across the campus through the weekend.

The Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre will host an Honour Ceremony to reflect on the significance of Red Dress Day on Sunday, May 5. The event, at 2929 Howard Ave., runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the ceremony at noon and refreshments to follow. It is open to the campus community.

To learn more, watch Jacobs’ TEDx talk “How do we stop Aboriginal Women from Disappearing.”

A new bike shelter, located between the parking garage and the Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre, is now open and dedicated to providing a secure haven for cyclists.

The facility allows students, faculty, and staff convenient access through their UwinCARD at no cost. The fenced and locked shelter also contains a Fixit station equipped with repair tools and a tire pump.

Campus Services urges patrons to properly secure their bicycles with a high-quality U-Lock to deter thefts. A bike lock rental service is available to students through the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance. Learn more on the Active Transportation webpage under “Bicycle Parking and Lock Rental on Campus.”

The Special Constable Service encourages students, staff, and faculty to report suspicious activity, especially around bike racks, by phoning 519-253-3000, ext. 1234.

An accomplished career spent pushing the boundaries in forensic entomology has earned Sherah VanLaerhoven a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The Forensic Life Sciences award, Pathology-Biology Section, was officially announced at the academy’s annual conference held in February in Denver, Colorado. As a fellow of the academy, she says she was thrilled to receive the award.

“I’ve pushed the discipline a lot, especially I would say in the last 10  years, and I think it is those kinds of contributions that have resulted in this award,” says Dr. VanLaerhoven.

“It’s rewarding that people are noticing my accomplishments.”

VanLaerhoven joined the Faculty of Science in 2003. She is currently a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and a faculty member in the forensic science program. As an entomologist, she studies insects.

She says it all started as an undergraduate at Simon Fraser University under the tutelage of Gale Anderson, a Canadian pioneer in forensic entomology and experimental research.

“It was a strange feeling that I’m the first to do this,” she says. “My interest was ecology and the behaviour of insects and there were so many questions to be asked that no one was asking.”

For her research, VanLaerhoven studies the 14 species of local blow flies to build a baseline understanding for forensic investigations. Although many of these species are widely distributed in North America, they all overlap here in Essex County. She is fascinated by what allows this high degree of species co-existence. She explores what attracts them, such as protein or sugar sources, certain temperatures, or humidity.

“The blow flies are the more critical of the species when it comes to forensic entomology because they only reproduce on dead meat — whether animal, human, fish, or bird,” she says.

“Knowing that a fly species isn’t present this season or under these temperature conditions then why is it found on this particular body — it shouldn’t be here.  That can be helpful to tell if the body got moved.”

Earlier in her career she contributed to the advance of the field of forensic entomology by conducting a novel blind validation study looking at how post-mortem is estimated using insects and pigs and published the first blind validation paper in forensic entomology on how different assumptions can lead to different outcomes.  Together with her published papers on blow fly ecology and behaviour, this research led to VanLaerhoven writing multiple textbook chapters on her expertise.

One of her proudest career contributions was to the Steven Truscott case. Accused of murdering a young girl in 1959, Truscott served his time while maintaining his innocence, and in 2007 he was granted an appeal by the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Amazingly, says VanLaerhoven, at a time when no one was using insects, someone in the police force collected insect evidence. She used the photographs, insect reports, and pathologist reports, together with a recreation experiment to exonerate Truscott.

 “It was very satisfying from an entomology perspective to work on because of the history of the case and that we were able to come up with an estimate using the insect evidence.”

And how does she feel about the rise in awareness of forensic science surrounding television series like CSI and Bones? She admits that she gets compared to TV characters.

“It has been a dramatic change; those shows have really changed how people perceive forensic science and it is something I’ve played with at times. During COVID I taught ‘forensic science in fiction’ to talk about how the science and the scientists are portrayed verses the actual reality of it.”

From 2019 to 2021 she was chair of the American Board of Forensic Entomology’s certification board, where she is listed as a diplomate.

Seven Windsor Lancers were honoured for their accomplishments in 2023 at the 17th annual WESPY Awards on Tuesday night at the Caboto Club in Windsor.

The awards recognize local athletes for their success and contribution to their respective sports.

Nojah Parker and Mandy Brunet swept the track and field category for UWindsor. Brunet was also named overall female athlete of the year after a campaign that saw her win gold in triple jump at both the Ontario University Athletics and U Sports national championships. Parker placed fourth in pole vault at both meets.

Thomas Kennedy was named male basketball athlete of the year for the second straight year, while guard Leah Tate received the award on the women’s side for her play with Holy Names Catholic High School.

Kristen Swiatoschik took female hockey player honours for the second straight year; all-stars Frankie Facchineri and Zach Albert were honoured in soccer and volleyball, respectively.

Longtime Lancer track and field official Leo Shapiro was named Volunteer of the Year for his community contributions.

Read more at goLancers.ca.

Canadian Football League teams selected two Lancer offensive linemen in its entry draft Tuesday.

The BC Lions took George Una sixth overall; the Edmonton Elks drafted Jaxon Morkin 30th.

Lancer football head coach Jean-Paul Circelli praised both players.

“These fine young men have laid the groundwork for our program’s success, which has now led to national recognition,” he said. “They have also helped to cultivate a culture of excellence, which has lead to improved confidence amongst our younger student-athletes and demonstrated that professional football is an attainable goal.”

Read the full story at goLancers.ca.

The Office of Sexual Violence Prevention, Resistance, and Support is offering UWindsor women a self-defence course worth $150 for free on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26.

Manager of education and support Anne Rudzinski is one of very few certified trainers in Canada for Wen-Do, which offers a toolbox of skills based on choice and empowerment.

“Self-defence training is a part of our educational plan under the ‘resist’ category of the Prevent Resist Support campaign,” says Rudzinski.

Women students, faculty, and staff may register for a $20 deposit, which will be returned at the end of the course. The program is also available to community members at a reduced rate.

Email Rudzinski at arudzins@uwindsor.ca for course information and registration.