Four ecosystems native to our region are represented in plantings atop the Centre for Engineering Innovation, and a launch event Thursday, Sept. 28, will introduce the garden to the campus community.

The project aims to educate, highlight, and provide better access to native species, says Cameron Proctor, an assistant professor in the School of the Environment.

“We envision the garden as a learning space and key infrastructure to help spread native seeds,” Dr. Proctor says. “Student volunteers in the Jull Environment Club will collect seeds of each species for distribution to the local community and propagation in varied spaces.”

Plants in each of the ecozones are:

• Canada wild rye, pale coneflower, Ohio spiderwort, wild bergamot, switchgrass, butterfly milkweed, and Missouri ironweed in the Prairie;
• wild lupine, dwarf blazing star, New Jersey tea, balsam ragwort, Pennsylvania sedge, wild columbine, and black-eyed Susan in the Oak Savanna;
• Canada mayflower, wild ginger, spinulose woodfern, wild geranium, bloodroot, hairy Solomon’s seal, and Jack-in-the-pulpit in the Carolinian; and
• sensitive fern, marsh fern, blue flag iris, cardinal flower, turtle head, ostrich fern, Michigan lily, and royal fern in the Wetland.

Learn more about the native plant garden here.

The Sept. 28 launch event will feature a tour, snacks, and prize draws from noon to 2 p.m. Access to the garden is available on the west side of the building’s third floor.

An event Wednesday, Sept. 27, will bring the campus community together to raise awareness of suicide prevention and promote help-seeking.

The “It Matters that You’re Here Walk of Hope and Healing” is set for Katzman Lounge, Vanier Hall, starting at 1:30 p.m. Registration is required.

Hosted by Student Health, Counselling, and Wellness Services in partnership with Human Resources and the Office of Student Experience, the event will begin with light refreshments and opening remarks by campus leadership, introduce suicide prevention Care Champions, and proceed on a route of approximately one kilometre concluding with creative activities for writing and sharing messages of hope.

“Experiencing thoughts of suicide can be overwhelming and isolating,” says Katie Chauvin, mental health and wellness co-ordinator. “We want to make sure that those living with this pain know that there are many people on campus who care and who are here to help them find safety, support, and healing.”

Participation in the walk is open to UWindsor students, faculty, and staff. Register here to join.

For anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide or distress, resources for support can be found on the It Matters that You’re Here website. Click here to learn more.

Current and aspiring student leaders are invited to the Lancer Leadership Series Fall Conference on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22 and 23.

On Friday evening, students can challenge themselves at the Iron Workers Local 700 Low Ropes Course to get hands-on training in leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Saturday, conferees will hear from student leaders, guest speakers, student leadership staff, and a keynote presentation by Shetina Jones, associate vice-president, student experience.

Participants will hone such leadership skills as:

• Running effective meetings
• Speaking to lead
• Social media for student groups
• Creating inclusive programming
• Engaging the student voice
• Networking opportunities
• Group communication strategies

“Students will learn how to lead initiatives within a large organization,” says conference chair Tim Brunet, co-ordinator of student leadership.

University of Windsor students can apply to attend until 5 p.m. Thursday or until the conference reaches capacity.

A series of teach-ins hosted by the newly created Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies Department will feature experts responding to recent incidences of hate violence and shedding light on the reality of gendered violence.

Entitled “Learning (to) Hate Violence,” the series will present one session each month from 7 to 9 p.m., in person in the SoCA Armouries Performance Hall and online through Microsoft Teams.

Embracing an Ethic of Empowered Equity, Monday, Sept. 25
Prologue: Remembering Cate Hundleby, feminist scholar, and friend.

• Equity and Violence: Natalie Delia, head of the Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies Department and founding director of the Black Studies Institute
• The End of Two Illusions: Feminism after the West: Galina Scolnic, instructor in women’s and gender studies
• We Keep Each Other Safe: The (Em)Power(ment) of Community: Juanita Stephen, professor in the Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies Department

The Fight at Home, Intimate Partner Violence, and the Intersectional Cost, Monday, Oct. 23
Prologue: Remembering Sahra Bulle, UWindsor student, daughter, sister, and friend.

• The Landscape of Intimate Partner Violence: Dusty Johnstone, director of the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention, Resistance, and Support
• Navigating the Relationship between The State and The Home: Tori-Lee Jenkins, staff lawyer at Legal Assistance of Windsor
• The Repercussions of Femicide on Families and Communities: Fartumo Kusow, educator and author

Trans Day of Remembrance: The Battlelines of Gender, and the Violence of the Status Quo, Monday, Nov. 20

• Trans Identities and the Neo-Colonial Construction of the Trans Controversy: Richard Douglass-Chin, professor of English and women’s and gender studies
• The Politics of the “Them”: Jennifer Meyer
• Fighting for all our Children: Decolonizing Education to Address Systemic Violence: Natalie Beltrano, learning specialist, School of Social Work

Register for a teach-in session by emailing iacs@uwindsor.ca.

This series is supported by the University of Windsor Office of Sexual Violence, Resistance, and Support; the Office of People, Equity, and Inclusion; the School of Social Work; and the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Organizers of the Campus-Wide Treat Trail invite UWindsor offices to put themselves on the map and get candy ready for Halloween trick-or-treaters.

Sandra Riccio-Muglia, director of events for the Student Centre, says the Oct. 31 event is fun and informative for participants.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., eager trick-or-treaters enjoy this twist on a childhood favourite, following a map of participating departments, posters, and signs to visit stops and collect their booty.

“Some offices get creative with their décor and some individuals don costumes,” she says. “Plus it gives us a chance to educate students about the services available on campus as they access our offices, often for the first time.”

To claim a place on the treat trail, contact Riccio-Muglia by Oct. 15 at smuglia@uwindsor.ca with department name, building, room number, and an individual contact.

The WE-Spark Health Institute has grown to more than 1,000 members and in the last year hosted its first research conference, launched an app, and facilitated 21 clinical professorships.

These are just a few of the highlights of its 2023 impact report.

Director Lisa Porter said the institute has created an environment that enables health research to grow within its partner organizations and as a collective.

“We leveraged technology to bring together a multidisciplinary and diverse health research network,” she said. “As we look forward to Year 5, we will continue to elevate research excellence and success. WE-Spark is focused on creating an environment that is attractive to the brightest minds and demonstrating the importance of health research for the economic development of our region.”

The full report can be found here.