Alumni Week promises celebrations of UWindsor graduates, Sept. 20 to 29.

It will kick off with Black Alumni Weekend, promising a series of events highlighting Black excellence and achievement. Find more information here.

Saturday, Sept. 21, will showcase Lancer football. The game starts at 4 p.m. at Alumni Stadium, with a tailgate party at 3 p.m. Fans around the world can tune in to OUA.tv to catch all the action and by signing up in advance, can receive a kit to host a watch party. Find more information here.

All alumni who were once employed by the Department of Athletics and Recreational Services are invited to a reunion at the Toldo Lancer Centre. Organizers are trying to reach anyone who worked in fitness, intramurals, guest services, aquatics, or facilities to join. Visit the event page at goLancers.ca for more information and to register.

Monday, Sept. 23, will feature alumni authors in events across campus. Lancers for Literacy promises readings by Jim Weese at 8:30 a.m., Richard Peddie at 1:30 p.m., and Dwania Peele at 3 p.m. Get more details here.

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, faculty and staff are invited to help address food insecurity among students by donating a non-perishable item to the campus food bank. Drop off contributions at the Welcome Centre from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A Grab-and-Go breakfast will distribute coffee, pastries, and fruit to students outside the Welcome Centre, from 8 a.m. while supplies last.

Families with multiple members who are UWindsor graduates are invited to share their stories through the Alumni Legacy Campaign. Tell us about your multi-generational journey by filling out the form here.

Wednesday, Sept. 25, is the Lancer athletics “Day of Giving,” which will solicit contributions to propel varsity teams to victory. Learn more.

Also on the menu is the Campus Community Barbecue, serving a free lunch to students, faculty, and staff, starting at noon on the River Commons.

The Sept. 28 “Saturday Afternoon on Sunset” promises entertainment, family fun, games, face painting, and more from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., featuring music by the local band Leave Those Kids Alone at 3 p.m. and culminating in a Lancer football contest against the Toronto Varsity Blue at 7 p.m. in Alumni Stadium. If this year marks 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, or even 70 years since you tossed your cap in the air, register to receive a special alumni anniversary giveaway to be picked up in person at this event. There are only 100 packages to give away, so sign up today.

On Sunday, Sept. 29, the Faculty of Engineering will host a Car Meet for owners of classic and luxe vehicles.

For more information on these and additional events — and to register to attend — visit the Alumni Week website.

Black Alumni Weekend offers an opportunity for alumni to reconnect and celebrate with a series of events focused on networking, sharing memories, and revisiting their university days.

The weekend begins with the Black in Black II Reception, a networking mixer at the Alumni Auditorium in the CAW Student Centre on Friday, Sept. 20, from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

On Saturday, Sept. 21, former Lancers can explore the campus with a self-directed tour, visiting their former classrooms, study spots, and hangout areas to friends and family at any time.

The day will also feature Black to the Future II, a panel discussion and mini-summit highlighting the Black Studies program, Black Scholars Institute, Black Student Support Services, scholarships, and more. The discussion, moderated by Black student support co-ordinator Kaitlyn Ellsworth, will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 104, Odette Building.

At Alumni Stadium, fans can cheer on the undefeated Lancers as they face the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Saturday. A tailgate party at 3 p.m. will precede the game, which starts at 4 p.m. UWindsor graduates with valid ID can purchase tickets for $10, and the first 1,000 attendees will receive a gift from the Alumni Association.

Later that evening, alumni can join the party with the theme of Old School/New School taking place in the CAW Student Centre starting at 8 p.m.

The weekend will conclude with a Sunday service at Sandwich First Baptist Church from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

For more information and to register for the events, visit UWindsor Black Alumni Weekend 2024.

Lancer football fans from around the world will tune into OUA.tv to catch the action as the Windsor side hosts the Ottawa Gee-Gees, Saturday, Sept. 21, at Alumni Stadium.

After an undefeated start to the season, the Lancers are ranked in the country’s top 10 by U Sports.

A special promotion by the University of Windsor Alumni Association will enable grads to host their own watch parties — send a request to receive a kit with a Lancer-themed T-shirt, can cooler sleeve, and cheer sticks or pompons. Packages will be sent as time permits and while supplies last.

Those able to make it to the game will enjoy a tailgate party at 3 p.m. in the entry plaza to the stadium. The party promises a kid zone sponsored by Devonshire Mall with inflatables, face painting sponsored by the alumni association, and sales of Lancer merchandise. CKLW radio will broadcast from the event from noon to kick-off at 4 p.m.

UWindsor grads who show ID will qualify for a discounted ticket rate of $10 — the first 1,000 through the gate will receive a gift from the Alumni Association.

The University of Windsor Alumni Association is welcoming back three standout Lancers, each with a book to their name, to discuss their works and leadership experiences.

Lancers for Literacy on Monday, Sept. 23, will feature authors and alumni Jim Weese (BHK 1980, MHK 1983), Richard Peddie (BComm 1970, honorary LLD 2001), and Dwania McLarty-Peele (BA 2011, BSc 2011).

Dr. Weese, former dean of UWindsor’s Faculty of Human Kinetics, will speak at 8:30 a.m. in room 140 of the Human Kinetics Building. An academic leader known for his global research and public speaking, Weese has authored several books, including The 5C Leader: Exceptional Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Times, The Leadership Lifecycle: How to Prepare, How to Excel, and How (and When) to Effectively Exit, and the children’s book The Grandpa Rules: Essential Lessons for Success in Life and Leadership, which is published in six languages.

Dr. Peddie, former CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, now co-owns the River Bookshop in Amherstburg. He will speak at 11:30 a.m. in room 123 of the Odette Building. After a diverse 41-year career in packaged goods, venue management, television, and sports management, Peddie retired in 2012 and has since become a community champion, philanthropist, and author. His best-selling book Dream Job chronicles his journey from aspiring to manage a basketball team to becoming president of the Toronto Raptors. Peddie has also written 21 Leadership Lessons and Great Small Towns of Ontario.

Dwania McLarty-Peele (BA 2011, BSc 2011), founder of Canadian Small Business Women, will host her book talk at 3 p.m. in the lobby of the Essex CoRE building. She will discuss her latest publication, Tomorrow is Another Day, which chronicles her journey through breast cancer amid a global pandemic. A proud graduate of the University of Windsor and St. Clair College, McLarty-Peele utilized her chemistry degree as a lab manager at Greenfield Global’s beverage and distilled spirits facility. She has written several books, including The Power Within: Inspiring Stories of Female Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Voices of Strength: Inspiring Stories of Female Entrepreneurs.

Learn more about this and other Alumni Week events at uwindsor.ca/alumni/.

Lancer varsity teams are gearing up for a 24-hour giving challenge, sparking some friendly competition as they race to gather donations.

The Lancer Day of Giving kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 25, with athletes competing to see which team can raise the most donations in a single day.

This fun challenge will help elevate the athlete experience, providing teams with improved resources, training, and opportunities.

Everyone is encouraged to donate — every dollar counts. Visit golancers.ca and help them score big!

Don’t be too sure that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The annual campus community barbecue, set for Wednesday, Sept. 25, in the River Commons, promises food and entertainment from noon to 1:30 p.m. while supplies last.

At the centre of Alumni Week festivities, the celebration promises complimentary burgers and chips with halal and vegetarian options. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles to refill at the mobile hydration station.

“We’ll have a DJ providing music as well as a busker performing amazing feats of juggling,” says organizer Mona Sleiman, manager of outreach, events, and protocol in the Office of the President. “Come on out and enjoy a mid-week boost.”

Free to students, staff, and faculty, the event will proceed rain or shine in the open space on the west side of Turtle Island Walk. Food and giveaways will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, sponsored by the Office of the President and the University of Windsor Alumni Association.

Journalist Meg Roberts is no stranger to the fast pace of breaking news, but for three weeks during the Olympics, her days were a nonstop buzz of capturing the highs, lows, and everything in between.

Roberts (BA 2016), who currently hosts the 6 p.m. television news at CBC Windsor, worked 11-hour days, seven days a week during the Paris Games, highlighting all the viral moments on a digital show from the network’s Toronto studio.

“Hosting is a special job in a lot of ways because you get so close to the athletes and close to the content,” Roberts said. “We hosted a 15-minute live show in the middle of the day at 1:30 p.m., and I hadn't done that type of format before, completely off the cuff. We really tried to look for moments that resonated with so many Canadians and people around the world.”

She and co-host Dale Manucdoc covered all the captivating moments from the 2024 Games in Paris, from discussing the athletes and their performances to the chocolate muffins served in the Olympic Village that caused a sensation on social media.

“We wanted to focus on the human elements of the Games, like special moments between families and teammates,” Roberts explained.

This is Roberts’ third time covering the Olympics. She first worked as a field producer at the Tokyo Games in 2020, where she saw the Canadian women’s soccer team win gold. For the 2022 Winter Games, she was in Toronto focusing on social media and hosting and returned there for this year’s coverage.

“It’s intense,” she said.

“Every morning, we would go over what people were talking about online and which sports were doing well, and then we’d have our show at 1:30 p.m. Along with that, I had a lot of other commitments, like national television hits, a radio hit every single day, and then we’d film the second show, called Rise and Stream, which was a kind of lookahead for the next day.”

Roberts said covering the Games brings a unique energy that stands out from her usual day-to-day of covering hard news.

“The Olympics, as a whole, is such a positive experience in the sense that so many countries come together, rallying for the same thing, and that energy and the spirit of the Games propel you through those three weeks. It’s exciting every day,” she said.

“It’s almost like breaking news every day. When the men’s 4x100m relay team won the gold medal or when local athlete Kylie Masse won that bronze medal, making her the first Canadian swimmer to medal in three consecutive Olympics, those moments keep you on a high.”

Her biggest takeaway from each experience is recognizing the amount of effort and grit each athlete puts into their sport.

“For me, the most special part of the Olympics is getting to showcase the athletes and their success, but more so, their stories,” Roberts said. “It has taken major sacrifice for our Olympians and Paralympians to get where they are today, and being able to play a small role in telling Canadians their stories is something I do not take for granted and is special every single time I get to do it.”

It was the second week of freshman year — Sept. 15, 1995 — and Mary J. Blige’s “You Bring Me Joy” was playing on the stereo.

“All of us got up to dance. We kind of locked eyes, I smiled, he smiled, walked across the dance floor, and we started dancing,” Andrea Franklin (BA 1999) reminisced.

“The feeling was mutual when we first saw each other,” Jermain Franklin (BA 1999) added.

The husband and wife met at an off-campus event hosted by the University of Windsor’s Caribbean Student Association. They have been together ever since.

While studying communications, Jermain gained critical writing skills and volunteered to get a feel for the business, allowing him to dive headfirst into sports journalism post-graduation.

He reported in Toronto before securing a job at TSN in Calgary, where he built a distinguished career. He covered Stanley Cup finals, World Junior Hockey Championships, NBA finals featuring basketball superstars like LeBron James and Steph Curry, and the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

“I feel truly blessed to be able to do that,” Jermain shared. “It’s a lot of fun.”

One of the biggest highlights for Jermain has been his return to Ontario as a host on TSN’s flagship news program, SportsCentre.

“To come back and be on the anchor desk, that was a big deal to me,” he said. “I’d say that’s been the most significant. It’s good to be back home.”

Andrea found her calling in helping others and making a difference in her community. While working at UPS in Calgary, she localized the “Pulling4U” event, where volunteers haul a commercial airplane, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the United Way.

Now, she serves as the company’s first community relations manager in Canada.

“It’s about finding projects and people to uplift and support,” Andrea explained. “Educating our employees on what’s happening around them, finding causes that matter to our people and finding ways to bring them to that cause.”

The couple carries their UWindsor experience with them throughout their careers and everyday life, from practical skills to the community they’ve built.

“Every semester, when I worked at the academic writing centre, we’d go to classrooms and do presentations about the resources available to students,” said Andrea. “As someone who’s shy, that experience helped me develop those communication skills.”

“I learned to survive, how to make everything work with what we had,” Jermain said. “I think what made that special is the friendships that we made, friendships I still have to this day.”

Now, their daughter Micah is attending their alma mater, pursuing a drama in education and community degree.

“It was nostalgic and exciting when she chose Windsor,” Andrea said.

“Since she grew up in Calgary, we thought she’d want to go back for university, but Windsor had the program she wanted. So, when she chose it, we had the warm fuzzies,” Jermain said.

The couple is proud of Micah’s choice because, to the Franklins, being a Lancer is special.

“I know what we bring to the table is different than any other school,” Jermain said. “The Ambassador Bridge right over the top of campus symbolizes a bridge to opportunities.”

As the University of Windsor celebrates Alumni Week, stories like the Franklins’ remind us of the legacy of our Lancer community. Share your story at www.uwindsor.ca/alumni/UWindsorLegacy.

Growing up as the youngest of six children, Beth Oakley (BA 1990, B.Ed 1998, M.Ed 2005) didn’t always get to hear her father’s stories.

Following her 2022 retirement from the University as director of the International Student Centre, she started meeting with her father to record and write episodes from his life. The resulting book, entitled I Wouldn’t Have Missed It, brought to press through Walkerville Publishing, will enjoy a launch next week.

Oakley describes her father, James O’Neill, as a natural storyteller.

“As the founder of interior design in Windsor Essex County, he has been the driving force behind the most beautiful interiors in this region,” she says. “As a teenager, he hired a ‘decorator’ to help him select wallpaper and paint for his dilapidated childhood bedroom in a Walkerville townhouse. Thus began a lifelong flair for interior design.”

O’Neill shared stories of a teenage brush with the law resulting from a cigarette smuggling operation, his brief career as a wedding planner, being left for dead on a freeway in Detroit, and reinventing himself during mid-life personal struggles.

“At age 92, he still feels that he’s loving life,” Oakley says.

He will read some of the stories during the launch, from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Giovanni Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Avenue at Tecumseh Road. Find more details on the event website.