Plans to relocate the University Bookstore to the lower level of the CAW Student Centre are taking shape following the signing of a formal agreement among the University administration, the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance and the Organization of Part-time University Students on Monday.

Space formerly occupied by the Thirsty Scholar will accommodate a large retail book outlet and student café space to create an overall shopping experience.

“The space is convenient and is in an ideal location to provide one-stop services for our students,” says UWindsor president Alan Wildeman. “Administration worked very closely with the UWSA and OPUS to consider the needs of our campus community and will soon begin detailed planning work to envision how the new bookstore will look.”

Outgoing UWSA president André Capaldi says an inviting café space for students to gather, read and relax is an ideal addition to the CAW Student Centre.

“Book sales and a coffee house atmosphere is a great combination for our students – an oasis where they can meet their friends, study and share some downtime – it’s a terrific plan for the space,” Capaldi says. “The success of a project such as this is strongly tied to the outstanding working relationship the UWSA and OPUS has with the University administration.”

The University, UWSA and OPUS have also signed a renewal of the CAW Student Centre management agreement, extending student management of the centre until April 2015.  The spirit of the agreement is intended to empower students to use the centre to complement the activities of the University by assisting in making the student experience worthwhile and enjoyable from a social and personal perspective.

Under the agreement, the student groups are charged with fostering social and cultural interaction in the centre by creating an environment for groups of people with varied backgrounds and viewpoints as well as affording an opportunity for members of like-minded groups to meet and interact.

The five artists participating in the School of Visual Arts’ Emerging Artist Research Residency will discuss their work and practices in free public presentations, May 3 and 4 in the LeBel Building.

The residents will have access to the school’s facilities through the month of May so that they might cultivate new ideas through research, studio production, and the exploration of the Windsor-Detroit border region.

• Thursday, May 5, 1 p.m. in room 115
  Teresa Carlesimo: Through sculpture and installation, Carlesimo raises questions about the built environments that we inhabit and examines the idealism of twentieth century architecture, as well as the political, social and economic issues that surround them.
  Ross C. Kelly: With a focus on the traditional rules of photographic composition, Kelly tries to reveal the complex and multilayered reality in which we live, while exploring the idea of location.
• Friday, May 4, 1 p.m. in room 125
  Alana Bartol: Bartol’s work is concerned with micro-transformation, with processes that ask viewers to become aware of classifications, systems and structures that alter our perception of each other, of ourselves, and of the environments in which we find meaning and community.
  Raine Shen: Through her experimentation with installation, drawing and photography, Shen works to create a merging of contemporary eastern and western culture, while exploring myths, fables, and rituals.
  Amy Siegel: Siegel’s personal role as an activist, artist and educator propels her to explore social and political issues such as labour rights, sexuality and migration through a diverse range of materials including poetry, animation and film.

The opening bell rang at the 2012 Odette Stock Exchange on Friday, April 25, to over 200 excited high school students from Windsor/Essex – dressed to impress and ready to make a profit!

Savvy traders navigated the masked stocks selected from historical prices in a simulated contest with seven rounds of trading.

Out of 39 teams, the top five advanced to the coveted championship round in the Odette School of Business Financial Markets Lab including three teams from Essex District High School and one team each from Kingsville District High School and St. Thomas of Villanova. Fourth-year business student and lab assistant, Ricardo Martire, challenged the traders in competitive rounds of trading using advanced financial software simulation.

Essex District High School was the top money-maker to capture the Odette Stock Exchange (OSX) 2012 title!

OSX creator Tim Brunet says that this was a particularly sweet victory for Essex as it was “one of the founding participating schools when the exchange began eight years ago.”

The teams from Kingsville District High School and St. Thomas of Villanova had a very successful day as they captured second and third place out of the 39 participating teams.

Brunet says that this event wouldn't have been possible without the help of the Shil Chakrabarti from the Web team, Stephanie Coccimiglio and Barbara Barone from the Odette School of Business and many dedicated students, including volunteers from the Odette School of Business and the Pre-law Society who all spared their time to make this an extremely successful event.

Faculty and staff holding permits to park in Lot F will be able to display that permit for parking in campus lots A, B, V and EE during the summer months.

Lot F – located on the south side of Wyandotte Street between Sunset and California avenues – is the site of the new Innovation Centre and parking structure, slated to begin construction in May.

A, B, V and EE are student lots that will be underutilized during the summer, says Anna Kirby, executive director of Campus Services.

“We anticipate that Lot F permit holders will be able to find spaces in these lots,” she says. “We appreciate everyone’s cooperation as we work towards this exciting development for our campus and the community.”

She says the measure is temporary and the university is considering options for the fall.

“Our plans have not yet been finalized, but we want to find a solution that best serves all our staff and faculty,” says Kirby. “We will share any additional information as soon as it becomes available.”

Learn more about the Innovation Centre on the project Web site, www.uwindsor.ca/innovationcentre.

University of Windsor researchers will present some of their work to the public during the third annual “Research Showcase and Outreach to Community” event, Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Devonshire Mall.

It promises to be informative and inspiring, says Sharon Hayes-Racicot of the Office of Research Services, who calls it a great opportunity to “highlight the excellent research that is taking place at our University.”

The display will be set up outside the mall entrance to the Bay store. Devonshire Mall is located at 3100 Howard Avenue.

Among the displays is a preview of Science Rendezvous, which will offer demonstrations at a table at the Research Showcase as well as inside the Chapters bookstore.

Science Rendezvous will feature hands-on activities and interactive experiments for all ages, May 12 on the UWindsor campus.

Watch a video preview here:

The University of Waterloo dedicated the atrium of its new mathematics building last week, but not in the name of the donor who helped make it possible. He wanted his favourite teacher to have that honour instead.

The donor – John Hele, chief financial officer and executive vice-president of Arch Capital Group – asked that the naming recognize his high school math teacher, Bruce White. A graduate of the University of Windsor (BSc 1966), White taught math at Windsor’s Kennedy Collegiate and Vincent Massey Secondary School. Since his formal retirement in 2004, he continues to meet twice a week with more than 200 math club students.

Hele called him an inspiration.

“In each of our lifetimes, there are only a few who make a truly lasting impression,” Hele said. “Dr. Bruce White is one of those people, and he has done this for thousands of students. Dr. White does not just teach mathematics; rather he teaches how to learn mathematics.”

White called the dedication a tremendous honour.

“You don’t teach for what you’re going to get,” he said. “I am just happy to know that I made an impression on some of these students, hopefully a positive one.”

At Friday’s reception, attendees heard from Hele, who graduated from Kennedy in 1976, and from one of White’s students who graduated from Massey in 2006. One of his former students made the trip from London, England.

“He said he wouldn’t have missed it, “said White. “That impressed me, I can tell you.”

The University of Windsor conferred an honorary doctor of laws degree on White in 2002. A winner of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, he also received the Mathematical Association of America’s Award for Distinguished High School Mathematics Teaching.

Whether through a canned food drive for the Downtown Mission, a fashion show for Hiatus House, or a dinner for the Well-Come Centre for Human Potential, students in the Odette School of Business’s course in Management and Organizational Life made a substantial contribution to the community, says professor Martha Reavley.

The students form teams to design and execute projects that provide the framework for the application of a broad range of business skills. This year, they raised $35,000 and donated food, clothing and other goods to benefit 26 local charities.

An associate professor of management and human resources, Dr. Reavley is the course coordinator and works with instructors Renate Kobe and Ted Vokes. She says the young business leaders learned lasting lessons in personal and organizational leadership.

“The course develops students into business leaders who know the importance of making their leadership extend beyond personal success,” says Reavley. “Through their community work, they developed their team skills and grew their network.”

The course’s experiential learning component requires that students research the local community and identify an area for community development. Teams identify agencies that fit their values and the community’s needs. 

“This whole process was such a huge eye-opener for me,” says second-year student Shaphan Brown. “I can't explain how much I think this is going to help me in the future.”