Hundreds of students, alumni, staff, faculty and well-wishers cheered as UWindsor president Alan Wildeman accepted the keys to the former Windsor Star buildings from publisher Marty Beneteau on Friday, symbolizing the transfer of the property to the University.

First-year business student Qiaotian Yan said it was fun to participate in the event, which jammed the corner of Pitt and Ferry streets for a photograph and video to document the historic occasion.

“We have a new building, which means our campus is becoming more mature,” she said. “Having a presence downtown will connect with our community, connect with Windsor.”

The complex of buildings will be renovated to house programs in social work and the Centre for Executive and Professional Education. See architect’s renderings of the transformed sites.

First-year students Jordan Cutler—a music major—and visual arts major Charl Fourie are looking forward to the time their programs will relocate to Windsor’s core. The School for Arts and Creative Innovation will combine music, visual arts, film production and urban ecology programs and house them in the former bus depot and Armouries buildings that front on University Avenue East.

“I am very excited about our new building,” said Fourie, a native of Waterloo. “I want to see more of Windsor!”

Photos of Friday’s event are available on the website of the downtown campus project and in a Facebook photo album. Watch for more images and a video of the event in Tuesday’s DailyNews.

Today—Monday, December 3—is the last day of classes in the fall semester for all programs. Final examinations begin Thursday, December 6 and run through December 17.

Find regulations and locations in the fall exam timetable.

A pair of third-year civil engineering students recently found out the old adage about keeping things simple really does pay off.

Curtis Watson and Dean Rice took first place honours for the rudimentary but extremely sturdy bridge they built for the Municipal Engineers Association’s bridge-building competition held at Caesars last week.

“Everyone else built these elaborate tress type of structures and we just built a single beam overpass,” said Watson. “We weren’t trying to re-invent the wheel. Everyone laughed at it when they saw it, but in the end it worked out.”

The contest required participants to build a bridge out of nothing more than six three-foot-long pieces of balsa wood and LePage’s white glue. The challenge was to see how much weight it would support until it failed. Watson and Rice’s bridge weighed only 35 grams, but held 115 pounds.

“That’s about 1,500 times its own weight,” Rice said.

The students, who both aspire to become professional engineers but are considering graduate school, won a $150 gift certificate for their efforts. They beat out seven other mostly local teams to claim top prize.

A team consisting of Juduk Lee, Ilia Rootkevitch, Mohammed Zeinedin, and Risha Vithlani took second place in the competition. They built a truss bridge that weighed 39 grams and supported 100 pounds.

Events this week will mark the December 6 National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women to honour the 14 female engineering students who were murdered at Montreal’s École Polytechnique on that date in 1989.

The Womyn’s Centre will host a screening of the 2009 film Polytechnique in the Oak Room, Vanier Hall, on Tuesday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m.

On Thursday, December 6, at 5:00 p.m. a candlelight vigil will be held at the Memorial of Hope located between Dillon and Essex halls. The vigil will be followed by a panel discussion in the Oak Room related to the film, as well as several other issues surrounding women, sexual orientation, and race.

Womyn’s Center coordinator Tracy Huynh anticipates a large turnout. She encourages those who are unfamiliar with the events of 1989 to come out and sit in on what will be a very inspirational two days.

“I want to stress the important of this event,” Huynh said, “People need to become educated about this and I hope for a very positive turnout.”

Both events are free and open to the public.

— by Nick Crep

The University of Windsor takes great pride in its student exchange program, and this couldn’t have been more evident during a farewell party held in Katzman Lounge on November 27.

The gathering included food, drinks, conversation among new friends, and some thoughtful words from coordinator Michelle Fitzgerald, and Clayton Smith, vice-provost, students and international.

“The exchange program doesn’t only changes the lives of the students; it changes the world,” Dr. Smith said.

Windsor maintains exchange relationships with other universities from 19 countries, including every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Windsor’s popularity as an exchange destination is very high due to its proximity to the United States, offering students diverse international experience in both Canada and the U.S.

Paul Aimetti, a business student from France, said this was a major factor in his decision to come to Windsor. Aimetti attended the farewell reception as a student preparing for his departure back home. Above all, it was the people Aimetti met that made the biggest impression on him.

“The first thing I noticed when I came here was how friendly everyone was,” Aimetti said. “My best experience was definitely the people and the friends I made here.”

Aimetti explained that even in France, it is important to speak fluent English to succeed in business, which was his main motivation for enrolling in the exchange program. Although he spoke in a very clear and steady manner, as he joined conversations around the lounge with a smile on his face, it was clear that a better understanding of his new language was not the only thing he gained from his trip.

Fitzgerald took a moment in her speech to remind the students that this program is designed mainly for educational opportunities, and this certainly remains true. However, the atmosphere created by both the students preparing to return home and those preparing to depart on their exchange revealed that this program revolves around relationships.

— by Nick Crep

Two workshops offered by the Office of Employee Engagement and Development this month promise skills and education in the areas of communications and copyright.

Communication: It’s not just about e-mail
Wednesday, December 5, 9 a.m. to noon in Oak Room, Vanier Hall

Facilitator John Powell of public affairs and communications will explore the pros and cons of e-mail, websites, apps, direct messaging, portals and social media. Participants will learn how to better reach their target audiences with the appropriate communication vehicle.

Copyright on campus
Tuesday, December 11, 9 to 11 a.m. in Oak Room, Vanier Hall

Facilitators Gwen Ebbett and Joan Dalton of the Leddy Library will introduce some basic copyright concepts and will review both the law and existing campus policies that govern activities which may include scanning and photocopying in the service of teaching, research and administration.

Both sessions are free; register online at http://www.uwindsor.ca/engagementanddevelopment/workshop-registration or contact Oliga Tserakhava at 519-253-3000, ext. 2044, or e-mail oligat@uwindsor.ca.

The University of Windsor will host a book signing by local authors—and UWindsor alumni—Peter Hrastovec and Marty Gervais, from noon to 1:30 p.m. today in its Vanier Hall location.

First-time author Hrastovec (BA 1979, LLB 1982) will sign his poetry collection In Lieu of Flowers. The paperback volume costs $17.

Gervais (MA 1972), who serves as the English department’s resident writing professional, will sign his most recent book, Ghost Road, and earlier titles including the best-selling Rumrunners. Ghost Road, a collection of forgotten tales of Windsor's past, is priced at $22.95 paperback and $37.95 hardcover.

Assumption University is offering UWindsor faculty and staff a discount on tickets to see Northern Ireland’s classical music trio, The Priests, at the WFCU Centre on Friday, December 7.

The singing group consists of three Roman Catholic priests: Eugene O’Hagan, Martin O’Hagan and David Delargy, whose albums have achieved platinum-level sales in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden, and gold sales in Canada, New Zealand and Spain.

Also performing on the program are the 70-member Windsor-Essex Youth Choir and soloist Rosanna Riverso. The show starts at 7 p.m. at the WFCU Centre, 8787 McHugh Street.

Tickets are $60 plus a $1.75 handling fee; the UWindsor group rate is $31.75 per person including the handling fee—and applies to employees’ family and friends. To claim this reduced rate, visit http://wfcu-centre.com/password and enter the promo code NOEL, or visit the TekSavvy.com Box Office.

Read more about the concert on the Assumption University Web site.

The Homestyle station in the CAW Student Centre’s Marketplace food court will serve pasta dishes—including two or three protein options—from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. during its exam operations.

The Marche Pasta station will close during this period and re-open in the new year.

It makes the perfect gift. You don’t have to worry about size or colour, and it’s always just what the recipient wanted most. Unfortunately, it’s not available in stores.

A blood donation is the gift that saves lives.

As the holidays approach, with all the travel—and consequent injuries—giving blood is more important than ever. Canadian Blood Services will hold a full blood donor clinic on Tuesday, December 4, in Ambassador Auditorium in the CAW Student Centre from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For this clinic, Canadian Blood Services will use its appointment system. It encourages donors to book appointments by calling 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283). Walk-in donors are still welcome but appointments will better accommodate donors' working schedules.

As with previous clinics, the Department of Human Resources encourages all eligible employees to participate in this worthwhile process and asks any employees who wish to donate to make the necessary arrangements with their supervisors regarding the possibility of extended lunch or break periods.