A week-long celebration of African culture will open today at 11 a.m. in the CAW Student Centre Commons.

AfroFest will showcase the art, dance, music and fashions of Africa and its diaspora with events through February 8. Today’s opening ceremonies will include an art display, fashion show, and discussion.

Tuesday will feature a film festival; Wednesday a conversation on HIV, abuse of women and mental health; Thursday performances of storytelling, dance and more; and Friday a panel will take on the battle of the sexes. Find a full list of event descriptions, locations and times on the AfroFest Facebook page.

Students, faculty, staff and the broader community are invited to “The Future is Never What it Used to Be,” an address by UWindsor president Alan Wildeman, Tuesday, February 5, in the Centre for Engineering Innovation.

The one-hour event will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the BMO Collaborative Learning Forum, room 1100. Attendees will have an opportunity to experience the newest building on campus, as well as hear Dr. Wildeman discuss the future of universities in Canada—with a particular focus on the University of Windsor.

A new version of the myUWindsor mobile app released today will increase the value of its service to students, says John Powell, director of web communications.

Among the new features are:

• Messages – Receive a push notification of new UWindsor messages and CLEW notifications in one spot.
• Leddy Library – Connect with the library quickly and search site for books and journals.
• The Lance – Get the latest news from the official student newspaper.
• UWinAlert- Subscribe to the University’s Emergency notification system.

It also provides support for iPhone 5 and compatibility with iOS 6, including native sharing of Facebook and Twitter.

Powell says he is particularly pleased to have incorporated the “push” messaging technology.

“Rather than users having to seek out messages, messages are pushed to the device,” he explains. “Users will receive a notification that there are CLEW or myUWindsor messages waiting for them.”

The upgrade adds to a lengthy list of original features, which included the ability to review courses, schedule, grades and exams; a calendar listing academic, cultural and athletic events on campus; financial records providing individual account details; and a searchable campus map.

“Our app will continue to evolve and we invite feedback from users to help improve its usefulness,” Powell says.

The app is compatible with iPhone, BlackBerry and Android technology. Download it at www.uwindsor.ca/app.

Pianist Yoko Hirota, chair of the music department at Sudbury’s Laurentian University, will perform works by six Canadian composers at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 5, at Mackenzie Hall.

The recital shares its title, “Voces Boreales (Northern Voices),” with Hirota’s most recent CD.

“Having performed contemporary music in Canada and abroad for almost two decades, I have had the privilege of meeting composers whose aesthetics and musical universes are helping to shape Canada’s musical identity,” she says.

Her program features solo piano works by Brian Cherney, Brian Current, Robert Lemay, Bruce Mather, François Morel, and Laurie Radford. Two of these works, Morel’s Trinôme and Cherney’s Nachtstücke, were written for Hirota. Tuesday will also mark the world premiere of Mather’s composition Selections from Eight Songs without Words.

Admission is $15, $5 for students. Order tickets by phone at 519-253-3000, ext. 4212, purchase online at www.uwindsor.ca/music, or at the door. The Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre is located at 3277 Sandwich Street.

By making a difference in their students and their classrooms, teachers can make a difference in the world. That was the theme of the sixth annual Social Justice in Education Conference, held Friday, February 1, in the Education Building.

In addition to presentations on topics as diverse as Aboriginal history, intercultural communication, civil liberties and addressing disabilities, the daylong event included a volunteer fair and exhibit of student projects promoting pluralism.

Acting dean Karen Roland said she was pleased by the response to an innovation this year: the keynote address took the form of a performance of Interrogation, a stage play by Windsor artist Chris Rabideau which tells the story of a teenaged victim of an anti-LGBT hate crime.

“The students are really talking about it as they come out,” she said. “I think it is really having an effect.”

Teacher candidates Brenna Edgar and Pauline Pich prepared a poster presentation on their project “Fostering Empathy in the Classroom” for their course, Issues in Education. Making sure that students can appreciate another point of view has the potential to change society, said Edgar.

“Taking an empathic approach can address a lot of the other issues we see raised here—whether it’s bullying, racism, or other forms of discrimination,” she said.

Teacher candidates Pauline Pich and Brenna Edgar present their project Friday during the diversity exhibition sponsored by the Education Society.

The Canadian campaign in Italy during the Second World War, policing by the Canadian Navy off the coast of Africa, and the War of 1812 are some of the featured subjects of discussion during the Windsor Military Studies Conference, February 8 and 9 at the Major F.A. Tilston VC Armoury.

The annual conference, now in its eighth year, is a collaboration between the Humanities Research Group, the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment, and Wilfrid Laurier University’s Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. This year’s program also involves the HMCS Hunter, the Windsor Regiment and 21 Windsor Service Battalion.

The opening keynote address, 7 p.m. Friday, is by Lee Windsor, deputy director of the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick. It is entitled “Undiscovered Victory: 1st Canadian Infantry Division in Central Sicily, July 1943.”

Saturday’s presentations include “In the Line of Fire: Civil Affairs in Sicily, July-August 1943” by Cindy Brown of Western University, “Illustrating the War of 1812” by Matt Symes of Laurier, and “The Black Presence in the War of 1812: Canada's Unsung Military Volunteers” by African Canadian heritage consultant Elise Harding-Davis.

The conference registration fee of $20, $10 for students, includes lunch Saturday. Find more information, including a full itinerary and pre-registration details, on the conference website.

Registration begins Monday, February 4, for LearnIT workshops held during the 2013 Winter session.

The program offers a wide variety of free workshops for students, faculty and staff in levels ranging from beginner to advanced in Office Productivity, operating systems, statistical software, and computer security. All participants will receive a certificate of completion and a handout for the session; lucky raffle winners will take home a Quick Resource Guide or a promotional coffee mug.

Workshops begin Monday, February 11, are held in the training room of the University Computing Centre, and will provide beginning levels in the Microsoft Office 2010. To register for a workshop go to www.uwindsor.ca/learnitregister.

The following are the first week's LearnITworkshops:

• Monday, February 11 — Microsoft Word 2010 - Level 1, 2 to 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, February 12 — Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 - Level 1, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, February 13 — Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 1, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Do you have a group of five or more people interested in one of our workshops but the schedule does not work for you? Contact the IT Services HelpDesk to schedule a workshop at your convenience and even at the on-campus location of your choice.

For more information about LearnIT, visit the program website.

The Organization of Part-time University Students (OPUS) has open nominations for elections to its executive and board of directors.

Members will elect a president, vice-president, treasurer, and six directors at large.

For details, including campaign dates, visit www.uwindsor.ca/opus/elections.

Do you know of a staff member from Student and International Affairs who “Goes the Extra Mile” and has really made a difference for you or someone you know?  If so, please submit a nomination so that they can be recognized at the Student and International Affairs staff appreciation luncheon.

The GEM awards website has more information, including a list of offices and staff that qualify and the on-line nomination form.

The nomination deadline is February 28. For additional information, e-mail the GEM Planning Committee at recognition@uwindsor.ca.

Noah Bondy is 19 months old and has severe Factor X deficiency, a rare blood coagulation disorder characterized by spontaneous internal bleeding. He is treated every week by injection with a medication derived from donated blood.

His mom says, “Without blood donations, Noah’s chances of spontaneous internal bleeding would be increased and he could face chronic pain from repeated joint bleeds, arthritis or even death from an uncontrolled bleed into major organs or his brain.”

As the population of blood donors ages—40 per cent are 50 years or older—Canadian Blood Services is faced with the challenge of seeing donors turn into recipients, making it difficult to serve the needs of young patients like Noah Bondy.

“We estimate we need to recruit 89,000 new donors nationwide this year alone,” says Joan Hannah, community development coordinator. “These new donors will help ensure we continue to meet the needs of Canadian patients like Noah, now and in the future.”

Canadian Blood Services will hold a full blood donor clinic in the CAW Student Centre’s Ambassador Auditorium on Tuesday, February 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For this clinic, the Canadian Blood Service 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.