It will be a unique start to the fall term this year, with classes beginning Tuesday, September 8, rather than the traditional Thursday after Labour Day.

“We wanted to get the word out ahead of time since this is a bit of a departure from past practice,” says Provost, Douglas Kneale.  “We also want to make sure that everyone has a chance to participate in UWindsor Welcome Week activities.”

Dr. Kneale says the festivities give students a chance to get acquainted with the campus and meet new friends.

“We are working hard to ensure a wonderful start to the school year for all our students—those new to our campus and those familiar to us,” says Dr. Kneale. “Whether as participants, spectators or volunteers, there is plenty for everyone to do.”

In addition to social and sporting activities, the week will feature orientation sessions to usher first-year students into every academic program.

“The program introductions conducted by our faculty are really the key to ensuring a successful transition to university life,” Kneale says. “We are very proud of the contributions made by the entire campus to help new students feel at home here.”

UWindsor President and Vice-Chancellor Alan Wildeman expressed hope that the entire campus community will join in the week’s events, including the free barbecue on Sunset Avenue on Wednesday, September 9.

“Given the lateness of Labour day, and the need to retain at least one day of flexibility in December in the event of – yikes – a snowstorm during final exams, classes have to start on the Tuesday,” says Dr. Wildeman.

“Despite this, Welcome Week is packed with things to do, and lots of excitement about the fall semester getting underway. I especially look forward to welcoming students before the Lancer football game on September 12.”

UWindsor Welcome highlights include:

Sunday, September 6. Residence move-in day concludes with a reception for parents at 2 p.m. Students will attend an educational session on sexual consent and close out the evening with an outdoor film feature in the Residence Quad.

Monday, September 7. The Tough Lancer Adventure Race will send competitors on a 5K obstacle course, crossing the finish line at a free barbecue and beach party hosted by Campus Ministry on the lawn outside Assumption Church.

Tuesday, September 8. The first day of classes in all programs will see a campus-wide photo scavenger hunt as well as an interactive art project in front of Dillon Hall.

Wednesday, September 9. President Alan Wildeman presents a free Campus Community Barbecue, with food served by university officials.

Thursday, September 10. The Adrenaline Rush inflatable carnival offers fun, frolic and a chance to win prizes; Shinerama will hold a fund-raising barbecue to support its fight against cystic fibrosis.

Friday, September 11. The Lancer men’s and women’s soccer teams open their home seasons on Alumni Field; admission is free with student ID.

Saturday, September 12. A pep rally and tailgate party—including a special address by Dr. Wildeman—will pump up fans to cheer on the blue and gold as Lancer football hosts the Carleton Ravens.

Visit www.uwindsorwelcome.ca for a full list of events, locations and times, or grab the event guide from the welcome booth in the UWSA tent located in the Student Courtyard between Dillon and Memorial halls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. September 6 to 11.

A group of students had a chance to take Blackboard Learn, UWindsor’s soon-to-be-implemented learning management system, out for a test drive this summer and they liked what they saw.

The University will be transitioning from CLEW to Blackboard September 8 for the faculties of Law, Human Kinetics, Education, Nursing, and the Odette School of Business. Remaining faculties will make the change by the end of December.

Erika Kustra, Director of Teaching and Learning Development in the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), says the new system will enhance the University’s capacity to offer engaging, high-quality online and blended teaching and learning. The students say they love the options Blackboard offers and were impressed by the tool’s user-friendliness.

“Blackboard is very easy to use and the actual interface was very easy to learn,” says Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (FAHSS) student Brody Lafrancois.  “If you compare it to CLEW it was like a walk in the park.”

Odette School of Business student Tomas Dobos, FAHSS student Darko Milenkovic, and Faculty of Education student Timothy Au-Yeung recently produced an online video where students share their personal experiences making the change from CLEW to Blackboard : https://ctl2.uwindsor.ca/vidlinks/1236688DF046C13.html  

Blackboard has many new customizable features and tools. Instructors can engage with their students through interactive wikis, blogs, and discussion, as well as provide content with a text editor that can embed video, images, audio, mashups and links to websites. Users can access Blackboard using desktops, laptops, tablets, and smart phones. Students can also download a Bb Student app to use on their mobile devices.

“It’s completely unique for me,” says Faculty of Engineering graduate student Bhaumin Patel. It’s like a completely different concept that the University is using and it’s awesome.”

A new study by a team of UWindsor researchers shows that teaching young adolescents practical cooking skills leads to positive changes for the entire family.

The study, conducted by graduate students Sara Santarossa and Jillian Ciccone, under the direction of kinesiology researcher Sarah Woodruff, was based on Kinect-Ed, a 90-minute motivational nutrition education presentation developed by Food Network host Sandi Richard.

 Kinect-Ed was created by Richard to encourage youngsters in grades six to eight to help with meal preparation and improve the frequency of family dinners. Information is provided in interactive school demonstrations that explain how consuming excess fat, sugar and salt can affect the body.

The UWindsor paper, An evaluation of the Kinect-Ed presentation, a motivating nutrition and cooking intervention for young adolescents in grades 6–8, was published recently in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.  

“This research builds on past studies that suggest that an increase in the frequency of family meals has been associated with better grades, better self-esteem and mental health and a lower likelihood of engaging in risky behaviours such as smoking and drinking,” says Santarossa, the study’s  lead author.

 “The results of our study show that introducing the Kinect-Ed program will create positive benefits, including improving the frequency of family dinners and food preparation, improving confidence in cooking, and improving food preparation techniques.”

She says an increase in family meals during adolescence is also commonly associated with healthy eating and positive eating habits into young adulthood. 

As an added bonus for parents, encouraging young adolescents to help prepare meals and get involved in the kitchen can reduce their own time in meal prep, allowing parents more time for frequent family dinners. She says promoting family meals is a relatively easy and cost-effective health promotion endeavour that may lead to healthier, happier children.

Visit the Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism website to read the full study.

A former UWindsor English instructor who is now in his nineties has recently published both a collection of short stories and a novel – with four more ready for release.

R.J. Reilly, who taught 20^th century American and English literature at UWindsor briefly in the early 1970s, released The Prevalence of Love: Glimpses of the Human Condition in the spring, and followed it this summer with Over There, a novel about a young GI in Europe during the waning days of the Second World War.

Dr. Reilly, who also taught at the University of Detroit, began the bulk of his fiction career following his retirement in 1987, when he was named Professor Emeritus for contributions to his field of study.

Reilly writes from his own experiences as a soldier, as well as a long and happy marriage; his roles as father and head of the family; his teaching career; his love of the Detroit Tigers; and his strong attachment to the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair.

He is currently working on a third volume of short stories and will soon publish Weekend in the Country; The Pelican Affair; The Bronte House, and On the Trail of Truth.

Reilly’s books are being published by Dog Ear Publishing and are available through Amazon; Barnes and Noble; Ingram, and other book sellers.

An interdisciplinary arts program recently wrapped up a summer camp designed to provide individual attention and support to youth in challenging circumstances aged 14 to 17.

“Changing the Odds: Community Transformation Through the Arts,” was sponsored by Windsor Endowment for the Arts and SODA (School of Dramatic Art), in partnership with The Odette School of Business and local service agencies.

In its third year, the program has engaged 19 Windsor teens in experiences with a view to expanding their horizons through drama, music, dance and art.

Organizer and Director Tina Pugliese says the creative team was lead by professor Meaghen Quinn and included four Drama in Education and Community students, two business students, and six guest artists from the local Windsor-Essex region who,  “all believe in the power of community arts to promote youth development.”

Dr. Pugliese says the program evolves each year into something surprising and brilliant. The group presented their play, The Way Station, in an August 14 performance at the Jackman Dramatic Art Centre.

The play is a collection of styles, set in a world that welcomes song, dance, clowning, and free expression, written and directed by the students, leaders, and the guest artists, professor Quinn says.

“The stories are fictionalized, but are based on real life concerns and struggles presented by the youth over our six weeks together. By sharing their work the young people hope to inspire others to make a positive change and remind us all that we can overcome insurmountable odds if we stick together.”

A team of civil engineering students’ graduation project on beam design ranked them among the top entrants at an international design competition August 7.

The recently graduated team of Rama Nabhan; Mohnad Nabhan; Firas Abdelkhaleq; and Jihad Zaher, whose project achieved 15^th place internationally, and third place locally, was in competition with 29 other teams in the American Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) Big-Beam annual international competition.  

According to Nabhan, the contest was to design, construct, analyze and test a beam using pre-stressed concrete - a construction product produced by pre-casting concrete with pre-tensioned reinforcing strands in a reusable mold.

The winners say the project was a practical learning experience, as they had to start by researching the concept and physically visit the construction sites where they were able to watch the full process of beam construction.

“We started by studying pre-stressed concrete, as it’s a new topic to us,” says Nabhan. “After we prepared the initial design we did several tests and altered the design accordingly. I think we ran over 30 quality checks.”

Under the supervision of civil engineering assistant professor Amr El Ragaby, associate Shaohong Cheng, and with the support of the local Windsor Company, Prestressed Systems Inc., the team designed their project to minimize cost, achieve design accuracy, and other specific contest criteria.

“As faculty advisors, we really feel proud of what the team has achieved,” says Dr. Cheng.

She says that although the students were challenged by various constraints during their design, she was glad to see how they actively found ways to resolve them: “…An essential skill required in the real engineering world.”

The team will receive a $500 US cash prize.

The Campus Bookstore will hold an end-of-season “sidewalk” sale in the commons area of the CAW Student Centre, featuring new discounts on clothing and computer supplies, Thursday, August 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Everything must go,” says marketing coordinator Martin Deck Martin Deck, “and hundreds of items have been newly marked down.”