Doctoral student Sara Santarossa’s research on mother-daughter pairs is seeing practical application in new resources for the Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Association (BANA).

Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in conjunction with a Mitacs grant, the studies are the basis of new resources to support BANA in its promotion and acceptance of diverse body shapes and sizes through the adoption of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Santarossa embarked on her masters and doctorate journey through a simple observation. Sparked by a social media exchange between a mother and daughter, a question emerged about the influence mothers can have on their daughters’ attitudes on appearance, behaviour, and body image. Under the direction of associate professor Sarah Woodruff, she began investigating the relationship between mothers and daughters and the formation of attitudes about body image, behaviours, and self-esteem.

The research suggests mothers can knowingly and unknowingly influence the attitudes and behaviours of their daughters in social media platforms, and in creating a forum for discussion, it gives the opportunity for them to hear and develop respect for each other.

Her findings were the foundation for a series of workshops and a podcast entitled “Be Yourself: Happy. Healthy. Hopeful,” hosted by BANA health educator Stephani Fenkanyn. The podcast was formed from one of the five themes that emerged from the research, exploring topics of body image, body shaming, and self-confidence, hoping to be a catalyst to conversation between mothers, daughters, and friends.

Mitacs funding provided resources to create the workshops, facilitated by BANA, for moms and daughters providing a platform on which to start conversations about these topics and foster a supportive and understanding relationship.

Luciana Rosu Sieza, executive director of BANA Windsor, said she hopes these sessions and podcasts become a “platform to have some real conversations around topics of social media, body image, self-esteem, and eating disorders and that the podcast can take on a life of its own beyond the initial funding.”

Santarossa will present her research in her PhD dissertation defence on March 23.

—Martin Vaughan

CBC host Sook-Yin Lee will explore the wide-ranging topic of art and censorship in Canadian culture in a free public presentation “What Needs to be Said,” Tuesday, March 10, at 6 p.m. in the Performance Hall, SoCA Armouries.

Filmmaker, multimedia artist, and broadcaster, Lee hosted and produced DNTO and created the interview podcast Sleepover for CBC Radio 1. She starred in the movie Shortbus, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the 2014 Canadian Screen Award for best lead dramatic actress for her turn as Olivia Chow in the television biopic Jack. Her film Octavio is Dead won best director and best picture awards at the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival 2018.

In this presentation, she will share her experiences in speaking out on difficult subjects despite institutional resistance: offering an insider’s perspective on the pre-#MeToo-era Jian Ghomeshi CBC debacle, and giving her take on art and censorship in Canada.

This event is presented by the Humanities Research Group. For more information, visit the HRG website.

—Dana Roe

On Friday, March 13, a lecture featuring Samuel Singer, assistant professor of law at Thompson Rivers University, will discuss the ethical and professional obligations of lawyers serving trans clients and hearing matters involving trans parties.

Key legal issues facing trans people and topics for continuing legal education for further trans competency in legal areas including family law, criminal law, property law, immigration law, personal injury law, child protection law, civil litigation, and human rights law will also be discussed.

Windsor Law professor Donna Marie Eansor is organizing the free event.

“Professor Singer is a long-time advocate for trans people and has delivered many lectures on trans legal rights,” she says. “As the OBA Foundation Chief Justice of Ontario Fellow in Legal Ethics and Professionalism Research (2019-2020), his perspective on the ethics of trans competent lawyering and judging will be extremely valuable to our legal and campus communities.”

This event is free and open to the public, but interested attendees are asked to register in advance. This program contains two hours of EDI Professionalism Content for attending members of the Law Society of Ontario.

—Rachelle Prince

Through the Student Mental Health Strategy Fund, the University of Windsor is investing year over year into the priority of student mental health on campus. The University invests $24,000 each year to fund projects and initiatives that align with the Student Mental Health Strategy.

In the Winter 2020 application term, $14,000 was disbursed to student groups and departments to fund prevention and early intervention efforts and enhance mental health services. Funded initiatives include:

• a therapy dog to support students in the Faculty of Engineering,
• a UWindsor student recovery community start up,
• a Muslim chaplaincy’s educational program to provide culturally competent pastoral care,
• female-centred programing in residence to empower students and increase mental health awareness, and
• an event to provide students with opportunities to de-stress while learning about mental health resources.

View the website to learn more about this funding opportunity, view funded proposals, and submit an application.

The Student Mental Health Strategy Fund has issued a call for students, faculty, and staff to submit proposals for projects that foster a community of caring and promote campus mental health. For consideration in the next application term, apply by Oct. 1, 2020.

Chemical engineer by day, stand-up comedian by night, Abdallah Jasim will share his experience of growing his niche brand and developing an international audience during EPIC Connections Unplugged session Wednesday, April 1, at the Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre.

Jasim’s comedy videos went viral, earning him more than 100,000 Instagram followers worldwide.

This free event will run 5 to 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre. Find more information and register online through the EPICentre website.

The University of Windsor continues to monitor issues, and respond to concerns, associated with 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

At this time, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has reported that there are no cases of COVID-19 in Windsor and Essex County, and the overall risk remains low for local residents and the campus community.

The University remains in close touch with the health unit, which continues to monitor the global outbreak and is working with its health system partners to respond if any cases of COVID-19 are confirmed in Windsor-Essex.

As a result of the spread of COVID-19, and as a precaution, the University has also re-established a pandemic planning committee. This committee will initially review the steps taken to date, consider the next steps for the University to further protect the health and safety of the entire community, and also develop emergency preparedness strategies forward.

Windsor Regional Hospital also released a statement Friday that could affect some members of the campus community:

“Effective today (Friday, March 5), with or without any symptoms, all staff (employees, professional staff ,and volunteers) who return from travel outside of Canada to the following countries (China, Iran, Northern Italy, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore) must talk to and obtain clearance from an Employee Health Nurse prior to return to the Windsor Regional Hospital.”

The University has made answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on COVID-19 available to the campus community. See question #5 in the FAQ document to learn about the various actions the University is taking to address this issue.

Students, staff, or faculty may also consult the Ontario government webpage — www.ontario.ca/coronavirus — for further information on symptoms, prevention, and travel-health advice.

Students with immediate concerns about their health should make an appointment with Student Health, Counselling and Wellness Services, which is located on the second floor of the CAW Student Centre (519-973-7002), or contact their off-campus physicians. Information is also available on the Student Health Services website.

Faculty and staff with health concerns should contact their health-care providers. Links to additional information and resources on COVID-19 can be found at:

• https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html
• https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/diseases-and-conditions/infectious-diseases/respiratory-diseases/novel-coronavirus
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWTszCYPu90

Any further updates on the coronavirus situation will be posted on the University home page.