Beach with sign warning postedResearch by science dean Chris Houser and Master’s student Brett Vlodarchyk found a significant increase in surf-related drownings on the Great Lakes this summer. Once stay-at-home orders were lifted in Ontario, Michigan, and other U.S. states, COVID-fatigued people flocked to beaches near major centres.

Pandemic behind increased drownings on Great Lakes beaches, research suggests

It has been a deadly summer on beaches along the Great Lakes, with significantly more drownings than in pre-COVID years, a pair of UWindsor researchers has found.

Chris Houser, UWindsor’s dean of science and an expert on rip currents, has co-authored a research paper with Master’s student Brent Vlodarchyk that found there were 24 more drowning deaths on the Great Lakes this year than average. Dr. Houser and Vlodarchyk found the number of drownings were lower than the historical average early in the pandemic, but the number began to increase as stay-at-home orders were lifted.

“It is argued that self-isolation fatigue resulted in large beach crowds,” said Houser. “This, combined with warm weather, high water levels, and reduced local lifeguard resources, increased the risk of drowning.”

Houser and Vlodarchyk studied data up to the end of September for 2010 to 2019, comparing drowning deaths in those years to surf-related drowning deaths to the end of September 2020. The greatest increase in drownings were in Lake Michigan with 37 deaths, an increase of 14 deaths over the historical average of 23. There were 11 more drowning deaths than average in Lake Ontario this year and four more in Lake Huron. There were slightly fewer deaths on Lake Erie and no change in the number of deaths on Lake Superior.

“The timing of the drownings in Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario appear to be associated with the early reopening phases of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ontario,” the two write in their research paper. “Specifically, as stay-at-home orders were lifted and residents were able to visit the beach, there was an increase in the number of drownings close to the main city centres.”

Most deaths occurred on Saturdays, suggesting people were visiting beaches close to home, not away on holiday. Drownings on Lake Ontario occurred at popular beaches within a short drive of Toronto.

During his undergraduate studies, Vlodarchyk developed a model to predict the number of drownings based on summer air temperature, precipitation, and ice coverage in the previous winter which relates to lake temperatures. He and Houser believe the pandemic is responsible for the increased drownings because the increase could not be attributed to the warm summer weather this year.

The researchers suggest lifeguards were either not present — in some cases due to cutbacks — or distracted by having to maintain social distancing among beachgoers. Beachgoers’ behaviours may have become more reckless during the pandemic, leading them to ignore or simply not notice posted warning signs. This could be a result of what’s being referred to as COVID fatigue.

Understanding how the pandemic directly and indirectly affecting beach drowning is an important lesson for beach management during a future public health emergency, the researchers said.

“We argue that beach safety cannot be sacrificed in a future public health emergency by budget cuts or by reducing the focus on lifeguards with the enforcement of social distancing.”

—Sarah Sacheli

Map of Ontario showing treaty territoriesTreaties Recognition Week is a great time for students, faculty, and staff to learn about treaty rights and relationships.

Week an opportunity to learn about treaty rights and relationships

This week is Treaties Recognition Week, a great time for students, faculty, and staff to learn about treaty rights and relationships, says Jaimie Kechego.

Indigenous curriculum and pedagogy project co-ordinator in the Centre for Teaching and Learning, she notes that treaties have been negotiated in Ontario over the past 250 years: “They form the basis of relations between indigenous peoples and the government and every Canadian should have a basic understanding of the treaty territory they live on.”

Kechego said it’s as important as ever to gain a greater understanding of the importance of treaties in Ontario.

“Treaties were created to foster diplomacy as each nation lived side by side sharing the resources that Turtle Island (North America) provides for all humans,” says Kechego. “This proves to be a challenge for Canadians as we watch how non-Native fishermen in Nova Scotia refuse to honour the treaty, continually break it, and threaten violence toward the Mi’kmaq as they try to exercise their treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather peacefully.”

She recommends learning about treaties at the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs website, as well as reaching out to any local First Nation communities, such as Chippewa of the Thames who have a Treaties, Land ,and Environment department.

The ministry will also host two virtual Living Library events this week suitable for post-secondary students. The first event is about cultural appreciation versus appropriation, to be held on Nov. 4. The other, titled We are all Treaty People, will be held on Nov. 6. The following PDF has more information and instructions on how to register.

Beyond treaties, Kechego’s Foundation Series Sessions is available online as a primer for Indigenous matters. The series offers an introduction to Indigenous Peoples in Canada, their histories, and their cultures; examines the role of colonization and how it continues to affect Indigenous Peoples; and addresses some of the challenges that exist because of centuries of institutionalized racism.

During her first year at the university, Kechego also created new initiatives and worked with faculty members and staff from across campus. She held 16 workshops with 180 participants, co-created the Nanadagikenim: Seek to Know Grant, helped create a community of practice, is co-authoring a book chapter on indigenizing curriculum and pedagogy, and much more. View a full list of CTL Initiatives for Indigenizing Curriculum and Pedagogy.

Kechego is available for consultation on topics such as Indigenizing learning outcomes, literature, pedagogy, as well as building community relationship.

—Peter Marval

woman standing with arms crossedFront-line health care workers are fine-tuning their leadership skills in collaboration with the Odette School of Business and Continuing Education.

Program helping develop leadership skills in health care

More than 150 front-line health care workers, physicians, and administrative staff from Windsor Regional Hospital are fine-tuning their leadership skills in diverse areas such as communication, change management, and customer service through a new UWindsor offering.

The Leadership Development Series is a collaboration between the Odette School of Business and Continuing Education. The live, online modules guide participants through the development of their own personal leadership styles while addressing the nuances of leading in times of change, both in the healthcare sector and our broader community.

“Managing change during times of uncertainty requires an enhanced leadership capacity stocked with a varied tool-kit to support our teams and guide ourselves,” says Mitch Fields, dean of the Odette School of Business. “Our faculty are very well versed in the area of leadership and are able to answer the call to deliver this program for the hospital.”

Dr. Fields will be co-facilitating an introductory module along with Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj on the topic of leading in times of crisis.

The program was commissioned by Windsor Regional Hospital as a means of supporting future leaders and reinforcing the skills of the current management cadre. Continuing Education works regularly with community organizations on similar initiatives and training offerings.

“Our team works tirelessly to build and maintain strong connections throughout the Windsor-Essex community so that we can support industry partners' professional development pursuits,” says Jennie Atkins, executive director of Continuing Education. “We offer a bridge for the institution, connecting the expertise of our faculty to local employers, industries, and community organizations.”

In all, five different modules will run several times each to accommodate a small group learning environment and facilitate fruitful discussion among team members. The series began Oct. 30 and is slated to wrap up in December 2020.

—Meagan Haugh

Book explores intersection of social media with music learning and teaching

The rapid pace of technological change over the last decade has deeply affected the ways in which we interact, says Janice Waldron, associate professor of music education in the School of Creative Arts.

Oxford Handbook of Social Media and Music LearningShe explores the ways which social media is now firmly engrained in all aspects of music education in The Oxford Handbook of Social Media and Music Learning, which she edited with Western University colleagues Stephanie Horsley and Kari Veblen.

Chapters in the book draw attention to the ways in which social media, musical participation, and formal, informal, and non-formal musical learning are increasingly entwined in a networked society. The handbook contains 32 chapters with more than 50 authors contributing.

“I look at how people use a platform to learn music,” says Dr. Waldron. “It is not a substitute for face-to-face learning, as we all know, but it’s one of those things people use when you can’t do face-to-face learning. Find an online community and it’s the next best thing.”

Waldron contacted Drs. Horsley and Veblen about her idea for the handbook in 2015. They completed the submission process to Oxford University Press and received a contract for the handbook in June 2016. She notes that Oxford handbooks are prized as publications because they are so broadly read and referenced.

Waldron herself plays whistle, Irish pipes, and flute. A member of the Irish music discussion board Chiff and Fipple since 2000, she hadn’t thought of that activity as a way people were learning music.

“People on these discussion boards would upload YouTube videos of famous musicians or themselves and ask for feedback,” says Waldron. “In 2020, we look at this and say, of course you do that. But in 2007, it wasn’t something music education researchers or practitioners were aware of. I really was the only person in music education who was talking about learning online in online music communities of practice.”

Now she is applying some of these technologies in a course she teaches on conducting.

“We aren’t going to be able to use livestream conducting this fall because of the lag between audio and visual,” Waldron says. “We’ll be using private YouTube channels. Each student will create their own private channel to post and submit their conducting exercises.”

—Susan McKee

stacked game boxes: Cranium, Scrabble, Monopoly, OperationKnowledge of board games helped secure a victory for the PAC Rats team in Friday’s faculty-staff Trivia Night competition.

Competition and co-operation characterize trivia contest

An online trivia night Friday proved fun for UWindsor faculty and staff, with a dozen teams fielding a total of 55 contestants.

Organized by human kinetics professors Patti Weir, Sarah Woodruff, and Paula van Wyk, the Oct. 30 event posed stumpers in categories ranging from classic board games to the works of Dr. Seuss.

“Technology challenges aside, this was a wonderful way to bring our UWindsor community together for some fun,” said Dr. Weir. “We have received such positive feedback.”

A squad from Public Affairs and Communications — John Coleman, Kevin Johnson, Lori Lewis, Angelo Montilla, and Sarah Sacheli — finished atop the leaderboard and has pledged to organize a follow-up competition.

“We look forward to the PAC Rats organizing the next trivia night,” said Weir. “This one was such a success we hope to have even more of our colleagues join us in the future.”

woman's hand holding self-help bookA wellness tip offers some reminders to help cope with intense emotions.

HR shares ways to cope with emotion

It is natural to feel stress, anxiety, grief, and worry during times of uncertainty and crises. The Department of Human Resources shared a message with UWindsor faculty and staff Monday offering some reminders to help cope with intense emotions.

Provided by the Windsor-Essex County Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, the tips include:

  • Take care of your body;
  • Connect with others;
  • Take breaks and do things you enjoy;
  • Seek help when you need it.

Read the entire message.