The Windsor winner of the inaugural $1,000 Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize plans to donate that award to a scholarship fund for Black and Indigenous students in Windsor Law.

The Royal Society of Canada established the prize to honour Abella, the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. It will be awarded annually to a student in each of the country’s 23 law schools who is most likely to positively influence equity and social justice in Canada or globally.

Tyrone Sequeira, a second-year student in the Dual JD program at the University of Windsor and the University of Detroit Mercy, was honoured for his leadership roles in support of marginalized communities.

Among his efforts are:

• a project that will see law students work with the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society to educate children with incarcerated parents or family members about the visitation process, as well as potential legal paths and timelines;
• the establishment of the student-run Black and Indigenous scholarship fund, which is currently building an endowment and with his award donation, is about halfway to its $10,000 goal; and
• as the president-elect of the Student Law Society, the creation in that organization of a vice-president portfolio for equity and diversity.

“This award recognizes Justice Abella and her legacy of fighting against discrimination and for equality,” Sequeira said. “At Windsor, we are also celebrating the incredible Dean Bahdi, the new first Arab women and Palestinian to serve as a dean of law in Canada.

“It only seemed right to donate all the award money to the scholarship fund, considering the award and what it stands for.”

Dean of law Reem Bahdi called Sequeira a “shining light.”

“Tyrone’s vison and commitment to access to justice stand out even in a law school whose student body is dedicated to advancing justice,” she said. “I have no doubt that he will make an indelible contribution to the legal profession and society.”

Royal Society of Canada president Jeremy N. McNeil noted that its awards are named to honour prominent Canadians who have made lifetime contributions to a better country and a better world.

“We are very proud of the inaugural winners of the Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize, who represent the values of equality and equity we need in our country as we move forward,” he said.

This spring, more than 650 students joined members of UWindsor’s Strategic Planning team for an opportunity to have their say on the University’s next strategic plan. Student participation in the Aspire: Together for Tomorrow consultation sessions provided the team with more than 21,000 data points for analysis that will help guide the strategic plan.

As a next step in the planning process, the group will hold in-person facilitated discussions for staff, faculty members, librarians, sessional instructors, and lecturers later this month. All will take place in the student centre’s Alumni Auditorium:

Staff sessions:

• Wednesday, April 20, 10:30 a.m. to noon | 2 to 3:30 p.m. | 6 to 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, April 21, 9 to 10:30 a.m. | 1 to 2:30 p.m. | 3 to 4:30 p.m.

Faculty sessions:

• Tuesday, April 26, 10:30 a.m. to noon | 2 to 3:30 p.m. | 5:30 to 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 27, 9 to 10:30 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 2 to 3:30 p.m.

“These interactive conversations are one opportunity to contribute to the development of the University’s strategic plan,” said Erika Kustra, co-chair of the consultation and community engagement team for Aspire and director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning. “Further events are planned focused on specific themes, and virtual engagement opportunities are also being planned.”

Staff members are encouraged to consult with their supervisors before registering for a session. For more information and to register, visit https://engageuwindsor.ca/attend-a-consultation-session.

An external review of equity, diversity, inclusion & indigeneity, decolonization (EDI & ID) is seeking recommendations from UWindsor students, faculty, and staff.

The University has engaged Higher Education Strategy Associates to help begin a comprehensive assessment of EDI & ID and uncover any gaps and challenges, as well as identifying, reinforcing, and building on successes and strengths.

The goal of the review process is to ensure that approaches to systemic barriers are integrated across the institution in its policies, procedures, practices, culture, and norms — not only to establish tenets of a strategy but to ensure accountability by assessing how to measure success.

Find more information on the process and how to submit recommendations here.

Sydney Pattison and Mason Kohn received the Banner and Olympic Shields as athletes of the year and Dami Alalade and Brooke Davis received DeMarco Awards for best combining academic and athletic achievement during the Blue & Gold Celebration, the annual Lancer awards banquet, Tuesday at the Capitol Theatre.

Pattison began studies in the UWindsor Faculty of Education at the start of the pandemic, making a smooth transition onto the Lancer cross country and track and field teams. She ran her way into the record books, setting a new Windsor mark in the women’s mile and ranking second all-time in the 1500m and 3000m events, and third in the 1000m. She earned all-star status at the OUA track meet with a silver medal in the 3000m and bronze in the 1500m, going on to third-place showings in the 1000m and 1500m at the national championships.

Kohn re-established himself as one of the premier men’s hockey players in the country, registering 20 points in 16 games to finish sixth overall in Ontario University Athletics scoring and leading his team to first place in the OUA Western conference, earning him all-Canadian honours.

The DeMarco Awards were a sweep for volleyball, with Alalade from the men’s side and Davis representing the women.

Other awards include Captain’s Trophies to Thomas Kennedy of men’s basketball, Jade Samping of women’s soccer, and Jillian Holland-Penney of fastpitch; rookies of the year Samara Quanz of cross country and track and field, Demir Tagani of football, and Ben Tilson of track and field; and super sophomores Maggi DeWolf-Russ of women’s hockey and Steven Abrams of men’s volleyball.

Find a full list of honourees at goLancers.ca.

As provincial and federal governments continue to lift travel restrictions and mandates, many faculty, staff, and researchers are once again travelling for University-related reasons. The Accounts Payable and Procurement team reminds travellers that it recommends applying for a University of Windsor Travel Card.

One of the many advantages of the University Travel Card is that reimbursement on travel expenses can occur before travel takes place. Where personal credit cards are used, reimbursement of travel expenditures will occur post-travel.

For more information on the University of Windsor Travel Card Program, visit the University Travel Cardholder Information Package and Guidelines on the Finance website.

Finance also encourages all staff to take advantage of the University’s CAUBO travel discounts, which can be found on the Procurement website.

A lecture Thursday, April 14, will examine the use of neuroscience-derived interventions to address mood disorders.

Kymberly Young, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, will deliver “Real-time fMRI Amygdala Neurofeedback for Major Depressive Disorder: Progress and Challenges” at 4 p.m. over Zoom as part of the Psychology Department Colloquium Series.

Dr. Young’s research focuses on understanding onset and recovery from mental illness and developing new neurobehavioural interventions, including real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback, which target deficits in the processing of positive stimuli in patients with mood disorders.

Join the webinar here.

Recently announced in communications from the Department of Human Resources, support is being provided to full-time and part-time active employees who register for the course The Fundamentals of Race and Anti-Black Racism, offered by Continuing Education in collaboration with the Office of the Vice-President, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

One hundred full-time and part-time active employees are eligible to receive $100 off the course fee of $279 + HST. At this time, there are three sections open for registration, with more to be added later:

• ABRI 7102 - 002 - Thursdays, April 14 to May 19, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• ABRI 7102 - 003 - Tuesdays, May 10 to Jun 14, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• ABRI 7102 - 004 - Wednesdays, Sept. 21 to Oct. 26, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The 18-hour course will focus on issues related to race and its origins, anti-Black racism, and the construct of whiteness. Through case studies and the sharing of experiences, participants explore their own relationships to power, privilege, and oppression to enhance their awareness within their personal and professional interactions.

A discount code was communicated through a recent email from the Department of Human Resources to be applied to Continuing Education’s course registration page before checking out.

This exclusive discount is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Those already registered for the course will be reimbursed.

Questions about the course and group registrations can be directed to continue@uwindsor.ca.