Joining the faculty of the UWindsor School of Social Work was a homecoming of sorts for Kristina Nikolova, who graduated from its MSW program in 2012.

The assistant professor went on to earn a doctorate from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoc fellowship at Rutgers University, New Jersey, before going on the faculty of Wayne State University’s School of Social Work in 2019.

Dr. Nikolova has been researching national and international gender-based violence for more than 10 years and is particularly interested in how national policies and organizational practices can exacerbate or ameliorate the risk of violence against women and children.

Nikolova has also worked in child protection and in developing training for child protection workers to better meet the needs of vulnerable families who are experiencing multiple risk factors, including intimate partner violence, poverty, and trauma.

Her graduate studies in Windsor sparked her interest in policy research.

“My first internship during the MSW program was at a child protection agency. That’s where I first started encountering all these barriers families experience,” Nikolova recalls. “Basically, freedom from violence, and a lot of it is tied up with the policies and practices that are in place. So, before my second internship, I asked our co-ordinator to place me at a policy practicum.”

Things fell into place and Nikolova interned with the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies in Toronto.

“I was there as a policy intern, and it basically snowballed from there,” she explains. “Now, most of my research is looking at these policies and practices at the state and provincial level that we could be using to better meet the needs of families to prevent family stressors that could lead to family violence.”

She is continuing to work on a couple of major grants looking at Michigan’s poverty rate and the rate of social welfare as a potential mechanism against family violence.

“Michigan has one of the highest denial rates for welfare assistance, so a lot of families aren’t captured by the administrative data,” Nikolova says.

Families that do not get any assistance from the state end up relying on not-for-profit organizations, so her study is trying to capture both groups to make sure that nobody is left out.

Among her plans for UWindsor students is to help them learn more about international social work and how policy advocacy can be used to improve the outcomes of families involved with social service systems.

—Susan McKee

His office will engage UWindsor faculty and staff in the development of a Mental Health Strategy for Employees, says Clinton Beckford, acting vice-president for equity, diversity, and inclusion.

“As an employer, the University understands that workplaces can play a key role in promoting and protecting the mental health of its employees,” Dr. Beckford says. “The workplace can and should be a source of positivity as it provides individuals with a purpose, financial security, a sense of identity and social connections, but the workplace also has the potential to be a source of stress that impacts mental health and well-being.”

According to Statistics Canada, one in five Canadians will face a mental health issue in their lifetime and approximately 1/3 of individuals facing mental health challenges don’t access help largely due to stigma.

The University of Windsor has undertaken some of the preliminary work necessary to set the foundation for the development of a Mental Health Strategy for Employees, says Beckford:

“Given the events of the last several years and the results of the Employee Engagement Survey conducted in 2022, both of which have given us different perspectives and an even deeper understanding of the importance of mental health and well-being, we are now ready to move forward.”

He identifies meaningful engagement of faculty, staff, supervisors, and senior leaders as critical to identify strategies and supports that span the continuum of mental health: prevention, early intervention, recovery, and return to work.

The coming weeks will see the establishment of a steering committee to review best practices and develop the strategy. Watch for updates on the Mental Health Strategy website.

Performers looking for an outlet are invited to plug into an Open Mic Night hosted by campus-community radio station CJAMfm and the Graduate Student Society on Saturday, July 23, in the student centre.

Organizers welcome music, performance, artistic expression, or any other artform, and the event is open to anyone from the campus or surrounding community.

Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m. Admission is by donation, with a suggested contribution of $5.

Register here to sign up to perform.

Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General of Canada, met with Indigenous Elders, students, staff, and faculty from across campus June 20, hosted by Beverly Jacobs, senior advisor to the president on Indigenous relations and outreach.

Jean took part in a sharing circle where stories of Indigenous thought and knowledge were shared to discuss a potential documentary film that engages Indigenous relationships to land and water in the Windsor-Essex area.

“I was very touched and listened carefully to what you’ve shared with us,” she said to the assembled group. “You have filled this circle with wisdom.”

Mary Lou and Dan Smoke, respected Elders, teachers, activists, writers, and broadcasters, opened the event with remarks, a smudge ceremony, and prayers, followed by an introduction to the University by president Robert Gordon.

“We want to listen, learn and do what’s right,” Dr. Gordon said. “We want to empower our community to have a voice and so we thank former Governor General Jean for visiting our campus and offering the privilege to have these conversations.”

Jean acknowledged that difficult questions must be raised to facilitate real change and reconciliation.

“If we don’t recognize the wrongs of the past, the future will take its revenge,” she said. “We need to hear the truths about the wrongs of the past. It’s the only way we can move forward together.”

She said she was proud to launch the Truth and Reconciliation Committee and the issues it addressed go beyond Indigenous communities: “It has to matter to all.”

Campus partners are working to maintain a robust set of Knowledge Base Articles (KBAs).

The team will continue to compile a weekly digest of the most-referenced KBAs to streamline student-focused questions to ask.UWindsor to support consistent communication with current and future students.

These are this week’s top-five referenced KBAs:

• How do I know when to register for classes? (311)
• What is the UWindsor Tuition Guarantee? (743)
• How do I receive my Enrolment verification letter? (202)
• How do I sign in to UWinsite Student?  (201)
• How do I view my offer of admission to an undergraduate program at UWindsor? (351)

You can submit common questions or make suggestions to the KBA team at askkba@uwindsor.ca.

The University has declared a rolling beam scale for sale by bid as Disposal File 1058.<

A Kilo Tech model SP903, it boasts a capacity of 500 kg. Click here for details.