An event Wednesday, Oct. 18, will give students considering master’s or doctoral studies a chance to explore their options in one location.

Representatives of each UWindsor grad program will answer questions about admissions; graduate, teaching, and research assistantships; scholarships and other funding opportunities; program requirements; and future careers at the Graduate Studies Showcase, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the CAW Student Centre Commons.

Hear the latest on exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle Nov. 1 at the Faculty of Human Kinetics’ Community Speaker Series on Healthy, Active Aging.

Kinesiology professors Sean Horton and Sarah Woodruff and fitness expert Mike McMahon will present the latest research on how to live healthier lives into our golden years. The entire campus, alumni, and wider Windsor-Essex community is invited.

“We’re looking forward to sharing our faculty’s expertise with the community,” said Linda Rohr, dean of the Faculty of Human Kinetics. “Events like this allow us to build new connections with the community, and for attendees to build new connections with each other.”

The event, to be held at 7 p.m. in room 140, Human Kinetics Building, is free to attend. There will be light refreshments, and free parking will be available in the lot directly across College Avenue from the building.

Register here to attend.

—Sarah Sacheli

A performance of the award-winning play Vitals, Thursday in the Jackman Dramatic Arts Centre, is free and open to the campus community.

The play is part of the curriculum of drama professor Michelle MacArthur’s course, “Introduction to Theatre and Performance Studies.” Local actor Mary Grace Weir will perform this solo piece, which she has been planning to produce in Windsor.

Written by Rosamund Small, it tells the story of a paramedic dealing with trauma and burnout from her job, and sheds light on the experiences of emergency medical services (EMS) workers. The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts conferred two 2014 Dora Mavor Moore Awards on Vitals, for outstanding production and outstanding new play.

Content warning: this play includes sensitive material including discussions of violence, sexual assault, and suicide.

Immediately following the performance, Essex-Windsor EMS workers Mechelle Murphy and Bruce Krauter will join Weir on stage for a facilitated discussion about mental health and frontline work. Murphy and Krauter played key roles in the development of a peer support team which assists paramedics dealing with stress and trauma from the job.

The event is set for 10 a.m. Oct. 19 in the Hatch Studio Theatre. To reserve a seat, email Dr. MacArthur at michelle.macarthur@uwindsor.ca.

An event Thursday, Oct. 19, will give members of the campus community an opportunity to discuss what the recent diplomatic developments between the governments of Canada and India mean for University of Windsor students.

President Rob Gordon and other officials will be present to listen to and answer questions from students, faculty, and staff, at 10 a.m. in the Alumni Auditorium, CAW Student Centre.

The Community Conversation will be live-streamed on Microsoft Teams to provide an opportunity for those unable to attend in person, especially family members of international students, to participate.

Register here to attend and submit questions in advance to facilitate informed discussion.

Andre Narbonne’s course “Windsor’s Literary Culture” continues its guest speaker series on Thursday, Oct. 19, with librarian and author Grant Munroe talking about his Woodbridge Farm Press. The talk starts at 1 p.m. in room 53, Chrysler Hall South.

Munroe is the public services manager for the Essex County Library, a senior fellow at the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, and the publisher of Woodbridge Farm Books.

Prior to joining the library, he worked as the director of marketing and publicity for Biblioasis, the Windsor-based literary press. His essays, profiles, and book reviews have appeared in U.S. and Canadian outlets, including the Walrus, Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Review of Books, National Post, Literary Hub, Literary Review of Canada, and more.

“Woodbridge Farm started as a dream several years ago — a desire, urged on by friends, to share the beauty of the family’s lakeside property with writers based locally, elsewhere in Canada, and abroad, through the creation of a writers’ residency and reading series,” says Munroe. “We hosted our first two authors at the farm during the summer of 2017.”

Motivated by its initial success, Woodbridge Farm soon partnered with Windsor-based literary production manager Chris Andrechek to form Woodbridge Farm Books, a chapbook press.

Though the reading series and residency ended with the pandemic, the press lives on. Since its founding, it has published some of the country’s most celebrated authors, including Governor General Award-winning writer Diane Schoemperlen, novelist and past PEN Canada president Randy Boyagoda, and Giller finalist Alix Hawley.

Dr. Narbonne is a sessional lecturer in the Department of English and Creative Writing. He is proud to have his third-year course invite guests to hear its speakers.

“The reading series brings writers, publishers, booksellers, Windsor’s poet laureate and cultural storyteller into the classroom, giving students — as well as the university community at large — an opportunity to see local literature as something living and vital,” says Dr. Narbonne.

The next guest speaker is author Vanessa Stauffer, on Oct. 26. All guest speaker talks are open to all members of the University of Windsor community.

What do generative AI tools like ChatGPT mean for higher education? How are educators responding to it, pedagogically? What can we learn from each other's experiences and emerging practices?

Join colleagues from around campus for a facilitated open forum discussion of AI in classrooms, Friday, Oct. 20, at 12:30 p.m.

Few issues have grabbed the attention of higher education — with such a varied range of responses — as generative AI has this past year. GenAI tools can now produce texts, images, code, music, and videos — even essays — in response to almost any question, and just this month have added the capacity to respond to voice prompts like Siri or Alexa do.

The Office of Open Learning’s Dave Cormier notes that in close to 20 sessions with faculty across campus since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, he’s seen everything from outright bans to full incorporation of AI into teaching.

“The most immediate issue AI raises for faculty is the impact on assessment,” says Dave. “But the bigger picture of how we encourage critical thinking in a world of easy synthetic answers is one that higher ed is going to have to grapple with, and soon.”

The forum will be hybrid — both online and face-to-face — and is open to all members of the campus teaching community.

Facilitated by Bonnie Stewart, associate professor of online pedagogy and workplace learning in the Faculty of Education, and Cormier, learning specialist for digital strategy in the Office of Open Learning, the forum will begin with a short introduction to the current state of GenAI, its promises, and its potential issues.

The floor will then open for participants to share their experiences, their concerns, and their hopes for the future of education in a GenAI era.

Join at 12:30pm, Friday October 20, in CEI 1232 or on the Teams link to listen, contribute, and learn together.

Register to attend either on Microsoft Teams or in room 1232, Centre for Engineering Innovation.

The University of Windsor and Sodexo are simplifying its catering payment process to enhance efficiency and address payment challenges.

In response to the feedback from patrons, the University and Sodexo have re-introduced direct billing through internal charge accounts as payment for departments organizing on-campus catering.

The change aims to streamline payments and increase convenience for university departments.

Clients will still have the option to use a University purchasing card to process any payment under $2,500 in accordance with the University of Windsor Finance Procurement Policy. Clients are also able to submit a payment request through the UWin finance site.

Learn more through the Food and Catering Services FAQ.

Phishing attempts rank as one of the most prevalent types of fraud — the most-reported in Canada in 2022, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

It takes many forms including email, text, call, and voicemail, all aiming to access an individual’s personal information. Vigilance is key in identifying phishing attempts and empowers the campus community to defend itself against would-be attackers.

Information Technology Services offers five tips to avoid getting phished:

1. Evaluate the email or text request type.
2. Examine the sender’s name and email address carefully for inconsistencies.
3. Review the message for urgency or out of the norm solicitations.
4. Check links found within the email by hovering over it.
5. Beware of requests to access your computer.

Individuals should even use caution when responding to what looks like an internal email message or a reputable vendor. Hackers attempt to impersonate familiar people, to get you to let your guard down.

Suppose you think the message is legitimate, but have a suspicion. In that case, you should contact the sender through a different communication channel to verify the message. Do not respond to the potential hacker through the original message.

“We continue to help community members who experienced attempts to comprise their accounts,” says Marcin Pulcer, interim executive director of IT Services. “Hackers play the guise of providing a helpful service. It could not be further from the truth resulting in personal data and productivity loss. While these types of phishing attempts may seem on an individual level, the threat could lead to a campus-wide problem.”

MS Outlook offers a way to report phishing email attempts within the application. It is useful to report the message as it helps improve the effectiveness of filtering the nefarious messages to your Junk Mail folder. Otherwise, report the message to spam@uwindsor.ca.

Find examples of phishing messages on the Cybersecurity Awareness website to brush up your skills to prevent phishing attacks.

If you think you have had your UWin Account compromised, report it to the IT Service Desk at 519-253-3000, ext. 4440, and change your UWin Account password immediately.

Led by IT Services, Cybersecurity Awareness Month efforts highlight cybersecurity issues relevant to the UWindsor community. More information can be found at uwindsor.ca/cybersecurity.

The Campus Safety Grant Committee is accepting applications for creative, innovative proposals from members of the university community, including faculty, staff, and student organizations.

Formerly known as the Women’s Campus Safety Grant, the fund supports projects to promote safety, focusing on addressing issues of sexual violence on campus.

The deadline for the next round of submissions for funding through the Campus Safety Grant is Oct. 31.

In accordance with the parameters set by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, submissions are required to support one of the following broad categories or objectives:

• Awareness or education (e.g., workshops, websites, awareness campaigns)
• Student services and supports (e.g., campus walk safe programs, sexual assault prevention initiatives, volunteer training, resource materials)
• Facilities and equipment (e.g., lighting, mirrors, security cameras, emergency phones)

Funding requests are accepted on an ongoing basis by the Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility at:

• Campus Safety Grant Application
  by e-mail to ohrea@uwindsor.ca,
  or by phoning 519-253-3000, ext. 3400

Projects funded in the current round must be completed — and invoices paid — by March 1, 2024.