The UWindsor community is invited to view videos of presentations made last week by the two short-listed candidates for the next Vice President, Research.

David Castle and Michael Siu separately discussed “the role of research in the university today.”

Their presentations are available for viewing on the search committee’s Web site; access requires login with a UWindsor ID and password.

The committee welcomes comments regarding the candidates by September 10 at uwindsor.research.feedback@odgersberndtson.ca.

More than 350 new students coming to UWindsor this fall from overseas—including almost 90 exchange students—help to define the campus as an international destination, says Enrique Chacon.

The international student advisor helped to organize orientation sessions especially for this group, with sessions Sunday and Monday on topics ranging from adjusting to Canada’s culture and climate, understanding expectations for academic integrity, and dealing with visa and immigration issues.

Paschal Dim said that he already made some new friends during a welcoming barbecue on Sunday.

“I’m looking forward to learning more,” said the Nigerian native, who will begin studies Thursday in environmental sciences.

Windsor Welcome Week continues today with Tough Lancer, an Amazing Race-style competition that will put teams through a variety of mental and physical challenges, ending at the river’s edge. Other activities include a mini-golf tournament, a free lunch just for transfer students, a barbecue in support of the Shinerama charity and stand-up comedy by Gilson Lubin.

Visit www.windsorwelcomeweek.ca for a full list of events, locations and times.

This week’s events include:

• Wednesday, September 5. Program orientation for all faculties and programs—compulsory for first-year students, the Welcoming Celebration in the St. Denis Centre, and the Coming Home Music Festival featuring Avicii.
• Thursday, September 6. First day of classes and the Adrenaline Rush inflatable carnival.
• Friday, September 7. See the city with the Taste of Sandwich food tour and an evening cruise along the Windsor-Detroit riverfront.
• Saturday, September 8. Shinerama Shine Day will put UWindsor students on the street, working their shoe-shining skills to benefit cystic fibrosis charities.

Going away to school takes more stuff than in his day, said a father helping his son move in to Macdonald Hall on Sunday.

“When I packed for college, I just threw my backpack on my shoulder and I was ready to go,” said Steve Robinson, who said it took seven trips from the van to carry in the supplies of his son, Dillon Robinson. “Between the iPad, computer, guitar, every bit of clothing he owns—it adds up.”

Luckily, he said, there was plenty of help.

“There were all sorts of volunteers offering to haul with us,” he said. “They were very polite and very helpful.”

Dozens of experienced students pitched in to assist new arrivals, carrying boxes and bags, giving directions, and even providing refreshments.

Angel Ho said volunteering gives her a chance to enhance her organizational and language skills, while empathizing with the stress of starting university.

“It is hard for first-year students,” said the Hong Kong native. “I experienced it and I want to help.”

Abbey Chapman, a double major in drama in education and communication studies, said she appreciated the help: “These people are very nice.”

Among her belongings she brought from her Ottawa home to Laurier Hall are several pillows and a thick mattress topper to help with her back problems.

“I’m very impressed with my room. It’s very spacious,” she said. An early arrival, she had yet to meet her roommate—“I’m a little nervous about that,” Chapman laughed.

About 1,350 students will take up residence in one of six campus halls this semester; over 1,000 did so on Move-in Day. According to preliminary numbers from Residence Services, the mix in residence is about 50-50 male and female, 75 per cent first-year students, and about 120 international students from 40 countries.

Angel Ho, Shudi Wang, Shangfeng Chen and Jing Shao unleash their inner Lancers as volunteers for Residence Move-in Day, Sunday outside the Clark townhouses.

Brazilian exchange students Juliana Lima and Alanne Brandao don sunglasses distributed free by the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance.

First-year student Javier Buckley and Cassandra Pineda peruse the goods at the University Bookstore’s temporary counter in Vanier Hall on Sunday.

Tara Chase, a first-year criminology major, completes the final leg of her journey from Burlington to Laurier Hall.

Paschal Dim, an environmental science student from Nigeria by way of the Netherlands, enjoys a free lunch during international student orientation.

Massey grads Maaya Kaul and Alicia Muzslai set up their tent in preparation for Sunday's Camp on Campus. “We’re commuters, so we won’t get the whole residence experience,” Kaul said. “We need to get out and engage and meet people.”

A lifetime spent in the Canadian Forces has well equipped Peter Voyer with the command he’ll require to fully devote himself to his true passion: a life in academia.

“I’ve been in uniform pretty much my whole life,” said Dr. Voyer, who left the military as a senior officer to become one of the newest faculty additions at the Odette School of Business, where he’ll be an assistant professor in marketing. “It gave me the mental discipline to pursue a very ambitious research agenda and maintain a high level of fidelity to that agenda.”

Voyer officially joined the army in 1985 after having served as a cadet and in the reserves, and completing an undergraduate degree in psychology at Carleton University. After a stint in the army, he went to the University of New Brunswick to earn an MBA. It was there he fell in love with academic research, studying how the word-of-mouth process worked in a marketing context.

“I was like a kid in a candy store,” he said. “I loved it and couldn’t get enough of it. It represented the start of a fascinating stream in a fascinating area that I wanted to pursue. It really became a passion.”

After that, Voyer repaid his debt to the military by taking a senior command appointment in artillery at CFB Petawawa. Still smitten with research, he was accepted into the PhD program at Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business in 2001. During that time, he began teaching at the Royal Military College in Kingston, while wrapping up his degree in 2007. The following year, he became a brigade operations officer in London, ON, overseeing training of about 2,000 soldiers.

During his time in the military, Voyer participated in some of Canada’s most memorable modern historical events. In 1990, his battery was responsible for containing Mohawk leaders and handing them over to the provincial police force when they surrendered after an intense 11-week standoff over a land-claim dispute at Oka, Quebec.

“We were on the line,” he recalled. “That was very interesting. We were carrying 550 rounds of live ammunition. It was pretty intense. I remember that night very well.”

And in 2010, he went to the Canadian base at Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was there in a staff role, but his duties required him to go “outside the wire” from time to time into an environment on constant high-alert due to the ever-present threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). At least five Americans and one Canadian were killed while he was there.

“It’s a very intense, no-nonsense sense kind of environment,” he said.

The father of four daughters, the eldest of whom enters UWindsor this fall as a first year drama and English literature student, Voyer says his time in the military is done.

“That’s all she wrote,” he said. “My passion and my heart are in academia and have been for the last 15 years. This university is where I really want to be. This is a great business school and it’s a perfect fit for me. It’s a stimulating environment, a very collegial atmosphere, and I can’t wait to kick my research into high gear.”

That research is focused on consumer behaviour, social influence, and word-of-mouth advertising. He’s currently polishing up a paper from his dissertation that’s based on a gauge he developed called a Consumer Propensity to Deviate (CPD scale), which measures how likely a consumer will be to violate their regular consumption norms.

He’ll be teaching two courses this fall: an MBA course in marketing management and a second-year course in consumer behaviour.

The Lancer football team thrilled more than 4,000 fans Monday at University Stadium with a convincing 63-18 win over the Ottawa Gee Gees to open the 2012 season.

Among the highlights on offense, quarterback Austin Kennedy notched 482 passing yards on 31 completions, including six touchdowns—tying the team record. Receiver Jordan Brescacin pulled down three touchdowns and totalled 214 yards.

Read the full story, “Lancers stampede over Gee Gees 63-18 in season opener,” at goLancers.ca.

The team is at home to the Guelph Gryphons for a night game on Saturday, September 8.

Lancer players enter Alumni Field, eager to get football season underway.

Cheerleaders demonstrate their skills with a toss before an appreciative crowd.

First-year students Emily Taylor Stievenart and Jacob Campeau donned paint to cheer on the Lancers.

A young fan buys some Lancer football gear.

Windsor Welcome Week volunteers perform the Windsor wiggle during halftime.

Rebecca Riddick and Sara Estoesta were among the fans lining the hill on the stadium’s west side.

Grad students in engineering enjoy the prime view they earned by winning a DailyNews trivia quiz.

Receiver Dylan Whitfield completes a 34-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Austin Kennedy.

Soccer splits opener

The men’s soccer team defeated the UOIT Ridgebacks 2-0 Saturday in Oshawa on goals from Jamar Kelly and Mike Pio. Goalkeeper Dejo Olabegi earned the shutout. The women’s team dropped a 2-1 decision. First-year midfielder Jaclyn Faraci scored Windsor’s lone goal.

At home Monday, the women’s team tied Western 2-2 on goals from Kelly Riccardi and Tina Vagnini. Lancer goalkeeper Tara Bernard-Rae was instrumental in the draw. The men lost to the Mustangs 1-0.

Both teams are on the road this weekend, travelling to Hamilton on Saturday to take on McMaster and playing the Brock Badgers in St. Catharines on Sunday.

The Windsor Police Service will take an active approach to enforcement of liquor laws during the start of the school year, it told representatives of University administration, student and neighbourhood groups during a meeting on the subject last week.

Bar owners city-wide can expect inspections in relation to the Liquor Licence Act, making sure they understand their obligations with regard to the responsible sale, service and consumption of alcohol. Officers will also be noticeably more visible in communities surrounding the campus, looking for loud parties and disorderly conduct.

“Our primary goal is to promote and ensure community safety,” said Matthew D’Asti, a sergeant with the Windsor Police Service. “We want to welcome students as part of our community and ensure that they have a successful and safe experience. Our increased patrols and pro-active enforcement emphasize our obligation to ensure the safety of all of our community members.”

The announcement was welcomed by Kim Orr, president of University of Windsor Students’ Alliance.

“It’s important that we respect everyone who lives in the neighbourhood around the University and make this a great community to live in,” she said. “While there is more to the university experience than books and studying, the area won’t be turned into one giant outside party.”

The police, the city government and university administration have shown they understand neighbour concerns regarding noise and litter, said Lena Angelidis, who lives near campus.

“As a result of numerous meetings held recently and the very high level of attention and priority given to these issues, I can say with certainty that the message has been clearly received,” she said. “Our students are an asset: they’re our future. We need to welcome them as treasured members of our community and remind them that Windsor could be their permanent home after graduation so we need to work together to show our pride in our neighbourhoods and therefore, our city as a whole.”

UWindsor chief communications officer Holly Ward emphasized the importance of communication to ensure a successful community experience.

“Our students play a significant role in the safety and well-being of the surrounding neighbourhood and we want everyone to have a positive and safe experience living in the community,” said Ward. “Through the Campus Community Police and University of Windsor administration, we have a very collaborative relationship with Windsor Police Service who have taken a proactive approach to ensure the safety of our students and surrounding community.”

Researcher Martin Hulak died last week at the age of 33, but his pioneering work will live on, say professors who held him in high regard.

Dr. Hulak, a post-doctoral fellow working with Hugh MacIsaac and Melania Cristescu at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, was found dead outside his Windsor home on Wednesday, August 29. A native of Slovakia, he started working on campus in March 2012.

Dr. MacIsaac described Hulak as very quiet but extremely competent and confident in his abilities, and predicted his meta-genomics approach will revolutionize how scientists look at aquatic ecosystems.

“Martin was using environmental DNA to identify species in samples of water and plankton gathered from Canada’s 16 busiest ports on each coast—Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic and the Great Lakes,” MacIsaac said. “His team extracted the DNA, sequenced it and cross-referenced it to online databases for species reported by colleagues around the world. Even in just a subset of the sample, he found anywhere between five and 10 times as many species, both natives and introduced aliens, as all traditional analyses combined. We think we’re picking up all the rare species you never find using the traditional approach of viewing samples under a microscope.”

Although Hulak’s teammate Aibin Zhan has left Windsor to take a faculty post in China, he has pledged to complete their project and see the results through to publication.

Dr. Cristescu called Hulak’s death a great tragedy, from both personal and professional perspectives.

“Martin touched all of us with his kindness, gentle nature, discreteness, professionalism, love for science and creativity,” she said. “He was very humble about his accomplishments and very much in love with his GLIER experience.”

Campus flags will be lowered Tuesday, September 4, in his memory. Funeral arrangements had not been finalized at the DailyNews publication deadline; friends and colleagues gathered Friday in the GLIER conference room for an informal memorial service.

Parking Services has identified temporary accommodations for permit holders displaced by the construction of the parking structure on the site of the former Lot F, south of Wyandotte Street between Sunset and California avenues.

E-mail notifications sent to those permit holders last week assigned them spots starting today in either:

• the lot south of Assumption University, which has been leased for the duration of the construction; or
• a temporary lot on the footprint of the now-demolished Cody Hall.

Both lots are accessible from Huron Church Road by Lot F permit holders using their existing gate access cards and rear view mirror hang tags, although individuals are required to park only in their assigned lots.

All permanent patrons of Lot F will be assigned to the parking garage at the corner of Sunset and Wyandotte street once its construction has been completed, at which point the Cody Hall site will be converted to green space and the Assumption lot will revert to control of Assumption University.

In the interim, the Assumption lot will operate as a pay-and-display lot on weekends. From 6 p.m. Fridays through Sunday, the gates will lift to allow patrons access. Permit holders assigned to the lot will be allowed free access through weekends as well.

The completed parking garage will reflect a focus on security and sustainability, says Anna Kirby, executive director of Campus Services. Its open-concept design minimizes visual barriers and incorporates such additional features as bicycle parking and electrical charge stations.

The Senate Steering Sub-Committee on Honorary Degrees is welcoming nominations for honorary degrees. Anyone wishing to nominate a candidate for an honorary degree must submit a nomination form by Friday, September 28.

Selection criteria, nomination guidelines and forms are available on the committee’s Web site. For more information contact Maria Giampuzzi at 519-253-3000, ext. 3317, or by e-mail at woody@uwindsor.ca.