Students in Windsor who pay for a little extra help with their studies should get an immense amount of satisfaction when they hear about how Trudy Cronkhite put their hard-earned money to use this summer.~

A fourth-year criminology student, Cronkhite takes part in a program called Students Offering Support. Students pay $10 an hour for tutoring services known as “Exam-Aid” sessions, which are conducted by fellow student volunteers and held before mid-terms and finals when they need help the most. The proceeds are used to pay for other students to travel to developing countries in Africa and Latin America where they participate in community improvement projects.

At the end of April, Cronkhite and 18 other students from the UWindsor chapter of SOS traveled to Jusccapampa, Peru, a small brick-building village on the outskirts of Cuzco, where they spent two-and-a-half weeks constructing a new elementary school.

“When we got there the kids hadn’t been to school for quite a while,” she said. “They had recently gotten a teacher, but they were teaching the kids at a women’s house. It wasn’t very structured.”

Cronkhite’s was the first such trip for the new UWindsor chapter of SOS, which has tutored more than 600 students since being launched and raised more than $23,000. She described her experience as “eye-opening.”

“I didn’t know what to expect when we got there,” she said. “It was culture shock at first but then you really start to see the similarities that we have with these people in far-off places.”

The team erected two structures while there, including a kitchen, a large open classroom and a special area dedicated for the kindergarten. She said SOS arranged for pre-delivery of the pre-fabricated structures, which they had to put together, but added that building the foundation was the most difficult part.

“We were using sticks, pick axes and our feet to mix the cement,” said Cronkhite, who had done two previous builds for Habitat for Humanity, one in Saskatchewan, the other in New Orleans after the floods. “That took a few days to get done, but once that was finished, the rest went pretty smoothly.”

Cronkhite, who will be trip coordinator for next year’s mission, said the experience was very gratifying.

“We had a lot of fun,” she said. “Just going up there and seeing the progress we made, and it was very rewarding, especially seeing the kids at the end of the day. You could tell that they really wanted the school to be built there.”

Cronkhite said she will soon begin recruiting students to participate in next year’s trip, although the destination is still to be determined.

“We’re still in the beginning stages of this, so we need a lot of people to help out,” she said. “It’s a good way to travel. You get to see a lot of the touristy things, but you feel like you’re making a difference rather than just going there and using up their resources.”

Anyone interested in participating should write to recruiting.sos@gmail.com.

Editor's note: this is one of a series of articles about students from across campus who were engaged in cool research projects and other activities during the summer.

University Players begins its 53nd season with William Shakespeare’s ever-popular comedy Much Ado About Nothing. The play runs September 15 to 18 and 21 to 25 at Essex Hall Theatre.

With love at first sight and witty battles of words, Much Ado About Nothing is a beautiful love story of two couples – the adoring Claudio and Hero and the fiery Beatrice and Benedick. Everything seems perfect until the evil Don John conspires to break up the unions, nearly spoiling this light-hearted comedy. But thanks to a blundering constable who uncovers the treachery, tragedy is averted, and the lovers can celebrate a joyous ending.

“The richness of this play lies not just in its large gallery of colourful, unforgettable characters, but also in the brilliant seasoning of broad comedy with moments of raw drama,” says the play’s director, drama professor Brian Taylor. “These are full-blooded people living full lives in a robust and kind-hearted comedy.”

Wednesday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. On Sunday, September 18, a “Talk Back” discussion with the director and actors will follow the performance. Tickets run $18 to $20.

For information or tickets, call 519-253-3000, ext. 2808 or visit www.UniversityPlayers.com.

Student volunteers with the Campus Community Clean-up will get a free lunch, free coffee, and something money cannot buy—a sense of pride in their surroundings.

The anti-litter campaign will leave from the CAW Student Centre at 10 a.m. today, walk around campus to pick up litter, and gather for a commemorative tree planting.

Also today, the Taste of Windsor walking tour will bring participants to restaurants neighbouring the University for free samples of their offerings. The tour leaves from the CAW Student Centre at 2 p.m.

Windsor Welcome Week concludes Saturday with Shine Day, which will start with an 8 a.m. breakfast and end with a late night movie screening. In between, UWindsor students will participate in the largest post-secondary fundraiser in Canada, taking their shoe-shining skills to the streets of Windsor to benefit cystic fibrosis charities.

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

Boning up: Second-year biology majors Anthony DeSilver and Zishu Liu got right to work on the first day of classes.

Loading up: Andrea Pedroza, a second-year industrial engineering student, grabbed some freebies from vendors in the CAW Student Centre.

Reading up: Environmental studies major Rachel Bondy was $247.64 poorer, but infinitely richer in knowledge, after buying her texts at the University Bookstore.

Fuelling up: Second-year social work student Kimanthi Davis-Vivie buys a late lunch/early supper at about 2:30 p.m. from the Marketplace food court.

The Lancer soccer teams will play their first home games of the 2011 campaign this weekend, taking on the Waterloo Warriors on Saturday, September 10, and the Laurier Golden Hawks on Sunday, September 11. Both days the women play at 1 p.m. and the men at 3:15 p.m. on Alumni Field.

The Laurier women’s team is ranked second in the nation in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport coaches’ poll after opening the season with two victories; the Waterloo women are looking for their first win.

Windsor is 1-1, having split their opening weekend on the road. The Lancers lost to 2-0 McMaster last Saturday and beat Brock 4-0 on Sunday.

On the men’s side, Windsor is seeking to get in the win column. Head coach Steve Hart’s squad lost 2-1 to McMaster and 2-0 to Brock last weekend. Laurier is undefeated at 1-0-1 and Waterloo is off to a 1-2 start.

In other varsity action, the Lancer football team will travel to Waterloo to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday. Laurier is ranked eighth in the CIS; Windsor is coming off a 38-5 Labour Day win over Toronto.

The women’s hockey team will face off against Belle Tire in exhibition play Sunday at South Windsor Arena. The puck drops at 4:10 p.m.

Looking for a wheelie good deal? Students, staff and faculty who ride their bicycles to campus will be treated to a free breakfast Monday to Friday, September 12 to 16.

Organized by Arthur Barbut and Nicole Noël, Bike to UWindsor Week is a project of the Office of the Vice-President, Administration and Finance, and the Centre for Studies in Social Justice. The breakfasts are also sponsored by the Faculty of Law and the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance.

The breakfast buffet will run 8 to 10 a.m. each day:

• Monday and Tuesday at the covered bike shelter east of the main entrance to Essex Hall;
• Wednesday n the courtyard east of the CAW Student Centre;
• Thursday and Friday at the bike shelter outside the north entrance to the Ron W. Ianni Law Building.

Learn more at www.uwindsor.ca/bike.

The Odette Project for Technology, Innovation and Commercialization - Virtual Incubator (OPTIC-VI) approved funding in August for five companies with the potential to create jobs in Windsor-Essex, bringing its total number of awards to 16.

The August grant recipients included:

• William Seney, whose virtual company “Sales Performance 2.0” is designed to provide training to small businesses;
• Karen Smallwood, co-owner of “Forte,” a company focusing on service solutions for entrepreneurs;
• Jack Bryan, creator of “Cardigan Kid,” focused on sourcing and selling clothing items characterized by a patented logo;
• Owen Wolter, owner of “WindsorDOTca,” a Web site offering online advertising tailored to local clients; and
• Marc Dufault, creator of “Plastic Wickets,” an alternative to traditional metal wickets used to manufacture plastic bags.

The awards, worth up to $10,000 each, are designed to help start-up companies cover direct expenses such as legal fees for incorporation or patent application, research and development, market assessment, and financial consulting.

The agency still has funds available. For further information or to apply, visit www.opticvi.com.

To coincide with today’s walking tour of off-campus restaurants, DailyNews is offering its readers a taste of Windsor: a trivia contest with a local flavour.

The prize is a beautiful multi-purpose blanket with a water-resistant exterior and a warm fleece interior, making it perfect for sunning at the beach, picnicking at the park, or taking in a Lancer game at University Stadium. Donated by the Alumni Association, it is camel coloured, measures 45" x 58", and bears a stitched UWindsor Alumni logo.

The winner will be selected at random from all correct responses received by noon Sunday, September 11. To be eligible, select the most correct answer to each of the following questions about food and drink associated with the region:

1. Each of these local delicacies has won admiration. Which are still made within the Windsor city limits?
   a) Hiram Walker Canadian Club Whiskey
   b) Tunnel Bar-B-Q hot sauce
   c) Walker’s Candies peanut toffee sauce
   d) Windsor Salt
   e) all of the above
2. The Heinz plant in Leamington produces tomato ketchup at a rate of some 96 million bottles a year. According to the Heinz company, what is the best way to hurry the ketchup out of its iconic glass bottle?
   a) apply a firm tap on the neck of the bottle, right on the “57” logo
   b) gently and repeatedly tap on the bottom of the bottle
   c) hold the bottle upside down and jerk it suddenly upward
   d) shake the bottle back and forth in a rocking motion
   e) none of the above -- just wait
3. Which Essex County winemaker bills itself as Canada’s warmest and southernmost appellation?
   a) Colio Estate Wines
   b) Erie Shore Vineyard
   c) Mastronardi Estate Winery
   d) Pelee Island Winery
   e) all of the above

Contest is open to all readers of the DailyNews. Send an e-mail with your responses to uofwnews@uwindsor.ca. One entry per contestant, please. Note: the decision of the judge in determining the most correct response is inviolable. 

Contest winner finds quiz questions educational

Law student Clara Lee won Thursday's DailyNews contest and the prize of a stainless steel water bottle provided by the Alumni Office.

Her name was drawn from the many entrants who correctly identified a Boston cooler as a Vernor’s float, a Coney dog as a Detroit-style chili dog, Detroit Iron as muscle cars, a Michigan left as a specialized traffic manoeuvre and the Motor City Madman as singer Ted Nugent.

She researched several answers, Lee says: “I learned a lot.” Watch for another Detroit-based trivia contest next week.

The International Joint Commission’s Great Lakes Regional Office is hosting a free public seminar entitled Keeping Our Lakes and Rivers Clean, Monday, September 12, at the Central Branch of the Windsor Public Library, 850 Ouellette Avenue.

The seminar, which will run from 1 to 4 p.m., will feature staff scientists from the commission and experts from the City of Windsor and industry. The focus of the event is on the impact of sewage discharges on water quality and steps being taken by governments to protect lakes and rivers.

Regional director Saad Jasim will outline the commission’s role within the mandate of the Canada-US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. First signed in 1972, the agreement tasks the commission with providing advice and assessing progress on the part of governments in restoring the chemical, physical and chemical integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem.

In addition, presentations will highlight the recent process updates at Windsor’s Lou Romano Reclamation Plant and the improvements to water quality resulting from the new $67 million retention basin project underway on the Windsor riverfront.

The following union position is available to internal bargaining unit members only. Bargaining unit members interested in this position are requested to apply in writing by completing an 'Application for Transfer' form and forwarding it to: Department of Human Resources on or before 4 p.m. on the posting closing date. Please note: Union positions are covered by the union collective agreement, therefore, please be aware that we must allow our qualified unionized staff the first opportunity for transfer or promotion to these positions. This opportunity is not available to external applicants.

CAW 2458 Full Time Office and Clerical Unit

#2011-FT-13 Test Centre Coordinator ‘11’, Office of the Registrar – Test Centre
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (hours may vary throughout the year, including weekends)
The following posting closes on Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Test Centre Coordinator is responsible for directing, overseeing and ensuring the effective and efficient operation of external examination processes, distance education final examination procedures, and the computer-based test centre. The successful candidate will have an undergraduate degree. Excellent human relations and customer service skills are essential, including a demonstrated ability to work well with faculty, students and the general public. The successful candidate must have excellent organizational, multi-tasking and problem-solving skills, as well as excellent verbal and communication skills. The successful candidate must be detail-oriented and possess a high level of accuracy in their work. Good computer skills are required including a good proficiency in working with the Student Information System (SIS) , Microsoft Office, internet and e-mail; typing 30 NWPM. Experience relating to registration procedures and degree audit review, as well as a general knowledge of the academic and administrative structure and processes of the University, are essential. The ability to work a flexible work schedule, including the weekend, is also required.

The following Non Union Administration position is available to all applicants through Human Resources.

#2011-NU-16 Assistant Director – Programs, Centre for Executive & Professional Programs (CEPE)
The following posting closes on September 16, 2011.

Reporting to the Executive Director of the Centre for Executive & Professional Education, the Assistant Director - Programs has the primary responsibility for the leadership and administration of all CEPE programs. The candidate will have successfully completed a Masters' degree in Business, Engineering or Science and will demonstrate a minimum three (3) years related experience with the administration of Executive Education programs complimented by a strong knowledge of the executive education field. The candidate will have demonstrated experience in budget development and management and experience in developing marketing materials and marketing campaigns. Essential to this position are superior communication skills: written, verbal and presentation; including the ability to communicate effectively and develop partnerships at all levels within the organization from senior management, academic units, external stakeholders, employers to students. The Assistant Director will demonstrate superior interpersonal skills including a strong client service focus and the ability to work both independently as well as part of a team. Demonstrated history of superior customer service and the implementation of customer service initiatives are critical to the success of this position, as well as excellent problem solving, analytical and decision making skills. The candidate will have strong organization and project management skills and demonstrable strength in staff and performance management and supervision.

Persons interested are encouraged to review the full job advertisement at www.uwindsor.ca/hr/employment-services-prospective-employees. Your resume and cover letter can be submitted to employment@uwindsor.ca, quoting posting reference number 2011-NU-16 on or before 4 p.m. on Friday, September 16, 2011. Please note: The University of Windsor accepts resumes for current postings only.