A UWindsor drama student is among the finalists in a national contest to land the role of Dorothy in an Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz to open in Toronto in December.

Third-year BFA acting major Danielle Wade has survived several rounds of competition, including the first installment of CBC-TV’s star search series, Over The Rainbow. Now she’s one of just nine aspiring Dorothys left. Over the next seven weeks’ worth of episodes, online voting will determine the winner of the plum role.

Wade told the Windsor Star she figures she’s already a winner.

“If I were to go home now, it would still be the most awesome thing to happen to me,” she said. “One of the most amazing opportunities in a lifetime has happened and I’m only 20.”

Find more information, including a brief biography of Wade and details on how to vote, on the show’s Web site.

Watch a video of Wade making her case:

UWindsor nursing professor Judy Bornais says being named one of Ontario’s most outstanding university teachers by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) is “a huge honour,” but what really moved her were the kind remarks by students and colleagues.

“In the nomination package are a number of letters of support,” she says. “To me, that was one of the highlights—reading what students and colleagues think of your work.”

Prof. Bornais, the faculty’s experiential learning specialist, will receive an OCUFA Teaching Award at an October 27 ceremony in Toronto.

OCUFA president Constance Adamson said one of the most striking things in the nomination materials is how often the word ‘love’ is used in comments from Bornais’ students.

“It is clear how strongly she connects with her students, and the awards committee was impressed with Prof. Bornais’ genuine love of teaching,” Adamson said. “Nursing is about compassion, and she lives this value in her classroom. This is the kind of passion we want to see in our teachers.”

Bornais says that connecting with students is key in her approach to teaching.

“I think it is really important that as professors, we show our students we care about them and care about their success,” she says.

This year’s other recipients of the award are: chemistry lecturer Andrew P. Dicks of the University of Toronto, psychology professor Steve Joordens of the University of Toronto Scarborough, and chemistry professor Stephen MacNeil and psychology professor Eileen Wood of Wilfrid Laurier University.

OCUFA represents 17,000 faculty and academic librarians in 27 faculty associations across Ontario.

Being a member of a club is a great experience, and learning a skill is a guaranteed bonus, says Marisa Manzocco.

“As a business major, I have to be able to speak in public and do presentations flawlessly,” she says. “It would be great to observe and learn new ways of communicating well.”

Manzocco signed up with the Odette Toastmasters Club on Tuesday during the Clubs Week information fair in the Student Centre Courtyard. Though she is a new member of the club, she is already familiar with interacting with like-minded students. Before starting her first year at the university, she was on the debate team in high school, an opportunity that led to the formation of many good friendships.

“I made a lot of friends from other schools while on the debate team,” she says. “If anything, I’m really looking forward to networking with other club members here.”

While building friendships, students get to help improve the lives of others, says Anand Janarthanan, co-president of the campus chapter of Engineers Without Borders.

“Our work is to apply our creativity and technical skills to developing Africa,” he says. “We want to help rural Africans access clean water and higher income from farming.”

Janarthanan foresees a busy yet fruitful year with upcoming fundraisers and outreach campaigns for support.

“We have had 25 students sign up today alone,” he says. “That says a lot about how much they value their fellow man, no matter his social status.”

More than 130 campus groups are participating in Clubs Week, promoting activities, academic disciplines, cultural groups, or political and religious perspectives. Activities continue today and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

—story and photo by Chantelle Myers

The 20-minute tours are free and there’s no need to register in advance—just show up!

Guides will lead the tour through both the main and west buildings, stopping at points along the way to explain borrowing policies, collections and help services. The tours leave from the library’s lobby:

• Wednesday, September 19, at 10 a.m., noon, 2 and 4 p.m.
• Thursday, September 20, at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.