A University of Windsor professor hopes to combine arts and science in a performance Saturday that will draw the community into discussions about the local ecology.

During the Art and Ecology Sidewalk Parade, Saturday, September 29, “no one gets to be a viewer,” says Jennifer Willet.

“Everyone gets to be a participant.”

She will assign everyone in attendance a role, whether it’s making music or carrying a sign to represent an organism found in the local ecosystem.

“It might be a fish or a skunk or a pet dog,” Willet says. “It might be native to the area or an introduced species. I want people to think about ecology from a different perspective.”

Willet says the event will be whimsical: “I find that playfulness is a good strategy for accessing ideas.”

The parade will leave from the Arts Council – Windsor and Region, 1942 Wyandotte Street East, at noon, and proceed west along Wyandotte to Marion Avenue, then turn south to Canada South Science City, 930 Marion Ave. Participants are invited to bring a picnic lunch and will enjoy free admission to the science centre.

In the event of rain, the parade will proceed as planned and the concluding picnic will take place indoors.

The public will have a chance to say goodbye to the Windsor Armouries and view the University’s plans for its downtown campus during an open house in the building on Thursday, October 4.

The event will run 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the historical building, located on University Avenue at Freedom Way. UWindsor president Alan Wildeman, project managers, architects and representatives from the City of Windsor will be on-hand to discuss plans for the development of the Armouries, as well as the former bus depot across the street and the Windsor Star complex several blocks to the west.

Veronika Mogyorody, the University’s academic architectural advisor, says many members of the community have an attachment to the Armouries building, either as members of the armed forces units that used the facility or as attendees at the many public events it has hosted over the years.

“Everybody has a special spot for the armouries,” she says. “I also think people will appreciate the chance for some closure—this will be their last opportunity to see it before construction begins.”

She says Windsorites will be excited to see details of the planned renovations, which will remake the armouries as a home for music and visual arts programs.

“The architects CS&P have done a great job,” says Dr. Mogyorody. “They have respected the building and the heritage aspects of its architecture.”

She points out that most good architecture, although it may have been conceived for one purpose, will find multiple uses over its life.

“What makes cities really exciting are the multiple examples of buildings through time,” she says. “You see a balance of the new and the older structures.”

Susan Mark, executive director of facility services, says the city government has been a wonderful partner in the process.

“It has been just fantastic working with the city,” she says. “They see this project as a boon for downtown and as an asset for the city as a whole.”

When the downtown campus opens in 2014, the University will bring approximately 1,500 students, faculty and staff into the heart of the city. In addition to the armouries project, the bus depot will become a home to film production facilities and the Windsor Star buildings will house the School of Social Work and the Centre for Executive and Professional Education.

Visit www.uwindsor.ca/downtown for full details.

A used book sale Thursday, September 27, in the CAW Student Centre will raise funds to bring a writer-in-residence to the Department of English Language, Literature and Creative Writing.

The department has identified Chatham native Ray Robertson to take up the position, which involves one-on-one consultations with students; participation in literary festivals, workshops and readings; and an opportunity to develop works in progress. Faculty and students are working to raise $10,000 to make the residency possible; the university has pledged matching funds.

Thursday’s book sale is part of that effort, says Jason Rankin, co-president of the English Undergraduate Student Association, which is organizing the event. He says the writer-in-residence helps students by editing and critiquing their works.

“This service is very useful for creative writing students and for students just interested in writing,” says Rankin. “It offers them the chance to have a professional writer help polish their skills.”

Robertson, now based in Toronto, has written six novels and two non-fiction books, including Why Not? Fifteen Reasons to Live, a collection of essays on the subject of human happiness that the Globe and Mail named one of the best books of 2011.

The English department has posted an appeal for donations to fund the writer-in-residence program this year; view it on the departmental Web site.

The first 100 donors of $100 or more to the writer-in-residence program will receive a limited edition 9”x12” broadside featuring a photo of professor emeritus Alistair MacLeod, with a text by him and bearing his signature.

African, Caribbean and Black youth (ACBY) from Windsor and Essex County are being invited to take part in a research project that aims to establish a profile of the experiences that make them vulnerable to negative sexual health outcomes and develop a strategy to address them.

The ACBY project, funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, is a three-year collaboration among UWindsor researchers who have studied  the HIV epidemic since its inception, an emerging generation of new researchers and community partners from the AIDS Committee of Windsor and the Youth Connection Association. More than 60 leaders from the African, Caribbean and Black communities pledged their support for the project following a September 6 ACB community meeting.

Young people from the ACBY community are invited to attend a forum this Saturday, September 29, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Sandwich Teen Action Group, 3735 King Street, Windsor to learn about the project and how they can become involved in helping to lead it.

For more information visit www.acby.ca or contact the ACBY project office at 519-253-3000, ext. 4075, or e-mail info@acby.ca.

Lifeguarding can fit perfectly into University life, especially when the pool is part of the University. It keeps students active in campus life and they can make a few extra bucks on the side.

The St. Denis Centre located on College Avenue prides itself on hiring strictly student lifeguards who keep coming back every year.

Alex Noble has returned for her third consecutive year lifeguarding at the St. Denis pool. She says the people bring her back every year.

“This is a safe pool,” says Noble. “I have never had to do a rescue and I don’t know anyone who has. A majority of the time it is just people swimming lengths.”

First-year guard Lauren Sharpe says the reason she applied for the job is that it was so close and can help her gain experience.

And Lauren Von Bulow, also going into her third year, says that guarding on campus is a great way to make friends: “We’re are all students, so we can relate to one another.”

The job of a lifeguard is no doubt straining. According to the National Lifesaving Society (NLS), in order to stay up to standards, guards must spend a minimum of two hours per month training physically and mentally to prepare themselves for situations—such as drowning victims—that they hope will never occur. They must also keep up to date with all first aid standards, which change approximately every five years based on new research.

For the past 20 years, physical standards for all lifeguards have stayed the same, but in May 2012 the National Lifesaving Society changed its certification program to focus more on fitness standards and timing components. Some of these changes have included a 60-second head up front crawl time and a 25-meter tow in 90 seconds.

Josh Leeman, instructor trainer and NLS certifier at the St. Denis Centre, welcomes the new standards.

“I believe it is a positive thing,” he says.  “We need to be quick and effective when a situation does occur.”

Because of the new standards, the St. Denis Centre has made a 16-length swim mandatory for all new and returning lifeguards. The staff must also show up for mandatory training sessions monthly.

The St. Denis Centre hires new guards every fall semester, as long as they have all of their bronze cross, bronze medallion, NLS certifications, and can pass the physical swim standards. The pool has a full staff for 2012/13, but will be taking new applications in the summer and next fall for the 2013/14 year. The pool also hires swimming and aquatic instructors for those who have their qualifications. To apply, simply e-mail a resume to Leeman at jleeman@uwindsor.ca .

—article and photo by Jess Craymer

Lancer women’s basketball head coach Chantal Vallée is among the community leaders who will attend a networking event for Windsor’s young adults, students and professionals on Thursday, September 27.

The GenNext committee of the United Way offers young leaders a chance to meet and learn from their peers and mentors, as well as opportunities to volunteer and better the community, says coordinator Anjana Jacob, a 2011 graduate of the Odette School of Business.

The event runs 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Overseas Mini Cooper, 9425 Tecumseh Road East. The host Rafih Automotive Group will display a special edition Mini Goodwood, one of just 1,000 built.

Besides Vallée, attendees will meet publisher Marty Beneteau and marketing director Bev Becker of the Windsor Star, and president Dartis Willis and general manager Chris Mendes of the Windsor Express basketball team.

The ticket price of $15 will benefit the GenNext Youth Leadership Grant Program. To register, contact Jacob at 519-258-0000, ext. 1180, or visit weareunited.com/gennext.

According to the Ontario Association of Food Banks, in one of four households using food banks, children skip breakfast at least once a week, says Kimberly Hillier, a doctoral student in the Faculty of Education.

She is calling on the campus community to help meet a dire need for breakfast cereals in the monthly food baskets distributed by the Downtown Mission. She will collect new, unopened boxes of cereal in the lobby of the Neal Education Building, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 27.

A teacher for the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, Hillier has seen firsthand the effects of poverty on children.

“Going without breakfast has serious implications for education,” she says. “Undernourishment has implications for children’s academic achievement and behaviour, and brain function can be diminished by periodic hunger or malnutrition from skipping meals.”

She said contributions of small or large boxes of cereal are welcome: “Any amount can help.”

A group of engineering students hope to turn a smashed car into a race-winning dune buggy.

Members of the UWindsor SAE-Baja team will host a Car Smash on Thursday, September 27, to raise funds for the construction of their entry in an engineering design competition, which will pit their vehicle against others from around the world in a test of acceleration, manoeuvrability, and endurance.

The students will set up an automobile in front of Essex Hall and charge passersby to smash it—$3 buys two swings, and $5 buys a “rampage” of as many hits as you want. The event runs 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

A barbecue will run simultaneously on the lawn to the north of Assumption University, offering cheeseburgers, hotdogs and pop for sale. Learn more on the team’s Web site.

After many years of service, UWindsor retirees continued to give their time to help those in need.

Retired and current staff volunteered to run the annual barbecue Tuesday in the Student Centre Courtyard to raise funds for United Way, which funds non-profit organizations in Windsor and Essex County.

“We want to increase awareness and raise money for the campus campaign,” says volunteer Soula Serra, student development specialist in the Educational Development Centre. “There are many people in need, and the retirees felt it was important to help them.”

Staff and students purchased hotdogs, pop, chips and fruit at the barbecue to support United Way’s strategic priorities:

• Supporting basic needs and independence—ensuring that residents of Windsor-Essex have access to food, stable housing and other necessities
• Positioning kids and families for success—providing children opportunities to strengthen their skills and educating and supporting parents to build stronger families
• Creating thriving neighbourhoods—inspiring residents to participate in and contribute to their neighbourhoods, creating a sense of community and belonging

For anyone who missed it, a second barbecue will be held on October 16 in the Student Centre Courtyard from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information on the campaign and volunteer opportunities, contact organizer John McGinlay at 519-253-3000, ext. 4521.

— article and photo by Chantelle Myers