Megan Nicol comes by her involvement with United Way naturally. The new University of Windsor student coordinator for the charity, she says her family has a long history of giving to the cause.

“Everybody back home always has such great things to say about the United Way,” says the fourth-year concurrent education student. “I think it is such an awesome organization.”

Nicol’s role is to help young people become aware of the United Way and its community work.

“I would be so happy to help students find a way to channel their dedication to making a difference,” she says. “They have skills and ideas that can really benefit people.”

She is currently working to establish an organizing committee that will determine the goals and activities for the year: “the first job is to figure out what local issues they want to address.”

The United Way is sponsoring a design contest for a new logo for its youth engagement strategy, entitled WE Students United. The winner will receive an iPad tablet computer. Learn more on the committee’s Facebook page.

The Windsor-Essex United Way hopes to do a better job reaching young people, says Sarah Davidson, the charity’s manager of youth engagement and new media: “We are looking to social media as a premier means of communications.”

To help promote the contest and recruit students to her team of volunteers, Nicol will station herself at the entrance to Saturday’s Lancer football game, distributing rubber wristbands bearing the WE Students United name.

A couple of Lancer fans have secured seats as good as gold for Saturday’s football game against the York Lions at the south campus stadium.

Roger Lauzon, project leader of the IT review, and Danielle Reaume, secretary for the labour studies and women’s studies programs, won yesterday’s DailyNews quiz and its prize. Each will receive a pair of tickets in the gold section as well as two foam fingers to cheer on the Lancers.

Their names were drawn from all those respondents who correctly recounted the team’s history so far this season: a 63-18 win over Ottawa, a 9-28 loss to Guelph, a 55-4 win over Toronto, and a 23-43 loss to Western.

If you didn’t win, don’t despair—the athletics department will distribute a free souvenir foam finger to each of the first 500 fans to enter once the gates open at 6 p.m. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.

Michelle Fitzgerald, administrator of exchange student services, values the experience of sharing her Thanksgiving with visitors from overseas, and encourages her campus colleagues to consider registering for the Host for the Holidays program.

“If your family dinner is like mine, there is usually so much food that a few more people won't make a difference,” Fitzgerald says. “You are introducing the students to this bit of Canadian culture and at the same time you get to see the Thanksgiving celebration through the eyes of someone else.”

A project of the International Students Centre, the program matches international students with local families willing to open their homes for a Thanksgiving meal. Fitzgerald points out that hosts can specify any date on the Thanksgiving weekend for the dinner, and the sharing is a two-way street.

“Your family will get a chance to meet and talk with a student from another country,” she says. “This is very fun and interesting.”

Organizers say the program is currently receiving far more applications from students than from families to host them. To register as a prospective host, fill in the online form on the program Web site, uwindsor.ca/isc/host. Organizers will match hosts with guests based on a number of factors—dietary preferences, tolerance for pets, timing of the meal, and even convenience of transportation.

A group of fourth-year engineering students had a smashing time raising funds for their capstone project.

The 2013 SAE Baja team held a Car Smash outside Essex Hall on Thursday, charging passersby to swing with a sledgehammer at an old automobile.

“It is a fun way of raising money,” says Yan Gao, member of this year’s Baja team. “We take all safety precautions and make sure they have fun at the same time.”

The team is this year’s UWindsor representation in international collegiate design competitions hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

The automotive engineering students raised funds for the drive to the Midnight Mayhem endurance race hosted in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 6, where they will compete against 125 other teams from across North America.

Participation in the event allows engineers to apply classroom theory to conceive, design, and fabricate a rugged, off-road vehicle. This year’s vehicle is the Iron Badger, which was built over a period of one year, will contend in a series of events including a 4-hour endurance challenge.

“Our UWindsor teams have a great track record,” says team member Sim Toor. “We hope to keep up that great work and win first prize this year.”

The SAE Baja capstone program currently supports a total of 13 students registered in fourth year under the guidance of professor Bruce Minaker.

— article and photo by Chantelle Myers

Mark Lefebvre doesn’t have to worry about standing out in a crowd. He can stand above it.

The UWindsor drama grad (BFA 1988) is a founding member of the Stilt Guys. He strapped on the leg extenders yesterday to promote the Bozii outlet in the Toldo Health Education Centre.

Wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan “It’s what’s inside that counts,” Lefebvre walked around campus, distributing discount coupons for Bozii, which sells hot, stuffed pastries.

“It’s always good to be back on campus,” he said, adding he was getting a good response to the giveaways.

Second-year student Kim Leschuk, an environmental studies major, was pleased to receive a coupon from Lefebvre, offering a free drink with purchase of a two-Bozii combo.

“I haven’t tasted a Bozii yet,” she said. “I can’t wait to try one!”

Nurse academics, clinicians, and students will come together at the fourth biennial conference to share a wide range of scholarly and practice issues, says nursing professor Maher El-Masri.

The conference, entitled “Bridging Evidence and Practice: Shaping the Future of Nursing,” will explore the the importance of research and scholarly evidence to nursing practice. More than 200 nurses from across the country will attend on Saturday, September 29, at the Caesars Windsor Convention Centre.

The conference will feature two keynote speakers and 68 presentations in 12 concurrent sessions. Presenters will share diverse topics on research and practice issues such as nursing education, patient safety, community health and infection control, cardiovascular health, and professional trends in nursing.

“With the shift in healthcare priorities, nurses play a larger role in providing evidence for better primary health care, health promotion, and disease prevention,” says Dr. El-Masri. “A conference like this is a unique opportunity for academics, clinicians, and students to network and exchange ideas. The biennial conference has become a trademark of nursing in our community and we are very excited over the fact that we have been able to present such a world class event.”

Keynote speakers are Sandy Summers and Sean Clarke. Summers, a Baltimore, Maryland native, is founder and executive director of The Truth About Nursing, a non-profit organization which works to counter the damaging portrayal of nurses in the media.

Dr. Clarke will speak about the importance of research to the growth of the profession. He is a professor at the McGill School of Nursing and the Academic Nursing Network and director of the McGill Nursing Collaborative for Education and Innovation in Patient and Family Centred Care.

The conference is organized by the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Windsor in partnership with a number of local healthcare institutions which include:

• Windsor Regional Hospital,
• Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital,
• Chatham-Kent Health Alliance,
• Windsor Essex County Health Unit,
• Erie St. Clair Community Care Access Centre,
• Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario,
• Tau Upsilon Chapter

For more information, including a complete schedule and registration details, visit the conference Web site.

— Chantelle Myers

Cricket fans will be able to watch the World Cup T20 match between India and Pakistan on a big screen this Sunday, September 30.

The event is free to the campus community and begins at 9:30 a.m. in the CAW Student Centre’s Ambassador Auditorium.

The match is the last for both teams before the semi-final round of the World Cup T20 in Sri Lanka.

An October 13 workshop presented on campus by Leadership Advancement for Women in Sport will introduce participants to the benefits and risks of social media.

The workshop will teach the major principles of engagement:

• how to select the right social media tool for your needs;
• how to maintain your online presence;
• how to leverage technology for public consultation and market research.

Registration is $80 for students, $115 for LAWS members, and $150 for non-members. To register, e-mail info@l-a-w-s.org by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, October 11.

The university has declared an Ilford black and white photographic processor, from film to paper, for sale by bid as Disposal File 885. Please click here for details.