Campus flags will be lowered Monday in memory of Valerie Kasurak, a retired citizenship judge who died October 14. She served on the University of Windsor Board of Governors from 1976 to 1985.
Her family held a private memorial service. For details, read her obituary here.
A UWindsor law professor is in western Ukraine as part of a mission to help monitor Sunday’s parliamentary elections amid concerns expressed by the Canadian government regarding the former Soviet bloc country’s commitment to international standards of human rights, democracy and rule of law.
“We’re here to help Ukrainians ensure they’re meeting internationally recognized standards for open, free and fair elections,” said Chris Waters, who specializes in international law and the politics of the Caucasus and Balkans. “In many ways, Ukraine is at a critical juncture in terms of its integration into Europe. It’s a path that will be determined very soon, and these elections are very important in this regard.”
On October 19, the federal government launched the Mission Canada-Ukraine Elections 2012 short-term observer mission. Canada is sending 500 observers to Ukraine – 420 as part of the mission, the remaining 80 as participants of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly observation missions.
In his send-off address to the observers, Prime Minister Stephen Harper referred to Ukraine's current and past political struggles, telling them the mission is important because of Canada's close ties with the country through more than a century of immigration, and because of the importance of ensuring Ukraine continues on a democratic path.
He said there is “serious cause for concern about Ukraine’s democratic development and respect for the rule of law,” and specifically referred to the trial of Yulia Tymoshenko, the former prime minister who lost a presidential run-off in 2010 to the current pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych. She remains in prison, the prime minister said, as "do many others who have fallen afoul of the Ukrainian government."
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation, called for free and fair Ukrainian elections in an October 2 statement after the release of an interim report by the mission which outlined a range of concerns with the electoral campaign, including allegations of restrictions on media freedom, procedural irregularities, incidents of vote-buying and undue pressure on candidates and campaign staff.
Dr. Waters, currently on sabbatical in France, flew earlier this week to Kiev where he received three days of briefings on Ukrainian electoral laws, safety, the political landscape, and election day procedures. After that, he was deployed to Lviv, a city in western Ukraine that’s considered one of the country’s main cultural centres.
“In many ways, Ukraine has followed the typical post-Soviet pattern,” said Waters, who has observed seven previous elections in the former Soviet Union. “It’s still very much in transition from being a communist bloc nation to a fully democratic state and there have been some bumps along the way.”
Waters said participating as an election observer keeps him connected with the current realities of the former Soviet Union.
“As an international lawyer this gives me an opportunity to stay grounded in the field, as well as provide me with a great deal of insight I can share with my students back in the classroom,” he said.
Despite the fact that social media web sites like Flickr are worth millions of dollars, the users who generate nearly all the content for them are surprisingly comfortable with their labour being “unwaged,” according to a new communications professor.
“The thought of someone else making money off their work doesn’t hold much sway with Flickr members,” said Brian A. Brown, an assistant professor who joined the department of Communication, Media and Film this fall.
Several days before getting hired here, Brown successfully defended his PhD thesis at Western University, which was based on qualitative interviews with 26 users of Flickr members, a social media photo sharing web site.
“Almost all of the labour that gets devoted to a web site like that is unwaged, yet the site was sold to Yahoo! in 2005 for about $35 million,” he said. “All of this ‘heavy lifting’ goes unwaged, yet these people are still producing and contributing to something that is very valuable. The same goes for Facebook, Tumblr and all the other web 2.0 services.”
Brown – who earned a master’s degree in communication and social justice from the University of Windsor in 2005 – isn’t advocating that users ought to be paid for generating content, but suggests that exploitation isn’t too harsh of a term to describe the situation.
“By definition, exploitation is extraction of surplus value from the labour of another,” he said. “But users don’t experience it as exploitative, even though they may be able to objectively view it as such. It’s a labour of love for most of these people and they do get valuable social relationships and meaningful forms of interaction from it.”
He hopes to continue his research on the bio-politics of unwaged immaterial labour, but for now, is devoting time to his teaching duties, which include four courses this semester: New Media Studies, Digital Technologies and Everyday Life, a grad level class called Communication and Social Movement, and a course called Advanced Cultural Studies, which examines the issues and questions surrounding graffiti and street art.
“Is it art, or is it a crime?” he asks. “Does it matter if it’s done legally? Is it part of culture, or is it a commodity? Does bringing it off the street and into the gallery subvert its message? There are a lot of paradoxes about it that can’t be easily resolved, and the commodification of some its end products really speaks to the further commodification of our every aspect of our lives. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a great class and the students are really taking to it.”
Brown said he and his partner are comfortably settling into their east Windsor home. He’s a big music fan who likes to get to Detroit for shows as much as possible.
The Lancer football team will need an upset Saturday, October 27, to defeat the Western Mustangs in the Ontario University Athletics quarterfinals. Western was ranked eighth in Canadian Interuniversity Sport at the end of the regular season and beat Windsor 46-23 in their last contest, September 22.
Kickoff at London’s TD Waterhouse Stadium is set for 1 p.m. The Score will televise the game live cross-Canada; it is available locally as channel 68 on Cogeco Cable. Read the full story, Lancers battle Mustangs on The Score.
Read a game preview, Mustangs host Lancers in OUA quarterfinal live on The Score.
In other varsity action:
Other Lancer teams are on the road this weekend—cross country competing in the OUA championships in Toronto, women’s basketball at Regina’s Cougar Invitational, men’s volleyball in Toronto to play Ryerson and the Varsity Blues, men’s hockey in Waterloo on Saturday.
JoAnn Sabourin can pass a test. The test centre specialist in the Office of the Registrar aced Thursday’s DailyNews quiz and won two tickets to an Afternoon Jazz concert with the Dave Bennett quartet, Sunday, October 28, at 2:30 p.m. in the Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre, 3277 Sandwich Street.
Sabourin’s name was drawn from all respondents who correctly identified Doug Cobb as a drummer like Gene Krupa, Woody Herman as the leader of the Thundering Herd, and a Harlem ballroom as the setting for Stompin’ at the Savoy.
Tickets to Sunday's concert are $15 general admission and $5 for students, available at the door or in advance by phone at 519-253-3000, ext. 4212; or online at www.uwindsor.ca/music.
Videotaping Convocation in high-definition provides a much more immersive experience for viewers, says producer Peter Freele of the Centre for Teaching and Learning. The October 13 graduation ceremonies marked the first time the centre’s staff employed high-definition recording for Convocation.
The high-definition process substitutes 1920x1080 pixel resolution for standard 720x480 pixel resolution.
“You can really see the difference in quality,” Freele says. “The new footage puts viewers in the seat as if they were there. It is so much more immediate.”
The centre has been producing in HD for most production for the last two years, but the size, complexity and importance of Convocation made it a more daunting prospect. Besides Freele, the centre deployed a technical director, a sound technician, a still photographer, three camera operators and a total of five cameras.
“Between the large screens, the lighting, the number of cameras, the scale of the event made it a challenge,” says Freele. “It was test for us and it proved to be an amazing difference.”
He says Cogeco Cable provided invaluable assistance in the form of its new HD production truck.
“It was very community-minded of them to lend us this facility,” he says. “The only thing they want in return is to show the videos.”
TVCogeco’s community channel 11 will televise the videos; a better-resolution option is available on its HD channel 700. The morning session will air at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 29. The afternoon session will air at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 27, and at 9 p.m. on Monday, October 29.
The videos are also available in HD on the Web:
A Hallowe’en tour through the basement of Electa Hall will draw on the building’s haunted history, says organizer Michael Dasilva, a resident assistant.
“We are trying to make it more traditional,” says the second-year law student. “We are basing it a lot on its former use as a nunnery and all the legends of Electa Hall.”
The event runs 7 to 11 p.m. on Monday, October 29, and will feature student volunteers enacting scenes of terror—although the presentation can be tamed for younger patrons.
Admission is by a suggested donation of $2 or a canned good, with proceeds supporting local food banks and the Canadian Cancer Society.
The University Players production of The Hollow opened Thursday at Essex Hall Theatre.
The Agatha Christie murder mystery opens with the eccentric family of Sir Henry Angkatell gathering for a weekend of fun. When things turn deadly, the plot keeps the audience guessing through every twist and turn.
Director Margo Regan and members of the cast will engage the audience in a “Talk Back” session following Sunday’s matinee performance. For play information or tickets, call 519-253-3000, ext. 2808, or visit www.UniversityPlayers.com.
A tradeshow next week showcasing technology industry leaders is offering discounted admission to UWindsor students.
The Windsor-Essex Leaders in Innovation Technology Forum and Tradeshow, October 30 at the Caboto Club, promises attendees opportunities for networking and learning.
The program includes:
General admission is $25, not including the luncheon, with discounts for members of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce. The student price is $20 including the luncheon.
The Caboto Club is located at 2175 Parent Avenue. Find more information, including registration details, a full agenda and list of exhibitors, on the chamber’s Web site.
Monday, October 29, is the final day to purchase tickets for the annual Retirees’ Dinner and Reunion.
The event will take place Thursday, November 1, in the CAW Student Centre’s Ambassador Auditorium starting at 5:30 p.m. The $25 ticket includes a beautiful four-course dinner, says organizer Mary-Ann Rennie.
To purchase a ticket, contact Rennie in the Office of the President at 519-253-3000, ext. 7059.
Samosas proved popular with students and staff and sold out very quickly, say the organizers of a sale in the CAW Student Centre Commons on Thursday.
Volunteer International Students Assistance (VISA) sold the delicious vegetable pastries with a tamarind sauce garnish to raise money for its social activities.
“We wanted to do something open on campus to promote the group to all students,” says Kathyani Parasram, the organization’s events coordinator. “We felt it would be great to do so by selling food that everybody would enjoy.”
Communication studies and visual arts major WinShi Wong—who bought two samosas—agrees.
“The samosas are very nice, and they’re a great change from my usual sweet snacks,” she says.
A member of VISA for over a year, the native of Malaysia finds VISA very valuable to her experience in Canada.
“Volunteering with VISA has been great because I have learned more about helping the community and seen other parts of Ontario,” she says. “I definitely can’t wait for the next trip!”
VISA meets every Friday to take part in community outreach programs and trips to sites and monuments within Ontario.
“These trips, including one to Pelee Island this fall, are a fun way to learn about Canadian culture,” Parasram explains. “They are even more enjoyable because we get to interact with our Canadian friends in a completely different setting.”
For more information on VISA and upcoming events, visit the group’s Web site.
— article and photo by Chantelle Myers
