Returning to the University of Windsor campus has proven a wonderful experience, says drama grad Marc Bondy (BFA 2000), director of the current University Players production, Dancing at Lughnasa.

An actor, director, teacher and entrepreneur, he founded and heads the Toronto-based marketing company, Outlook Promotions Inc. He says he has enjoyed being back in Windsor, the city where he was born and raised.

“There really is a neat kind of coming-home feeling,” Bondy says, citing the opportunity to see his former instructors, like Michael Keating and Brian Taylor. “I’m collaborating now with members of the design team who were here when I was a student, and now we’re colleagues.”

Bondy’s introduction to the play, a family drama by Irish playwright Brian Friel, came when had had a role in the University Players’ 1998 production. He jumped at the opportunity to direct it.

“I really was interested in Lughnasa in particular,” he says. “It struck a chord with me. It’s a beautiful play.”

A poignant and heartwarming tale of five sisters’ last dance before their lives change forever, it runs from February 27 through March 13 in the Hatch Studio Theatre.

“It is a story about family dynamics,” Bondy says. “It’s such an ensemble piece. The biggest challenge as a director is to make sure everybody’s perspective in the show gets attention.”

He says he did not want to be overly influenced by his own experience from 1998.

“I really wanted it to be an organic process for the students, and I think we have accomplished that,” says Bondy. “It’s like a brand-new play.”

He says he is proud of his work and that of the support crew and student cast: “I hope people from across the campus come out and check out this production.”

Wednesday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. On Sunday, February 28, a “Talk Back” discussion with cast members will follow the performance. Tickets may be ordered online at www.UniversityPlayers.com or by calling 519-253-3000, ext. 2808.

Science students and others with an eye to becoming leaders in their fields are invited to take part in the Growing Biotech Entrepreneurship workshop, Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Katzman Lounge, Vanier Hall.

The event, hosted by the Masters of Medical Biotechnology program and EPICentre, will include a Lead to Succeed component featuring a keynote address by Anne Snowdon, Odette School of Business professor and academic chair of its World Health Innovation Network.

As well, participants will take part in Simply Pitching, where they will receive one-on-one coaching to create and tailor pitches for oral presentations, job interviews, and sales to potential investors. The session will wrap up with a pitch competition where participants will compete for cash prizes and a top award of $200.

The workshop is free for students and $10 for non-students. To RSVP visit: http://www.epicentreuwindsor.ca/event-single/?event_id=64.

Events Friday and Saturday at the Human Kinetics Building will provide a place for local youths to connect with issues involving healthy lifestyles, say organizers.

Friday’s Actively Engaging Leaders Conference is aimed at senior secondary school students, as well as those attending college or university. On Saturday, a leadership development event will bring together 60 girls in grades 5 to 8, nominated by their teachers.

“It’s all about youth-driven engagement,” says Sara Santarossa, a doctoral candidate in kinesiology. She is a member of the organizing team, which also includes fellow grad student Taylor Imeson and recent graduate Meaghan Marton.

“We have partnered with Motivate Canada and Leadership Advancement for Women and Sport to give these young people a great opportunity to learn from community leaders and network with local business and organizations.”

Friday’s event is free and begins at 7 p.m. with a panel discussion featuring:

• Kelly Steele, fitness reporter for The Windsor Star;
• Dan Brown, filmmaker and former coordinator of YKNOT Windsor-Essex;
• Chad Cossette, fitness manager of GoodLife Fitness and former CFL athlete;
• Erica Colovic, communications coordinator for Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare;
• Yvonne Pilon, president of WEtech Alliance and instructor at the MediaPlex;
• kinesiology professor Ryan Snelgrove and PhD students Kristy Smith, Ashley Duguay, Matt Hoffman, and Kelly Carr.

Michelle Ernest, a property manager with Cadillac Fairview, will deliver a keynote address, drawing on her experiences working for apparel retailer LuluLemon, and as a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition advisor.

A networking event will follow, with information booths staffed by local organizations.

Santarossa says she is particularly excited by Saturday’s event, which will run like a conference.

“Attendees get to pick their workshops,” she says. “And during an Amazing Race-style competition, they will partner with a female role model in their life to complete the set tasks.”

She says it is a much-needed chance for youth and elders to join in physical activity.

David Lepofsky, a life-long disability rights advocate, blind lawyer, and chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, will be the keynote speaker at UWindsor’s Accessibility Café, Thursday, March 3, from noon to 2 p.m. in Katzman Lounge, Vanier Hall.

The event, sponsored by the Faculty of Law and the Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility, is themed “Ramping Up Stalled Action in Ontario on Disability Accessibility.” It is open to people of all abilities and will examine such issues as accessibility to jobs, public transit and education for more than 1.8 million Ontarians with disabilities.

In addition to his work with the alliance, Lepofsky is co-chair of Barrier-Free Canada, a non-partisan coalition campaigning for the enactment of a Canadians with Disabilities Act. He took part in successful campaigns to get disability equality included in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Ontario Human Rights Code, and led the fight to win the enactment of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. He is now a visiting professor of legal ethics and public interest advocacy at Osgoode Hall Law School.

The event will feature a luncheon for those who RSVP by Friday, February 26.

Three dishes added to the menu of the Mediterranean Grill offer a light healthy meal, says executive chef Paolo Vasapolli.

He is trying several new features at the food station in the CAW Student Centre’s Market Place:

• a veggie sampler plate of salad, hummus, falafel, stuffed grape leaves and pita for $8.95, and
• diner’s choice of hummus or tzatziki dip with pita bread for $5.

Hummus is a smooth paste of ground chickpeas, sesame butter, olive oil, lemon and garlic. Tzatziki is a salad of cucumber in yogurt mixed with garlic and dill. Falafel are fried patties of mashed chickpeas and spices.

“These are nutritious dishes that reflect traditions going back centuries in the cultures of the eastern Mediterranean,” says Vasapolli. “I know these flavours are gaining in popularity. If you haven’t tried them yet, now is a perfect time!”

Don’t you just hate it when you have plenty of toner in the printer but run out of paper? How about when you have lots of paper and run out of toner?

Yes, they’re both horrible. Luckily, the Campus Bookstore is ready to help.

As its True Savings Thursday special, it is offering a free pack of computer paper with every purchase of a printer ink cartridge February 25. Stop by the store, located on the lower level of the CAW Student Centre.