A composition inspired by the designs of pioneering American architect Mary Jane Colter will open a recital Friday presented by the School of Creative Arts.

Clarinetist Jana Starling will join pianist Allison Benstead and musicians from the Windsor Symphony Orchestra musicians for a performance that includes Roshanne Etezady’s melodic Bright Angel.

Starling, a music instructor at Western University, will team with oboist Graham Mackenzie, hornist Timothy Lockwood, bassoonist Margaret P. Fay and flutist Laurel Swinden to form the quintet “Category V Winds.”

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. March 11 in Assumption Hall’s Heritage Auditorium. Admission is $15, $5 for students. Tickets are available at the door, by phone at 519-253-3000, ext. 4212, or online at www.uwindsor.ca/music.

Composer Etezady says she was especially drawn to Colter’s designs located in the Grand Canyon.

“In Bright Angel, I am not only interested in conveying the essence of these remarkable structures—the “flow” of each building, the use of light and space—but something of their character as well,” she says. “In so doing, I hope to remain true to Mary Jane Colter’s aesthetic of creating a new artwork with connections to nature and history, but also with an eye towards the future.”

Find complete concert information, including the full program and performer biographies, on the event website.

The Lancer men will look to defend their team banner this weekend at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport track and field championships, which gets underway Thursday at 10 a.m. with an awards luncheon on the York University campus.

The competition kicks off shortly after, with the first final, the women’s weight throw, set for 1:30 p.m. The national meet concludes Saturday afternoon with the always-exciting 4x400m relays.

The Lancer men’s team edged Ontario rival Guelph by a slim nine-point margin a year ago and lead the national rankings heading into this week’s competition.

“I have full confidence in our men’s team to perform at their best during the championships,” says head coach Brett Lumley. “They have worked hard all season long and are well prepared. The guys have been there before so they have the knowledge and experience on what to expect and how to handle all that is the CIS championships. I look forward to watching them in action.”

Windsor’s women finished fifth at the Ontario University Athletics meet and currently rank seventh in the country.

Find a full preview on the CIS website.

Both men’s and women’s Lancer basketball teams will compete for their respective provincial championships this weekend—and both must get past the Ryerson Rams.

The Windsor women are in the hunt for the inaugural Critelli Cup, and will meet the Ryerson Rams in a semi-final Friday in Ottawa. The last time these squads met, November 18, the Lancers topped the Rams 95-79, one of just three Ryerson losses on the season.

The Windsor roster boasts three Ontario University Athletics all-stars: forward Cheyanne Roger, centre Emily Prevost, and all-rookie guard Kaylee Anagnostopoulos. While the program has won five straight national championships and six of the past seven OUA championships, the team is the lowest-seeded in the final four.

Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. The winner will play for the title against the victor of the other semi-final between the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the McMaster Marauders. Read a full preview, “Windsor-Ryerson, McMaster-uOttawa clash in the capital for the inaugural Critelli Cup.”

Windsor’s men are also the lowest seed in their final four, and will face the Ryerson Rams on their home court Friday at 8 p.m. The other semi-final features the Ottawa Gee-Gees vs. the Carleton Ravens.

The Lancers will look to their own all-stars: guard Alex Campbell, who scored 70 points to power his team through the first two rounds of the playoffs, earning himself OUA and CIS player of the week honours in the process, and OUA rookie of the year Isiah Osborne.

The Lancer men also defeated the Rams on their last meeting November 18. The 81-67 loss was one of only two on the year for Ryerson.

The league has produced a preview: “Rivalries renewed as Ravens-Gee-Gees, Lancers-Rams meet in Wilson Cup Final Four.”

Catch all the final four action streaming live on OUA.tv.

The University’s fourth annual Accessibility Awareness Day will see a series of sessions on topics ranging from the personal experiences of artists with a disability to how to recognize when someone may be struggling with mental health issues.

It runs today—Thursday, March 10—from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. in the CAW Student Centre’s Ambassador Auditorium, with registration beginning at 8 a.m.

Find a full itinerary of activities and this year’s program on the conference website.

A provincial project to help faculty develop and teach online and blended courses is seeking input on the types of support and resources they need.

The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities recently provided funding for the development of eCampusOntario, a web portal to support hybrid, online and technology-enabled teaching and learning. The eCampusOntario portal currently showcases over 13,700 courses from 45 colleges and universities across Ontario. It also houses a preliminary set of support resources for faculty and students, with more resources to come as needs are identified.

As part of the ongoing development of the portal, the ministry has also funded a project to identify and develop supports that faculty identify as important in helping them develop online courses.

eCampus Ontario has developed a survey to gather input from faculty to identify the types of supports and relevant resources needed. Faculty input will help shape how support elements are implemented within the portal.

The survey, which is anonymous and should take approximately 10 minutes to complete, is available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BQCRDFT. Response data will be used only in aggregate to inform the eCampus programming. The deadline for completion of the survey is midnight, Friday, March 18.

Direct any questions about the survey or eCampus Ontario to Nick Baker in the Office of Open Learning at nbaker@uwindsor.ca, 519-253-3000, ext. 4925.

Detroit Zoo executive director Ron Kagan will be on hand in room 204, Toldo Health Education Centre, today from 10 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. to give his lecture “The Future of Life in a Zoo.” The talk is part of professor Beth Daly’s class Animals for Sport and Entertainment, but everyone is welcome.

Kagan is an advocate for compassionate conservation, animal welfare and the environment, and has published widely on the subject of zoos. He has also created, co-written and co-produced 11 internationally award-winning documentaries, and established a number of conservation, research, and educational programs.

In 2004, under Kagan’s leadership, the Detroit Zoo became the first major animal facility to give up its elephants, Wanda and Winky, who were sent to an animal sanctuary. This initiative led to many other zoos following the trend in what has become a significant recognition of animal welfare needs in the development of the modern zoo.

Are you active in the community as a volunteer or community leader? Are you on the Dean’s list? A seminar Monday night will invite accomplished students to consider a significant opportunity: the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University.

Dean of Students Clayton Smith and Simon du Toit, coordinator of the Outstanding Scholars program, will conduct the seminar Monday, March 14, offering information about the scholarship—what it offers, what the application criteria are, who is eligible, and how to apply. Dr. du Toit will also present resources on preparing to apply for significant external awards such as the Rhodes.

“Your hard work deserves recognition, and we aim to help you achieve that recognition,” says Dr. Smith.

He expects the event to last just over an hour. It begins at 7 p.m. in room 203, Toldo Health Education Centre. To confirm your participation, RSVP to du Toit at sdutoit@uwindsor.ca.

The Name the Ways contest, which invites suggestions to rename those stretches of Sunset and Patricia avenues which run through campus, will close at 4 p.m. Friday, March 11.

The University is seeking to better identify these pedestrian-friendly thoroughfares between Wyandotte and University streets. The competition is open to everyone and suggestions can be e-mailed to NameTheWays@uwindsor.ca.

A panel will review the submissions; winning entries will each receive a $250 gift certificate from the Campus Bookstore. Find contest rules on the public affairs website.

Friday, March 11, is the deadline to RSVP for the awards banquet of the Organization of Part-time University Students.

The 24th annual event will recognize contributions to campus life by UWindsor faculty, staff, alumni and students March 24 in Vanier Hall.

Organizers have issued invitations by e-mail; for more information, visit www.uwindsor.ca/opus.

A fundraising dinner March 16 will support international refugee relief and local resettlement efforts, including the sponsorship of a Syrian family by members of the Windsor Law faculty.

The UWindsor chapter of the Windsor Welcomes Refugees presents the “Windsor Welcomes Refugees” event at La Zingara Pizzeria and Trattoria, 769 Erie Street East. It will include a full Italian dinner, speakers, silent auction and live entertainment.

The proceeds of the dinner will go to the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The silent auction will benefit the Faculty of Law’s refugee sponsorship project.

Tickets are $40 with a student rate of $30; organizers will also accept donations. Find more information about the event and how to get tickets on the Facebook event page.