Four scholarships worth $10,000 each will commemorate the UWindsor lives lost in the Jan. 8 crash of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.

Domestic and international students are eligible for the Ontario Remembrance Scholarship, to be awarded to students pursuing an undergraduate-level program of study, based on demonstrated financial need and demonstrate merit. The awards are funded by the provincial government through the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

Five members of the campus community were killed in the plane crash: biology research assistant Samira Bashiri; engineering doctoral students Hamidreza Setareh Kokab, Pedram Jadidi, and Zahra Naghibi; and her spouse Mohammad Abbaspour Ghadi.

Announcing the measure, Ontario premier Doug Ford called their deaths “a terrible tragedy,” and said: “We will honour their memories through these scholarships to recognize their incredible contributions to our communities.”

Applications are due by Nov. 15; to apply, log on to UWinsite Student > Award Profile. For additional information, visit the Student Awards & Financial Aid website.

The Canadian theatre industry has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing venues to close their doors indefinitely and putting thousands of performers, producers, and technical staff out of work.

University Players, in partnership with Toronto-based theatre company Outside the March, has created a unique solution to the problem. Under a federal grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, professor Michelle Macarthur hopes to develop a new genre of live digital performance. Her team will be tasked with analysis of the creative process and audience experience.

The presentation promises a host of Canadian talent. Playwrights David Yee, Elena (Eli) Belyea, Karen Hines, and Marcus Youssef have been commissioned to create four new works for the project, and directors Sébastien Heins, Kim McLeod, and Griffin McInnes will direct students in these new works, along with Outside the March’s artistic director Mitchell Cushman, creative curator on the project.

The series reflects current events, performed live in short, fast-paced double-bill Zoom webinars, with a different pair of shows each weekend, running no more than an hour and a half.

The series opens with good white men, a new show from David Yee, whose play lady in the red dress won a Governor General’s award in 2015. It features four young white men reflecting on the Black Lives Matter movement as they engage with each other using a complicated series of the latest technology platforms.

Karen Hines’ work The River of Forgetfulness ends the evening, with a brilliantly horrific take on the effect the pandemic has had on the lives of students and performers. Bizarre and entertaining, this show promises to push the boundaries of reality and digital performance.

“The Stream You Step In” will be performed over two weekends, Nov. 5 to 8 and 19 to 22 at 8 p.m. on the Zoom webinar platform. Tickets to each double-feature are $20, available for purchase through the online box office before 3 p.m. on the day of the performance. Patrons must register in advance to receive a unique link to the show. For more information, visit www.universityplayers.com.

In a video discussing their work, acting students note they are excited to create a new audience experience: “We're a part of changing the dialogue of what art is.” Watch it now.

—Kristen Siapas

Almost half of the participants in the Windsor Classic Chorale’s Remembrance Day concert have a UWindsor connection.

The choir will present performances online at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. Find details, including a complete program, on the concert website.

Music director Bruce Kotowich teaches in the School of Creative Arts; the school’s concert producer Trevor Pittman handled audio and video design for this event.

The Windsor Classic Chorale is offering admission for a free-will donation, a portion of which will go to the Royal Canadian Legion. Refer to its CanadaHelps page and designate Lest We Forget 2020 as the recipient fund.

The University of Windsor extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the deadly attack at Kabul University this week.

At least 22 people, most of them students, were killed and 22 were wounded at what is the largest school in Afghanistan. This followed the killing of 24 students and injuring of more than 100 at another educational institution in Kabul last month.

Classrooms, everywhere, must be beacons of hope; safe from the threat of such terrible violence.

Submissions are now open for the Innovative Design for Accessibility (IDeA) student competition, which challenges students to develop innovative, practical, and cost-effective solutions to accessibility issues affecting persons with disabilities.

Participants gain hands-on learning experience and contribute to expanding the accessibility culture on campus and beyond.

All UWindsor students are eligible to enter alone or as a group. Ideas created and developed as a part of course work may also be entered. Entrants will participate in making their “pitch” to the judging panel where they will explain their idea and how it would eliminate a barrier to accessibility for a chance to win cash prizes up to $500. No physical prototype is required for entry — this competition is designed for students to present their ideas in the best way possible.

The competition closes on Jan. 29, 2021, with judging to follow on Feb. 11.

More information, including examples of past entries, can be found on the Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility website. A video on the competition is available as well.

To invite the IDeA student co-ordinator to provide a brief presentation to a class, or to request additional information, email idea@uwindsor.ca.

Amid a busy year of research, virtual public events, and growing collaboration with academic and community partners locally and across the country, the Windsor Law Centre for Cities will receive funding from the University of Windsor’s Office of the President. Earmarked for strategic planning, $10,000 will be awarded from UWindsor’s Research Support Fund.

Founded in November 2019, the Windsor Law Centre for Cities supports research, teaching and public engagement on the legal and policy tools related to municipalities and local institutions. According to its website, the centre provides avenues for students, faculty, municipal governments, community organizations, and advocates to exchange ideas and to work together to achieve the goals of sustainable and inclusive local governance.

Fourteen Windsor Law faculty members are affiliated with the centre. The centre also plays host to the Cities and Climate Action Forum, which was the recipient of a $125,000 Climate Action Fund grant from Environment and Climate Change Canada in 2019.

“I’m delighted to see the growth and energy of the Windsor Law Centre for Cities,” says Laverne Jacobs, associate dean, research and graduate studies. “This research centre exemplifies Windsor Law’s commitment to being community engaged.”

This winter, the Centre for Cities will move to temporary quarters in SoCA’s Armouries building in downtown Windsor — staying true to Windsor Law’s commitment to community engagement. The two-year relocation is coming at a time when the Ron W. Ianni Faculty of Law building will be decommissioned to allow for extensive renovations to support the Transforming Windsor Law project.

“SoCA has the mission to engage the community in creative and entertaining ways, but also in ways that drive responsible discussion and action about pressing issues,” says Vincent Georgie, UWindsor acting associate vice-president, external. “To be able to welcome engaged scholars and students from the Centre for Cities is a natural choice. Better communities are a priority for all of us.”

According to director Anneke Smit, the funding and relocation will help the centre to grow and to promote interdisciplinary collaboration on important community engagement, research, and student-focused initiatives.

“We have been thrilled with the response since we launched a year ago, and this institutional support will help us to move forward in an intentional and principled way,” says Dr. Smit.

—Rachelle Prince

Lancer volleyball alum Brad Gyemi (BSc 2020) has signed a contract to play professionally with Lunds Volleybollklubb of the Elitserien in Sweden.

He says he is thrilled with the opportunity: ““It has been a dream of mine to play professional volleyball overseas since I was young.”

Gyemi was named to the national all-rookie team in 2016 and in 2020, received the DeMarco Award as the male Lancer best combining academic and athletic achievement.

Read the full story, “Gyemi signs professional contract in Sweden,” at goLancers.ca.

With most classes being delivered online for the fall and winter semesters and most faculty and staff working remotely, Parking Services will close some campus parking lots to obviate the need for snow removal.

These closures are temporary and will be in effect for the winter season, effective Nov. 9:

• Bridge AA
• Bridge A
• Bridge B
• Alumni
• Askin
• Education – north portion of lot
• Engineering – east portion of lot
• Stadium.

Staff required to report to work on campus can park in the following designated lots regardless of their current lot assignments:

• Assumption
• Bridge C
• ECC
• Education – south portion of lot
• Leddy
• Parking garage, only for those with existing access card.

Students attending campus should utilize these lots:

• Bridge A – adjacent to cemetery
• Clarke
• Engineering
• Human Kinetics
• Music
• Union

Vanier Circle and Assumption Visitor Lot will continue to be for short term parking requiring pay-and-display.

Loading docks and access driveways to all buildings will be maintained for deliveries and drop-offs.