Following the extensive work conducted by the Smoke-Free Campus steering committee and its working groups, the University of Windsor is set to launch its Smoke-Free Campus policy Sept. 1.

Windsor will join a large number of Canadian post-secondary institutions that in recent years have become 100 per cent smoke free, a move that aligns with the University’s efforts to foster a safe learning and working environment for all.

“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our campus community,” says Rita LaCivita, vice-president, human resources.

“We’ve all seen the research about the health impacts of smoking and second-hand smoke, so this move to a smoke-free campus is a very important next step in both encouraging and supporting healthy lifestyle choices among members of our campus community.”

Marcela Ciampa, Human Resources’ director of organizational development and training and chair of the Smoke-Free Campus steering committee, says smoke-free campus policies contribute to building a healthy community.

“They have shown to significantly decrease daily cigarette consumption and smoking prevalence among individuals working, studying, and living on campuses,” she says. “A smoke-free campus also protects future generations by reducing social exposure to smoking and vaping and the visual cues that are key to preventing individuals from starting to smoke.”

LaCivita credits the work of the Smoke-Free Campus steering committee and the working groups for the development of the policy and associated implementation strategies, as well as the members of the campus community who responded to a request for input in 2020 and policy feedback earlier this summer.

“The Smoke-Free Campus initiative would not have been possible without the dedication and contributions of the students, staff, and faculty who supported its development,” she says.

Ciampa says that the move to an entirely smoke-free campus is a significant change which may be difficult for some individuals: “Our goal is to adopt a supportive awareness raising and education approach during implementation, providing supports to individuals who choose to quit smoking as well as those who may need help to adapt to the change.”

The Smoke-Free Campus policy outlines various exemptions including the burning of traditional and sacred medicines that are part of Indigenous cultural and spiritual practices.

The university community is encouraged to visit uwindsor.ca/smokefree campus to become familiar with the Smoke-Free Campus policy and FAQs, the Smoke-Free Campus map, resources and supports, and a guide for supervisors.

Starbucks coffeehouse will celebrate the grand opening of a new location in the student centre on Monday, Aug. 30.

Dave McEwen, acting executive director of Campus Services, says the event has been years in the making. He met with the company in 2018 to discuss building a store on campus, but space restrictions put the idea on hold. Renovations to the student centre enabled him to revisit discussion with Starbucks.

“I proposed the idea of knocking down the Tim Hortons so we could open the sight lines,” says McEwen. “This gave Starbucks a blank canvas to design and build the store behind the information desk.”

Construction started in June 2020 and the project was completed earlier this year.

“The store looks amazing, is very contemporary, doesn’t look like other stores and really fits in well with the renovation of the student centre,” McEwen says. “After years of planning, we thrilled to announce our grand opening!”

The editor of a new journal hopes it will highlight the contributions of University of Windsor researchers while engaging industry partners.

Ram Balachandar will be the specialty chief editor of Fluid Mechanics, operating under the umbrella of Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering.

“Most of the journals in this field are extremely academic or industry-focused,” he says. “I saw a need for an applications-related journal.”

He has pulled together a team of associate editors that draws on colleagues from the University of Windsor — including Vesselina Roussinova of mechanical engineering and math professor emeritus Ronald Barron — while reflecting a broad international scope.

“I didn’t envision the amount of work involved,” Dr. Balachandar admits. The publication launched last week.

Because it will be based in Windsor, with administrative support from the United Kingdom, Balachandar believes it will provide an impetus to project local strengths in the field.

“A lot of research is going on in this area,” he says. “Not just at the University, but in industry as well.”

He notes that industry researchers are reluctant to publish their findings, and hopes that creating a pool of reviewers from senior doctoral students and industry will help them develop closer ties.

“Members of industry bring a different perspective than the academicians,” says Balachandar. “We can begin to address an urgent need to share what we learn.”

The publication has issued a call for submission of abstracts by Oct. 18. Learn more on the journal website.

The Finance Department is issuing a reminder to students, faculty, and staff that the transition back to campus will be cashless.

Find more details on the Cashless Campus website, including the policy for handling cash and answers to frequently asked questions.

In particular, organizers of events planning to use a cash float must fill out an application form and submit it for approval in advance.

Campus partners are working to maintain a robust set of Knowledge Base Articles (KBAs).

The team will continue to compile a weekly digest of the most-referenced KBAs to streamline student-focused questions to ask.UWindsor to support consistent communication with current and future students.

These are this week’s top-five referenced KBAs:

• How do I receive an Enrolment Verification letter? (202)
• How do I extend my UWin Account? (314)
• What is the UWindsor Tuition Guarantee? (743)
• I am a new, incoming Fall 2021 student. How do I get my UwinCARD? (692)
• How do I get a copy of my Academic Transcript? (200)

You can submit common questions or make suggestions to the KBA team at askkba@uwindsor.ca.