The Leddy Library surprised students this month with three new spaces designed to enhance their wellness.

These spaces have been designated as “wellness rooms”: two in the main building on the second and third floors, and one in the west building on the third floor. Each room is equipped with dimmable lighting and cozy furniture to help students relax.

While the renovations have just wrapped up, it didn’t take long for students to find them.

First-year nursing students Reenhant Winnie Oyewole, Chiamaka Omenkeukwu, and Micka Mwongerinka have been enjoying the spaces since the first day of classes.

“They are so cozy and colourful. It makes me happy to just sit and relax in here,” said Oyewole.

“Unlike the other study areas, I find this room to be very calm and quiet,” added Omenkeukwu.

“My favourite element is that you can dim and control the lights,” Mwongerinka chimed in.

Finishing touches and design elements will be added to each of the rooms in the coming weeks, including outfitting them with calming activities as well as wellness resources and tools.

“As we move forward, Leddy would also like to use these spaces to recognize the community who use and share our space,” said Karen Pillon, associate university librarian and head of the Leddy Library’s Space Planning Committee. “We want to be sure students feel connected to the space and know that we are working with other campus partners to make this space their own.”

The library is working with the Aboriginal Education Centre and Student Health, Counselling, and Wellness Services to complete the final design elements.

“We look forward to working with the Indigenous community on campus to include important Indigenous elements, as well adapting one of the rooms as a space for parents who bring their children with them to the library,” said Pillon.

Students are welcome to use the rooms as flexible spaces to de-stress and unwind during the library’s regular hours. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis with no prior booking required.

“We sincerely hope students feel that these spaces are for them, and that they are able to relax and enjoy a moment of calmness and time for themselves within the library,” Pillon said.

For more information on the wellness rooms and other library spaces, visit the Leddy Library website.

Niloofar Naghdipour knows a good thing when she tastes it. A doctoral student of electrical engineering, she stopped by a booth offering free samples of dishes from the Campus Community Cookbook. A fundraiser of the Orange Shirt Day committee, the publication enjoyed a launch Thursday on Turtle Island Walk.

“We had some salmon, an apple slaw, and a chicken pasta salad,” Naghdipour said. “It was all very delicious, really good.”

Copies of the book, filled with recipes submitted by faculty, staff, and students, are available for purchase for $30.

Alicia Charlebois, student engagement assistant in the Turtle Island Aboriginal Education Centre, initiated and co-ordinated the project. She said she is excited and happily overwhelmed with how the cookbook and the launch event turned out.

“It was a lot of work,” Charlebois said as she served up samples under a tent outside the Education Building. “I’m so pleased to see the results of the labour!”

The spiral-bound book contains more than 50 recipes and was designed by Kawmadie Karunanayake, serving a co-op term in the Leddy Library.

“It was definitely a bit of a process,” Karunanayake said. “In the end it turned out really well.”

Kat Pasquach, outreach and retention co-ordinator in the Aboriginal Education Centre, was quick to pick a favourite recipe: Game Day Nachos that are the specialty of UWindsor president Robert Gordon. Requiring only two ingredients, tortilla chips and grated cheese, the dish is microwaved.

“Dr. Gordon is my kind of cook,” Pasquach enthused. “Simple and to the point!”

The books, as well as T-shirts and lawn signs, may be ordered through the Orange Shirt Day website.

Diabetes is awful, and everyone with it deserves a supportive community of people who can relate, says Athina Woldemichael.

A French studies major, she is working to start a UWindsor chapter of the College Diabetes Network, providing peer connections and expert resources to students with type 1 diabetes.

“As someone who’s had type 1 diabetes since I was a kid, I know how much it sucks,” says Woldemichael. “Nobody should ever feel alone in this battle.”

As an official campus club, the group would host meetings and social activities to build a supportive community, she says.

“My vision is to have an environment where you can complain about any of the things about this illness that make you want to rip your hair out,” Woldemichael says. “Where there are other people who can not only relate, but also offer solutions or suggestions, when possible, of how to make life more manageable.”

She notes the chapter will also be open to those who don’t have diabetes but have loved ones who do, or who want to learn more about the condition.

To indicate interest in joining the University of Windsor chapter of the College Diabetes Network, email Woldemichael at uwindsor@collegediabetesnetwork.org.

There are still spaces available in the professional and personal development sessions offered by Human Resources in October.

Among the offerings on the calendar next month are:

• Revitalizing In-Person Interactions, Oct. 4, 9 to 10:30 a.m.
  This session will explore common feelings and emotions associated with resuming face-to-face interaction after two years of physical distancing.
• UWindsor Black Student Support Services on Campus, Oct. 19, 9 to 10 a.m.
  Join the Black student support co-ordinator, the clinical therapist for Black students, the Black law student counsellor, and others to learn about support services available at the University of Windsor.
• Supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ Students and their Student Experience, Oct. 25, 9 to 11 a.m.
  This workshop will help debunk myths surrounding sexual and gender diversity, highlight what members of the University community can do to be supportive of 2SLGBTQIA+ students, and connect participants to available resources and supports.
• Enhancing the Student Experience at UWindsor, Oct. 26, 9 to 11 a.m.
  This session will connect participants to resources, tools, and services designed to help students navigate the UWindsor campus and enhance all aspects of student life.
• Tips for Writing a Meaningful Land Acknowledgment, Oct. 27, 9 to 11 a.m.
  This session will help participants understand the meaning of the Land Acknowledgment and address important elements in writing this significant statement to help make it meaningful.

Go to the Professional Development website for locations and facilitator information, and to register.

A complimentary shuttle service will bring blood donors from campus to the Canadian Blood Services centre at 3909 Grand Marais Rd. East on two dates next week.

The LifeBus will consist of taxis leaving from the roundabout at the north end of Turtle Island Walk at 4 p.m. Monday and Thursday, Sept. 26 and 29. The shuttle is organized by the UWindsor Blood Club.

To reserve a seat, create an account at blood.ca and join the UWindsorLifeBus team, then schedule an appointment to donate. Find detailed instructions here.

For inquiries, email uwindsorbloodclub@gmail.com or text Alex Masanovich at 519-996-6607.

Donations through Sept. 30 may be credited to the University of Windsor Alumni Association, which has partnered with Canadian Blood Services in a drive for Alumni Week. Book appointments online, call 1 888 2DONATE (1-888-236-6283), or download the GiveBlood app.