An art installation on display this week in the Leddy Library honours Orange Shirt Day.

Located in the library’s main stairwell, the installation contains roughly 6,000 small orange shirts strung together to acknowledge the unofficial number of unmarked graves of Indigenous children found on the grounds of former residential schools in the U.S. and Canada.

Created by the library’s communication co-ordinator, Marcie Demmans, and the library’s Public Relations Committee, the installation is intended to increase public awareness of Orange Shirt Day and the history and effects of the residential school system.

“While the number of residential school-related deaths remains unknown due to incomplete records, there are estimates that there are over 6,000 unmarked graves found to date,” said Demmans. “Each shirt represents the spirit of the child, returning to the creator.”

While the installation can be viewed from a variety of angles, the committee invites patrons to observe it from the bottom of the stairwell looking up toward the sky.

“As a library we certainly have many resources for individuals to borrow and learn about the history and impact of residential schools, but the challenge is getting people to stop and pay attention,” said Demmans. “Our goal was to make something that would invite you to stop, admire, and entice you to learn more.”

The display features a QR code directing visitors to the library’s resources and the University of Windsor’s main Orange Shirt Day webpage. In addition, a reflection bench has been set up near the display with books about Orange Shirt Day and residential schools to allow visitors to stop and learn while viewing the installation.

“It was truly a group effort to bring this vision to life,” said Demmans. “My colleagues were eager to assist and were able to cut out all 6,000 orange shirts in a matter of weeks.”

The installation will be on display until Oct. 15.

For more information about the Orange Shirt Day installation, visit the library website.

UWindsor president Robert Gordon and senior advisor on Indigenous relations and outreach Beverly Jacobs present a message on Orange Shirt Day encouraging members of the campus to wear orange and participate in observances. Watch it here:

Among the campus events are:

• Let’s learn about the importance of Orange Shirt Day, Wednesday, Sept. 28, online at 10 a.m. Learning about Orange Shirt Day, how it began, and what it’s grown into nationally.
• Mt. Elgin Residential School: Sharing my Grandmother’s story, Thursday, Sept. 29, in room 1232, Centre for Engineering Innovation, 2 p.m. Jaimie Kechego shares her grandmother’s experience attending Mt. Elgin residential school.
• Systemic Injustice: Mascots, Human Rights, and Indigenous Racism, Thursday, Sept. 29, in room 203, Toldo Health Education Centre, 6 p.m. A screening of the film will be followed by a discussion with director and producer Brad Gallant, a doctoral candidate in sociology.
• Every Child Matters Walk, Friday, Sept. 30, will leave from Art Windsor-Essex, 401 Riverside Dr. West, at 10:30 a.m. and will conclude at the David Wilson Commons for the Orange Shirt Day Drum Social Teach-In, from 1 to 3 p.m.

As students return to the classroom for the fall term, the University’s student marketing and communications team has been busy preparing with the launch of its newest undergraduate recruitment campaign.

“We know that prospective students have struggled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Chris Busch, associate vice-president, enrolment management. “Therefore, this year’s campaign is grounded in the concept of positive psychology and student development theory focusing on how we can help students achieve their goals, feel accomplished, and experience positive emotions — or thrive — at UWindsor.”

He says messaging will highlight:

• critical thinking and research opportunities,
• co-op and other relevant work experience, and
• a network for life,

all in a welcoming and diverse community with professors who care.

Built on past successes and informed by research, including feedback from prospects, current students, and the campus community, this year’s awareness, consideration, and conversion campaigns will leverage multiple channels and strategies targeting high schools and transfer students.

Among the key communications channels for this year are:

• Updated future student web presence
• An inspiring viewbook and new admissions resource for educators
• Location-based targeting and new lead generation tools
• A return to the big screen in Cineplex theatres
• A dynamic digital campaign

The Athletics Department is offering DailyNews readers a chance to win gold seat tickets to watch the Lancer football team take on the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m.

One lucky winner will receive a package of four tickets in the premium gold section of Alumni Stadium. Just send your answers to the following trivia questions. The winner will be randomly selected from all correct responses received by noon on Wednesday, Sept. 28. To be eligible, submit your best response to each of these trivia questions:

1. As part of the festivities Saturday, Jessica Clemençon, Richard Holland, Miah-Marie Langlois, Drew Macaulay, Meaghan Pototschnik Whattam will be introduced to fans in acknowledgement of what accomplishment?
   a) They will all be inducted in the Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.
   b) They boast the highest grade-point averages in the Faculty of Human Kinetics.
   c) They are the winners of the Amazing Race Canada.
   d) They are the finalists in the Lancer hotdog eating contest.
    
2. The Lancers currently boast a 2-2 record. Which opponents have they defeated so far this season?
   a) Ottawa
   b) Guelph
   c) Toronto
   d) Carleton
    
3. What was the last year Windsor hosted Laurier at Alumni Stadium?
   a) 2013
   b) 2015
   c) 2017
   d) 2019
    

Contest is open to all readers of the DailyNews. Send an e-mail with your responses to dailynews@uwindsor.ca. One entry per contestant, please. Note: the decision of the judge in determining the most correct response is inviolable.

The Directors Guild of Canada, representing the country’s top film production professionals, has nominated two UWindsor professors for projects in the industry.

Min Bae was long-listed for the Directors Guild of Canada’s Jean-Marc Vallee Discovery Award for his documentary feature debut, Reset. The award honours the director of a film that reflects “a bold, new cinematic voice.”

Reset tells the devastating true story of South Korea’s worst maritime disaster, the April 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry that killed 304 passengers, the majority of casualties schoolchildren. Besides Bae, who directed, produced, and served as director of photography, the crew included UWindsor alumni Gemma Cunial (BA 2019, MFA 2021) as associate producer, Armand Bejrami (BA 2018) as camera assistant, and Marcus Pasceri (BA 2019) as sound recordist.

The documentary will screen during the ReelWorld Film Festival at the Royal Ontario Museum on Oct. 16. Tickets and festival passes can be purchased at www.reelworld.ca.

The guild short-listed Nick Hector for Best Documentary Editing for his work on The Perfect Story, which will premiere at the Calgary International Film Festival before going on to the HotDocs festival in Toronto.

The film offers an intimate look at the ethical and moral challenges sparked by the relationship between a foreign correspondent and a young Somali refugee. By revealing the boundaries of journalism and filmmaking, the film questions what stories are told, why, and who gets to tell them.

The recognition points up the strength of the film faculty in the School of Creative Arts, says acting director Bruce Kotowich.

“Min Bae and Nick Hector are the only Canadian educators nominated for the 2022 Directors Guild of Canada Awards for feature films, documentaries, and short films,” he notes.

As part of its Alumni Week activities, the University of Windsor Alumni Association will host an online discussion of “Black Excellence in the Performing Arts,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29.

Dwania Peele (BA 2011, BSc 2011) will moderate a panel of three graduates of the School of Dramatic Art making their mark in theatre, film, and commercials:

• Kevin Hanchard (BFA 2012) is a television and film actor, known for his starring roles in Hudson & Rex, The Porter, and Orphan Black.           
• Alexis Gordon (BFA 2012) is a stage actress, currently appearing in her fourth season at the Shaw Festival. She earned the 2022 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role for her performance as Ma in Room, produced by the Grand Theatre, Mirvish Productions, and Covent Garden Productions.
• Jamaal Grant (BFA 2003) is an actor, known for national commercials in Canada and the U.S., most notably RBC and McDonald’s with fellow UWindsor alum Reid Janisse). His most noteworthy television appearances include Super Mighty Makers, The Expanse, and Chucky as well as upcoming series on Netflix: Graymail, Painkiller, and Gray.  

They will share how they got started in the business, how their paths cross with other UWindsor graduates, and what they are doing to help other Black actors excel in the performing arts.

Register to join and receive the Zoom link.

University of Windsor students, staff, and faculty are invited to attend the Campus Community Barbecue outside the Toldo Lancer Centre for a complimentary barbecue lunch and sweet treats, Wednesday, Sept. 28, from noon to 1:30 p.m. The event will feature music, entertainment, and photo opportunities, and the first 900 attendees will receive a limited-edition Toldo Lancer Centre rally towel.

The Campus Community Barbecue will build on the excitement of Alumni Week and celebrate UWindsor students and the Alumni Association for their generous contributions to the project.

Food will include halal and vegetarian options, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles to refill at the mobile hydration station.

The event will take place rain or shine. Food and giveaways will be available on a first-come basis, while supplies last. Parking on-site will be pay-and-display, and managers are encouraged to be flexible with the lunch hour to provide employee time to travel to and from the event.

The Student Awards & Financial Aid office will host various presentations throughout the Fall 2022 semester to assist students with navigating the various steps in their financial aid journey.

Register for Session #3 – Septt. 27 – 11 a.m. to noon – OSAP Impact When Dropping Courses - After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

As we near the end of the first month of classes and the financial drop date of Oct. 5, students in receipt of government student financial aid, i.e. OSAP, need to ensure that they understand the impact of dropping courses. This session is designed to help students who may be contemplating dropping a course to understand the minimum course load requirements to maintain government student aid eligibility, in order to make an informed decision.

Are you concerned about your student finances? The 2022-23 Award Profile/Application portal was launched on Aug. 1. It enables allows undergraduate students to apply for merit and need-based scholarships and bursaries. Graduate students are also able to use this portal to apply for certain merit and need-based graduate specific bursaries as well as awards that are open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Graduate students should also refer to the Graduate Studies website for additional information on graduate scholarship opportunities.

Undergraduate application deadlines vary, so don’t delay applying to maximize award opportunities. Additional key deadlines are as follows:

• Sept. 30 – Law awards
• Oct. 15 – General need-based awards
• Oct. 30 – Application need-based awards

Future topics, session dates, and registration information can be found here.

The early bird may get the worm, but who gets the early bird? Early birders, of course, like those who join doctoral student Sarah Dobney on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 28, for a free guided birding walk at Black Oak Heritage Park.

Offered in partnership with the Friends of Ojibway Prairie, the walk will leave from the Broadway Street parking lot entrance of Black Oak Heritage Park at 7 a.m.

Dobney’s PhD studies focus on the vocal behaviour of savannah sparrows. Having grown up near Long Point, Ontario, she developed a love of birds at a young age and obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph before moving to Windsor to pursue graduate studies. One of her favourite things about birds and biology is that there is always something new and fascinating to learn.

No advance registration is required for Wednesday’s event. Just be sure to dress for the weather and bring a pair of binoculars. For directions, updates, and additional information, see the “Sunrise Birding at Black Oak” Facebook event page.

The Office of Open Learning is launching the first course in its new “Humanising Online Learning” program on Oct. 27. Partially developed through research funded by eCampus Ontario on humanizing and liberating learners, the program aims to support student engagement in online spaces through a focus on equity and inclusion.

The inaugural four-week introductory course, An Introduction to Humanising Online Learning, will serve as an overview of the program, and will introduce foundational concepts about online learning.

“Before the pandemic, we were introducing people to digital spaces.,” says course co-leader Dave Cormier. “During the pandemic, we were doing rapid response. This course is about thinking ahead to what our classrooms can be.”

The Humanising Online Learning program was developed partially in response to the experience of faculty and students during the pandemic as a means of solidifying and extending the learning that resulted from these global experiences. It further aims to support the development of new ways of thinking about teaching and learning in a post-pandemic environment, with greater awareness of the need for flexibility, care, and compassion to help diverse learners succeed.

“I am most excited about facilitating reflective exercises about our pedagogical assumptions and historical teaching practices,” says Ashlyne O’Neil, who will be co-leading the course with Cormier. “What does success mean for you and your students? What implications does that have for your diverse online classroom?”

This theme will be introduced in the first course, and re-appear throughout the program.

The program consists of six four-week online courses that will both showcase the diversity of possible approaches to online teaching and explore opportunities that arise from online and technology-enabled course designs to transform learning and prepare students for a world that is globally connected, information abundant, and uncertain.

The Humanising Online Learning courses will be facilitated in the University’s new Brightspace learning management system, so participants will also have the opportunity to experience the system as a student and gain insight into how the new tools can facilitate different approaches to online learning. Brightspace offers new opportunities for faculty and students to help support their teaching and learning goals and simplify their administrative challenges.

“There are many resources and courses that have been developed to teach people how to design online courses, but the Humanising Online Learning program is unique in its focus on the human experience of learning and teaching in digital spaces,” says Nick Baker, director of the Office of Open Learning.

“We’re aiming to help people look beyond the mechanical functions of the technology to really see the transformative potential that digital learning offers for so many learners, all of whom will need to have high levels of digital literacy and competency to succeed in today’s world.”

Register for Introduction to Humanising Online Learning on the Office of Open Learning workshop database: https://ctl2.uwindsor.ca/openlearning/workshops/30/. For more information on the Humanising Learning Program, contact Cormier at dave.cormier@uwindsor.ca.