A UWindsor program that improves students’ mental health through physical exercise will expand thanks to a grant from the Bell Let’s Talk Post-Secondary Fund.

UWorkItOut UWin will receive $100,000 from the fund that supports mental health initiatives at universities, colleges, and cégeps across Canada.

“We would like to thank Bell Let’s Talk for the generous contribution,” said Krista Chandler, who founded UWorkItOut UWin with the help of fellow kinesiology professors Todd Loughead and Chad Sutherland. “This funding will allow us to continue to support our Lancer students and provide them with an exceptional university experience.”

UWorkItOut UWin is a six-week supervised exercise intervention to which participants are referred by the Student Counselling Centre. Student trainers guide participants through a semi-weekly exercise program. Exercise counsellors check in with participants weekly, offering advice on positive self-talk, goal setting, time management, and other coping strategies. At the end of the six weeks, participants can join a buddy system in which they are paired with other students to continue their workouts.

The program is proven to lessen anxiety and depression, and increase participants’ confidence, motivation, fitness levels, and overall well-being.

Graduate students in Sport Psychology and Physical Activity Research Collaborative use the program to research the mental health benefits of physical exercise, publishing their findings in academic journals and presenting at conferences. The program also offers hands-on training for kinesiology students in the Movement Science program.

“Bell Let’s Talk is pleased to provide a $100,000 Post-Secondary Fund grant to the University of Windsor to support student mental health through physical exercise,” said Mary Deacon, chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “The Bell Let’s Talk Post-Secondary Fund has supported many initiatives such as this that are improving student health and wellness across Canada.”

This is the fourth year that Bell has funded mental-health programs for post-secondary students. The funding is part of the company’s national effort to raise awareness of mental health.

Mental health statistics in Canada are troubling. Of the more than 200 Canadians who attempt suicide each day, 12 will die. A quarter of all Canadians report experiencing high levels of anxiety. And half of Canadians struggling with mental health issues aren’t getting the help they need.

Bell Let’s Talk Day is Jan. 24. Canadians are urged to use the day to choose a mental health organization to learn about or support; help a friend struggling with mental health; learn about how your school, workplace or community supports mental health; nurture your own well-being through mental health strategies; get involved in a mental health initiative or event; or simply talk about mental health to combat the stigma surrounding it.

—Sarah Sacheli

February is Black History-Black Futures month, an important occasion to celebrate past accomplishments, along with present and future endeavours, says Marium Tolson-Murtty, UWindsor director of anti-racism organizational change.

“People of the African diaspora are integral to the fabric of our society not only in Canada but worldwide,” she says. “Black people have been significant contributors to every field of study, and it’s necessary to highlight those achievements as we continue to educate ourselves. For many individuals, there was a lack of exposure to Black history growing up in the K-12 system and beyond, which essentially is the erasure of significant elements to the Canadian curriculum.”

Tolson-Murtty established a Black History–Black Futures Planning Committee in 2021 to ensure that the stories and voices are heard and amplified not only for one month but all year round. The University will embark on a month-long celebration with many great initiatives and collaborations, including with the Leddy Library, UWSA Afrofest, the alumni office, the Black Studies Institute, the CUBE Indigenous and Black Talent Incubator, the Essex County Black Historical Research Society, the Black Council of Windsor Essex, and UWindsor Public Affairs and Communications.

The campus community is invited to the 2024 Windsor-Essex Black History Month kick-off hosted by the Essex-County Black Historical Research Society, the Amherstburg Freedom Museum, and the Windsor West-Indian Association, at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26. More information can be found at https://amherstburgfreedom.org/event/.

The second annual ceremonial raising of the Pan-African flag will take place Thursday, Feb. 1, at noon in front of Chrysler Hall Tower. More information and a calendar of campus and community events to follow.

If your faculty, program, service area, or department has plans to celebrate Black History–Black Futures month that you would like to share on the calendar of events, email aroc@uwindsor.ca.

University Players is offering DailyNews readers a chance to win two tickets to its current production, The Glass Menagerie.

The Tennessee Williams drama is inspired by events from the playwright’s life.

To enter the contest, just send your answers to the following trivia questions. A winner, selected at random from all correct responses received by noon Thursday, Jan. 25, will receive two tickets to attend a performance.

1. The play is set in what city, where Williams lived from 1918-1939?
   a) Atlanta
   b) New Orleans
   c) St. Louis
    
2. The play’s character Laura, who suffers physical and mental health issues, is thought to represent the playwright’s sister. What was her name?
   a) Edwina
   b) Lily
   c) Rose
    
3. The Glass Menagerie premiered in 1944 in which city?
   a) Chicago
   b) Detroit
   c) New York

Contest is open to all readers of the DailyNews. Send an e-mail with your responses to uofwnews@uwindsor.ca.

The Glass Menagerie continues in the Essex Hall Theatre through Jan. 28. Performances Thursday, Friday, and Saturday begin at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinée at 2 p.m. Student tickets are just $10; get more details and visit the box office on the University Players website.

“Institutional barriers, including laws that disenfranchise women generally, sent strong messages that Indigenous women were not welcome in certain political spaces,” says Rebecca Major.

Her free public talk, “Indigenous Women in Politics: spontaneous tidal wave or sleeping giant?” 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in the SoCA Armouries, will focus on Indigenous women’s agency and how reductionist explanations are harmful to their utilization of agency and competency.

“After the first term of Justin Trudeau’s reconciliation government (2015-19), Indigenous engagement in Canadian electoral politics increased, particularly that of Indigenous women,” Dr. Major says. “This was noteworthy, since Indigenous women’s intersectional identity left us with unique marginalized experiences resulting from colonization.”

Research chair on northern governance at Yukon University, Major is an associate professor adjunct in the UWindsor Department of Political Science. Aside from her academic experience, she worked as a policy analyst for the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and served as a Métis local president and an area representative.

She is a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario from her mother’s side; her father’s family is recognized as Mi’kmaw from New Brunswick.

Thursday’s presentation is hosted by the Humanities Research Group and will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

An exhibition by students in the Visual Arts and the Built Environment (VABE) program showcases what they have learned in three years of cross-border studies in architecture and visual arts.

“Amalgamate,” on display in the SoCA Gallery through Feb. 2, features works by Giulia Buratto, Ellie Charrette, Pete Danho, Lane Farkas, Raegan Gauthier, Greta Janik, Allie Kotsopoulos, Emily Neufeld, Lilian Noel, Tanvi Patel, Selina Rustico, George Smyrnis, Kimberly The, and Jumana Zakaria.

Each student has submitted up to four pieces representing the projects they’ve completed over the past three years.

“The event is to show people the effort of our degree and show to our professors, friends, and family how much we’ve progressed,” says Smyrnis. “It is really an amalgamation of pieces – the projects were chosen based on our collective skills and, on an individual level, we’re building and incorporating skills from our first year that got us to this point.”

VABE students take classes at the University of Windsor and the University of Detroit Mercy, School of Architecture and Community Development.

The gallery at 37 University Ave. East is open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. To make an appointment, contact Victor Romão at romao1@uwindsor.ca.

A free public reception will provide a chance to meet the participating artists from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26.

The Employee Mental Health Strategy Implementation Working Group is seeking faculty and staff to champion the strategy within their department or faculty.

“The EMHS Ambassadors will be key to enhance awareness, communication, and engagement as we implement the 22 key actions outlined in the strategy document,” says Marcela Ciampa, co-lead of the Implementation Working Group.

“We are looking for faculty and staff who will act as a point person to gather concerns and questions, share information about the implementation, and encourage colleagues to become engaged in strategy implementation related initiatives.”

Learn more about this role on the program website. Interested individuals are asked to complete the online form.

Faculty and staff can find a listing of mental health resources and supports on the strategy website and details about the Employee Assistance Program available to faculty, staff, and their families can be found on the Human Resources website.

Research Ethics Board chair Suzanne McMurphy, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education and other experts, is hosting a series of 10 workshops on research ethics ranging from pragmatic application of ethics principles in research designs to writing specific sections of the research ethics application and considerations for ethics review.

The main goals of the workshop series are to provide additional education on research ethics and improve the ethics review process through increased dialogue between researchers and the board. Each two-hour workshop will include one hour of discussion on the specific topic, including references to the relevant content in the TCPS2 and other applicable guidelines and regulations, and one hour of open consultation for individual, or groups of, researchers on their own projects. The workshops are available to everyone, including community partners.

The following sessions will be offered in-person from 3 to 5 p.m. in room 1101, Leonard and Dorothy Neal Education Building. A hybrid option may be offered in the future; check the REB website for additional options as they develop.

• Session 1 – Conducting Research on Your Courses, Friday, Jan. 26
• Session 2 – Research Ethics Principles: Foundations for project design, Thursday, Feb. 1
• Session 3 – Writing Rationales and Protocols, Friday, Feb. 2
• Session 4 – Recruitment Pathways and Strategies, Thursday, Feb. 8
• Session 5 – Risks, Mitigation Strategies and Benefits, Friday, Feb. 9
• Session 6 – Consent Processes, Information and Content, Consent Modifications, such as Deception, and Consent Forms, Thursday, Feb. 15
• Session 7 – Privacy and Confidentiality, Online Data Collection, and Social Media, Friday, Feb. 16
• Session 8 – Data Management, Data Sharing, and Secondary Use, Thursday, Feb. 29
• Session 9 – Indigenous Research, Community-Based Research, and Additional Population Considerations, Thursday, March 7
• Session 10 – Biological Elements, Research Safety, Animal Care, and Research Ethics Board Overlap, Friday, March 8

Special guests with specific expertise will be included throughout the series, such as John Hudson, chair of the Animal Care Committee; Matthew Krause, chair of the Research Safety Committee; Berenica Vejvoda, Leddy Library data librarian; faculty experts and advisors to the REB, among others.

To sign up for a workshop, email ethics@uwindsor.ca.

For more information about these workshops, visit the Research Ethics Board website.

The Campus Safety Grant Committee is accepting funding applications for creative, innovative proposals for projects to promote safety focusing on sexual violence prevention on campus.

Proposals are welcome from members of the university community, including faculty, staff, and student organizations. 

The deadline date for the next round of submissions through the Campus Safety Grant will be Feb. 2.

In accordance with the parameters set by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, submissions are required to support one of the following broad categories or objectives: 

• Awareness or education (e.g., workshops, websites, awareness campaigns) 
• Student services and supports (e.g., campus walk safe programs, sexual assault prevention initiatives, volunteer training, resource materials) 
• Facilities and equipment (e.g., lighting, mirrors, security cameras, emergency phones) 

Funding requests are accepted on an ongoing basis by the Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility at: 

• Campus Safety Grant Application
  by e-mail to ohrea@uwindsor.ca,
  or by phoning 519-253-3000, ext. 3400 

Projects funded for the upcoming April 1 fiscal must be completed — and invoices paid — by March 1, 2025.

The University of Windsor values academic, stakeholder, and industrial partnerships as vital for research advancement, recognizing their impact on the national economy and knowledge development. Global collaborations play a significant role in achieving research excellence. Faculty members and researchers are encouraged to foster collaborations for enhanced research outcomes benefiting the University and the community.

On Jan. 16, 2024, the Government of Canada unveiled its policy on  Sensitive Technologies Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC), which was adopted by all Tri-Agency and CFI funding programs. This policy stems from the Feb. 14, 2023, announcement by the federal government that would be adopting enhanced posture regarding national research security to reinforce protection for Canada's research, institutions, and intellectual property.

University of Windsor faculty and researchers are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the new policy. This includes focused understanding of language pertaining to potential risks associated with global collaborations and partnerships, especially those in sensitive technology areas. This heightened awareness will enhance our ability to engage responsibly and knowledgeably in important global collaborative initiatives.

Highlights of the new policy include:

• Grant applications involving sensitive research areas will not be funded if any researchers are affiliated with entities deemed to pose a risk to national security.

• Researchers are encouraged to assess affiliations with Named Organizations of Concern, identify potential risks of continued affiliations, and adopt measures to mitigate them.

• Researchers must understand the due diligence process associated with the provincial and federal research programs. Due-diligence obligations include reviews of partnerships involving dual-use technologies, export controls, high-risk affiliations, and sanctioned entities.

• Researchers must adhere to guidelines, ensuring that their research not only contributes to scientific advancement but also respects the safety, security, and ethical considerations inherent in modern research practices.

• Projects perceived to have a security risk must include a research partnership risk assessment form and personal affiliation attestation.

The University of Windsor recognizes that the new federal policy may affect your research. We are committed to cultivating a research environment that is not only innovative and collaborative but also responsible and secure.

We acknowledge the sensitivity of research security and aim to prevent bias and profiling in risk assessment. In support of this commitment, the University provides consultation, resources, and tools to help researchers identify potential geopolitical and economic risks in sensitive projects, offering assistance in mitigation as needed.

The Office of Vice-President, Research and Innovation, has created an integrated plan to support and guide faculty and staff, including the addition of a Research Security Coordinator to actively train, consult, and support our research community, alongside ongoing support from research coordinators during the granting process.

For inquiries and assistance, please contact Rahul Banerjee, University’s Research Security Coordinator, at researchsecurity@uwindsor.ca and/or your research coordinator during the granting processresearch.security@uwindsor.ca.

Additional resources and background on safeguarding research include:

• Safeguarding Research
• ISED – NSERC Risk Mitigation
• Statement from Minister Champagne, Minister Duclos and Minister Mendicino on protecting Canada’s research
• Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (science.gc.ca)
  • Named Research Organizations of Concern
  • Sensitive Technology Research Areas

The Office of Vice-President, Research and Innovation prioritizes protecting Canadian research while supporting our research community. The University remains dedicated to advancing bold and impactful research, scholarship, and creative activity.