Anyone can suffer from “period poverty,” says Jada Malott.

That’s why the second-year law and politics student volunteers for Tampon Tuesday, an annual drive by the United Way and the Windsor and District Labour Council to collect menstrual hygiene products for those in need.

But, Malott says, the collection is just part of the effort: “We work to educate people about this issue of health and justice.”

She is heading up a campus effort to support the campaign, soliciting donations from faculty, staff, and students — and offering a prize draw as an incentive. Volunteers will staff a booth in the CAW Student Centre from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on three dates: March 6, 7, and 11.

“Supporters will receive a raffle ticket for each box of menstrual products — pads, tampons, panty liners, or other — they contribute,” says Malott.

Sponsored by the University of Windsor Alumni Association, the draw will award eight $100 gift cards to the Campus Bookstore, six $50 Starbucks cards, and six $50 Tim Hortons cards.

Professor Rita Haase’s course “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Health” includes a unit on menstruation. Malott took it last semester and spoke to her classmates about her activism.

“The class addresses the stigma and the taboos around menstruation,” Haase says. “Period poverty is a huge injustice towards every person that menstruates and a major problem in Windsor and worldwide.”

Those unable to bring products can donate online at www.weareunited.com/tampontuesday.

UWindsor creative writing grad Nasser Hussain (MFA 2003) will read from his new book of poems, Love Language, during a free public launch event March 7 at Biblioasis Bookshop.

Joining him is professor Susan Holbrook, who describes Dr. Hussain’s latest collection as “a wonderful, musical, playful, critical celebration and investigation of English.”

Hussain is a lecturer in literature and creative writing at Leeds Beckett University in the U.K. He served as UWindsor writer-in-residence in January 2019.

Dr. Holbrook says she was pleased to be invited to be his “reading buddy” and plans to read from a work-in-progress, a creative non-fiction memoir about mid-life and menopause.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at the shop, located at 1520 Wyandotte St. East.

Lancer women’s hockey player Maggie Mitani was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last summer, just days after returning to her home in Winnipeg. Despite this, she managed to make a full recovery, and returned to play this season without missing a game.

In a profile by Connor Sykes published on the Lancer website, Mitani, a student of behaviour, cognition, and neuroscience, credits her support system of family, friends, and teammates for helping her through the recovery process with their words of encouragement and bowls of French onion soup.

Another driving force in her pursuit to get better was returning to the sport she loves.

“Hockey as a whole I think is what keeps everybody fighting,” says Mitani. “That’s why we come here every day, that’s why we work as hard as we do. Knowing that you’re going to come back and be healthy and stronger than you were when you went into this is what really keeps you going throughout the whole thing.”

Rejoining the Lancers for the 2023-24 season, she played in 29 games and led all Windsor defenders with four goals.

Read the full story, “Maggie Mitani: Skating Through Adversity,” at goLancers.ca.

Sessions each Tuesday in March will promote accessibility and efforts to create more welcoming and inclusive communities for all.

Accessibility Awareness Days will open with three online workshops, culminating in a film screening at month’s end.

Student Changemakers, March 5, 11:30 a.m. to noon
University of Windsor students Logan Gillingham of the Visual Arts and the Built Environment program and political science major Femi Soluade share their stories about steps they took to create change for a world that is more accessible, inclusive, and welcoming.

Service Animals in Ontario, March 12, 11:30 a.m. to noon
Learn more about service animals, what they are, and what they do. This session will also cover the basic rights and responsibilities of handlers and how the community can support inclusion for persons who rely on the support of a service animal. 

The Proposed Post-secondary Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, March 19, 11:30 a.m. to noon
Presenter Tina Doyle, director of AccessAbility at the University of Toronto, chairs the Standards Development Committee for the proposed Accessible Postsecondary Education Standard under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. In a workshop offered in conjunction with EDID Week, Doyle will discuss the upcoming legislation and thoughts about what universities can do to get ready.

On March 26, the Leddy Library Collaboratory is the setting for a screening of the documentary Soop on Wheels, the story of Everett Soop, a First Nations man living with a disability and being an authentically Indigenous man in the late 1980s and early ’90s. His work as a cartoonist, journalist, and activist has since been widely recognized. Filmmaker Sandy Greer will be on hand for a meet-and-greet session at 2 p.m. before the 3 p.m. screen time, followed by discussion. The event is presented in partnership with the Turtle Island Aboriginal Education Centre.

For more information, contact the Accessibility Awareness Days planning committee at aad@uwindsor.ca or call the Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility at  519-253-3000, ext. 3400.

Registration is now open for the Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges UWindsor graduate students to offer a presentation on their thesis, major paper, or dissertation topic to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes.

The event will be held on April 9, with two heats in the morning and a final round in the afternoon. Top finishers will win cash prizes and the champion will represent the University of Windsor at the provincial contest May 8 at the Lakehead University campus in Orillia.

Limited contestant spots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration will close at noon March 15.

To register and for competition details, visit the UWindsor 3MT Competition webpage.

As part of Open Education Week, March 4 to 8, the Office of Open Learning is hosting a series of events and sponsoring a friendly competition for students to create promotional material highlighting open educational resources, with the winners receiving Visa gift cards.

Entrants must create a resource that promotes the use of open educational resources (OERs). This can be any sort of resource: video, poster, song, social media friendly resource, or AI app, but must be shared under a creative commons license so that others can use and share.

The resource or a link to it must be shared to the Qualtrics link by noon Thursday, March 7.

The first-place winner will get $200 as a Visa gift card. The second- and third-place entries will receive $125 and $75 respectively.

The contest is open to any undergraduate or graduate student at the University of Windsor. To learn more, check out the Qualtrics link.

Are you an enthusiastic undergraduate student eager to make a lasting impact on your campus community? The Student Success and Leadership Centre is now accepting applications for student staff orientation co-ordinators for summer 2024.

From the anticipation of Head Start to the excitement of Welcome Week, student orientation co-ordinators play a key role in welcoming incoming undergraduate students from day one. This is an opportunity for undergraduates to step into a leadership role and shape the experiences of their peers.

Join a dynamic team dedicated to fostering Lancer spirit and creating memorable experiences for new students. From delivering engaging presentations to planning exciting events, you’ll be at the forefront of UWindsor Orientation, helping to create a fun and inclusive environment for all.

Don’t miss out on this chance to be a part of something special. Apply via mySuccess by Wednesday, March 13, to be considered.

Available positions include co-ordinators of:

• Communications
• Lead Students
• Marketing
• Orientation
• Registration
• Sponsorships
• Transition Events
• UWindsor Welcome Week Events
• UWindsor Welcome Week Volunteers

Find more information, including a calendar of relevant dates and the job descriptions of each position, on the orientation website.

Professor Judy Bornais, executive director of the Office of Experiential Learning, has accepted an appointment as associate vice-president, external, for a four-year term beginning March 4.

The role is pivotal to upholding and enhancing the University’s reputation and to fostering strong connections among the campus community and alumni, partners and donors, government representatives, and local communities, says president Robert Gordon.

“Please join me in extending our support to Judy as she embarks on this new and vital role at the University of Windsor,” he said in announcing the appointment Thursday.

He touted Bornais’ extensive experience in leadership, community engagement, partner engagement, and program development, cultivated during a 25-year career at the University of Windsor and in the broader Windsor-Essex region, as a significant asset in ensuring a smooth transition while driving forward strategic endeavours in collaboration with the teams in Public Affairs and Communications, Alumni Affairs, Advancement, and other units across campus.

The University will launch the process for appointing an interim executive director of the Office of Experiential Learning in the near future.

WE-Spark Health Institute hosts monthly networking events for members of the Windsor-Essex health research community to get to know one another through fun and casual conversations.

The next event will be held Thursday, March 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Bourbon Tap & Grill, 1199 Ottawa St. No RSVP is required.

This is an opportunity for anyone interested in health research to make connections in an informal and enjoyable atmosphere. There is no formal agenda, and all are welcome.

WE-Spark Health Institute is supported by an innovative partnership between the University of Windsor and Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, and Windsor Regional Hospital that brings together health research strengths, expertise, and infrastructure from across the Windsor-Essex region.

The University has declared a variety of items for sale by bid as Disposal File 2042.

Available are:

• a Colchester Master 2500 manual lathe;
• 14 laptop stands;
• a Powermill Kondia vertical milling machine;
• an eight-gallon Shop-Vac; and
• a steel racking system.

Click here for more information, including photos of each item and details on submitting bids.