As the academic semester marches towards final exams, students enrolled in School of Creative Arts (SoCA) ensemble classes are polishing their performances, ready to take to the stage for the concerts that mark the end of the semester. And the best part — everyone is invited to hear their performances.

This weekend, instrumental musicians in the University Wind Ensemble and University Jazz Ensemble will perform on the Pentastar stage in the Capitol Theatre, 121 University Ave. West.

Friday, the University Wind Ensemble under the direction of Mike Seguin will delight audiences with the fanfare A Festival Prelude by Alfred Reed. The remainder of the concert will feature orchestral transcriptions and tone poems for wind ensemble, including musical gems Water Music Suite by George Frideric Handel, Richard Wagner’s Overture to Rienzi, Swiss composer Stephan Jaeggi’s Titanic: Dramatische Fantasie, Canticle of the Creatures by Jim Curnow, and for brass afficionados, John Williams’ The Symphonic Marches and the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Fanfare & Theme. The concert opens at 7:30 p.m. Purchase tickets in advance on the Capitol Theatre website, or at the door.

Saturday, the University Jazz Ensemble directed by Robert Fazecash will delight with the music of jazz legends and popular songwriters, featuring solo instrumentalists and vocalists from Shahida Nurullah’s studio. The ensemble is composed of music students augmented with some alumni. The concert opens at 7:30 p.m. Purchase tickets in advance on the Capitol Theatre website, or at the door.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, the SoCA choirs under the direction of Bruce Kotowich along with guest student performers from the School of Dramatic Art will enchant their audience with a performance of seasonal favourites and a dramatic “radio show” production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at Assumption Church, 2735 University Ave. West. The Songs of the Season show gets underway at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available in advance on the SoCA website or at the door by debit or credit card.

If you have questions about any SoCA concerts, call or email Trevor Pittman at 519-253-3000, ext. 2799, or tpittman@uwindsor.ca.

Windsor Law students are engaging local businesses in a project to provide professional clothing to their peers for interviews, networking events, and other career-related opportunities, following the success of implementing a similar plan at Legal Assistance of Windsor.

Headed by law students Hannah Joseph and Gigi Joseph, the Community Closet Initiative is supported by the Windsor Fashion Law Society in collaboration with such local businesses as Full Circle Vintage boutique, Devonshire Mall, Windsor Crossing Premium Outlets, Maiden Lane Wine and Cocktail Bar, Mezzo Ristorante, Windsor Rock Gym, Roseland Golf and Curling Club, and the Windsor Spitfires major junior hockey team.

“A lack of access to professional attire can impact marginalized clients' credibility and their outcomes in legal settings,” Hannah Joseph explains. “Similarly, law students face financial barriers in presenting themselves professionally during recruitment and networking events, which are vital for career opportunities.”

The project is focused on collecting, repairing, and distributing clothing to ensure that all students have access to the professional attire they need. Donations of gently used or repairable clothing, as well as items for raffles or auctions, are accepted.

Gigi Joseph emphasizes that the initiative reflects Windsor Law’s commitment to inclusivity and addressing systemic barriers.

“This project demonstrates how Windsor Law students and faculty are actively working to foster equality and break down financial barriers, ensuring all students have the opportunity to succeed,” she says.

To learn more or get involved, email the Windsor Fashion Law Society at windsorfashionlaw@gmail.com.

In recognition of Assumption College grad Fred Thomas (BA 1949) being honoured as a recipient of the Order of Sport from Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Leddy Library has launched a digital exhibition titled “The Fabulous Fred Thomas: The Windsor Years.” This project celebrates Thomas as a multi-sport phenomenon, highlighting his achievements in basketball, baseball, and football during an era when Black athletes faced profound discrimination.

Born in 1923, Thomas grew up in Windsor’s historic McDougall Street neighbourhood, a vibrant Black community explored in the earlier Leddy Library project We Were Here. His sports legacy is deeply connected to Windsor and the University, where he was a record-setting basketball player at Assumption College.

Thomas made significant contributions to Canadian sports history, notably breaking barriers in professional baseball. In 1948, he became the first Black player in the Eastern League, and in 1949, the first Black Canadian and second Black athlete to play for the team. His accomplishments paved the way for future generations of Black athletes.

The exhibition features archival documents, photographs, and contextual essays curated from Leddy Library’s archives and special collections, as well as the Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive. It was led by collections and digital projects outreach librarian Heidi Jacobs, a key researcher behind the Breaking the Colour Barrier project, and author of 1934: The Chatham Coloured All-Stars’ Barrier-Breaking Year.

The project also features writing by Willow Key (MA 2024), the researcher behind We Were Here, who reflected on Thomas’ lasting impact:

“Fred Thomas’ legacy and achievements as one of Canada’s greatest multi-sport athletes reflect the strength, pride, and resilience of Windsor’s Black community and the historic McDougall Street Corridor,” she said. “This community provided the foundation necessary for Thomas to break barriers and pave the way for future generations of Black athletes. Recognition of this Canadian trailblazer is long overdue.”

Human kinetics professor Craig Greenham praised Thomas as a versatile athlete whose talents transcended the limits of his era.

“Thomas was a fantastic multi-sport athlete in ways that don’t really exist in the modern age — one of specialization that usually limits an athlete to one sport,” he said. “Thomas could do it all and at a really high level: basketball, baseball, football, track and field. I can’t think of a better athlete that came from this area.”

Jacobs emphasized the importance of recognizing Fred Thomas’ contributions.

“This exhibition provides images and writings from student newspapers, yearbooks, and some other archival sources. These documents and images reveal a fascinating and vital story that has much to teach us about Windsor and UWindsor history as well as about the connections between race and sports,” she said.

Explore the exhibition and celebrate the legacy of Fred Thomas by visiting The Fabulous Fred Thomas: The Windsor Years.

Sometimes an idea for a research project comes from your lab, and sometimes it comes from an alumna.

Enter “Bolt” (she/they), who runs the Windsor Rainbow Sports Club and is a UWindsor psychology grad. When one of her players mentioned psychology professor Dana Ménard’s research, she was enthusiastic about the possibility of collaborating on a project.

Dr. Ménard says it was a natural fit.

“My research group right now is 100 per cent composed of sexual and gender minority group members, so some of the research directions have sort of naturally evolved to reflect their frustrations with the existing research,” she says. “Every time we have a question about ‘what do we know about the experience of trans people’ or ‘how such-and-such a thing effects gay people’ the data just isn’t there. The research hasn’t been done, and that's been sort of endlessly frustrating to my group.”

She agreed to launch a study of the impact of participation on members of recreational sports leagues for LGBTQ+ individuals. The project has received a $25,000 SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant and a $20,000 WE-Spark Igniting Discovery Grant.

Bolt says she was looking for research data to back up her grant proposals for the club.

“When that one player came to us and thought that it was a good idea to partner, immediately I thought, ‘oh man, I can get my questions answered,’” says Bolt.

After meeting with Bolt, Ménard sought out as a collaborator human kinetics professor Sarah Woodruff, whose area of expertise is health behaviours of individuals.

“Less than half of the Canadian population are active enough. Certainly, marginalized communities have even lower rates of participation because of previous experiences, whether it’s while growing up or having a bad experience early on,” says Dr. Woodruff. “So they tend to think physical activity isn’t for them. However, physical activity is one of the best things we can do for ourselves in terms of mental health and being a risk factor for many of the chronic diseases later in life. So I would say to anybody, but particularly marginalized communities, staying active as an adult is important.”

The researchers have completed a number of interviews with LGBTQ+ people and organizations and next plans to interview LGBTQ+ people in non-LGBTQ+ specific recreational sports organizations.

Bolt says her experiences point up the difference.

“I got to the end of three seasons in some sports leagues and still didn’t know half my teammates names,” she says. “And those leagues are very much about playing the sport. It’s about showing up. You play the sport, you maybe chat here and there, and then you leave.

“Any queer league that I’ve played in, any kind of LGBTQ alternative league, there’s always this deeper sense of social fun that occurs. And that was something really missing in my life.”

Ménard calls the project timely.

“Right now LGBTQ rights are under attack around the world,” she says. “These sports clubs are a refuge for people to take a break from that outside world and be with people who understand and have fun — and be active.”

Once this project is completed, the team plans to use the data to write an even bigger grant that would bring Ontario LGBTQ+ recreational sports leagues together to share information and work for advocacy.

“Our community has so many wounds around sport that if we start to change people’s relationship to movement, we can start to heal those wounds,” says Bolt. “We can start to change their relationships, hopefully to themselves. I want the research to show me the way.”

Interested in taking part in this study? Contact recsports@uwindsor.ca.

The Office of Research Ethics will continue receiving applications for reviews to occur before the end of the year until Monday, Dec. 9.

This submission deadline permits the necessary time for processing applications and corresponds with the remaining review dates scheduled for December.

Applications submitted for review after Dec. 9 will be scheduled for January review.

Join the GATA Network for a one-day online professional development event open to both new and experienced UWindsor graduate assistants (GAs) and teaching assistants (TAs) as well as those interested in teaching and learning.

GATAcademy will be held online on Jan. 3. Workshops are scheduled all day, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration is free at https://ctl2.uwindsor.ca/workshops/153/.

Note: links to the sessions will be emailed to registered participants the day before the scheduled workshops.

Connect with the vibrant Windsor-Essex health research community at WE-Spark Health Institute’s monthly networking event. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet others passionate about health research through casual conversations and formal networking opportunities.

WE-Spark After Dark is set for 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at Bourbon Tap & Grill, 1199 Ottawa St.

Whether you’re already part of the health research community or just curious to learn more, this event offers an informal and enjoyable way to make meaningful connections. The first hour will focus on getting to know like-minded individuals interested in health research.

Registration is encouraged but not required — bring a friend or colleague you’ve been wanting to connect with. Click here to register.