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By Gwendolyn Ebbett
 Dear Friends:
I hope everyone is doing well. I want to bring you up-to-date on some recent developments.
First, the WURA office has moved to CHTN G135. This is only a temporary location until the University allocates space for a new Faculty Retirees' Hub. President Gordon announced this initiative at the reception for new retirees held on March 12th.
Further to the above move, WURA is well represented on the newly formed Age Friendly University Campus Faculty Hub Committee, chaired by Dr. Erika Kustra, Associate Vice President Academic. This Committee’s focus is on establishing an office and a meeting space which is accessible and can serve as a venue where retirees can meet informally to share ideas and renew old acquaintances. The current suggested site for this Retirees' Hub is the Odette House which is adjacent to the WUFA Office. This committee is also preparing the draft submission for membership in the Age Friendly University Global Network. An umbrella Committee, with both a broader membership and a more comprehensive mandate is being formed with Dr Clinton Beckford, VP People Equity and Inclusion, and/or Jody Fraser, Associate VP Human Resources as Chair/ Co-Chairs. Please see Jake and Veronika’s article further on in this issue to get a better understanding of what it means to be a member of the AFU Global Network.
I am pleased to announce that Maureen Irish has agreed to serve as WURA’s representative on the Retired Members (D.7) Pension Committee and Mary Lou Drake has agreed to serve on the Retirees Healthcare Subsidy Committee. They replace Ihor Stebelsky who has served on both committees for several years. Thank you, Ihor.
I will attend the Zoom version of the CURAC/ARUCC Annual General Meeting which is being held in Waterloo on May 22, 2024. The meeting is in conjunction with the Annual Conference, "Thriving in Retirement", May 22 -24 at the University of Waterloo.
I am very pleased to announce that Heather Pratt will receive the “Friend of WURA” Award at the upcoming President’s Tea on June 19, 2024. I hope many of you will be able to attend.
I wish everyone a very pleasant rest of Spring and hope your Summer will be a great one.
My sincere best wishes,
Gwendolyn Ebbett
President
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Dr. Charlene Senn
Receives the Mary Lou Dietz Equity Leadership Award
 The Faculty Association is proud to announce that Dr. Charlene Senn, Department of Psychology and Interdisciplinary & Critical Studies, is the 2024 recipient of the "Mary Lou Dietz Equity Leadership Award."
The Windsor University Faculty Association’s Status of Women, Diversity and Equity Action Committee gives out the Award to honour those individuals who have demonstrated leadership through their contributions to creating a culture of equity on campus. The Award is named after Mary Lou Dietz, a late UWindsor faculty member and head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, to recognize and memorialize her contributions to the advancement of women in Canadian universities and colleges.
Read more information about Dr. Charlene Senn’s achievements.
Join us as we celebrate Dr. Senn's outstanding commitment, contributions, and accomplishments in the area of diversity and equity! The celebration will be held in the Assumption University’s Freed-Orman Centre on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
RSVP by email: wufa@uwindsor.ca by May 27, 2024.
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| ("Holiday Luncheon" by DALL-E, Abstract, October 2023) |
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The Social Committee News
By Christina Simmons
We have hosted a couple of successful events and have a new one planned for late May.
St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Music Zoom
On March 17, Jake Soderlund shared a Celtic music Zoom. Hosted by Lynne Reid, it featured performances from musicians in Ireland, Scotland, the United States, and Canada. A good time was had by all!
For the Love of Reading (In person)
On April 18, Bruce Tucker discussed the Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by Barbara Kingsolver -- Demon Copperhead -- a modern-day David Copperfield set in Appalachia. Those who gathered for this in-person event thoroughly enjoyed being there and indulging in some sweet treats and tea as we heard Bruce’s engaging talk about a wonderful book. Everyone had lots to say, and being there in the flesh seemed to make it more possible. Hurray for the decline of Covid and cheers to more in-person events!
Upcoming Musical Event (Hybrid and Open to the Public)
On Tuesday, May 28 (2:30 - 4:00 pm, in the Performance Hall at the School of Creative Arts), percussionist Nick Papador, Professor in the School of Creative Arts, will offer a lecture and sampling of the music that he published and discussed in his recent book, Vessels of Song: A Collection of Klezmer Suites for Mallet Ensemble.
Klezmer, from Yiddish meaning "vessel of song, or musical instrument", is the traditional folk music which emanated from the Ashkenazi Jewish people of the shtetls of Central and Eastern Europe. It began in the Middle Ages as a form of dance music at weddings. After evolving, absorbing elements of other musical traditions, and being widely and popularly performed throughout the continent in subsequent centuries, it declined by the mid-twentieth century after the devastation of Jewish communities in the Holocaust. Since the 1970s, however, Klezmer has experienced a revival. Professor Papador’s presentation will share some of this history with you, as well as perform some of the music with several musicians. This event is free and open to the public, so please invite anyone you know who might be interested.
Finally, we are planning a trip to the Stratford Festival on September 19 to see the comedy London Assurance. A charter bus will be available to anyone who wants to leave the driving to someone else. There will be a buffet dinner at the Festival Theatre after the play. We'd love to see you even if you don't want to take the bus from Windsor. We also hope to see special guests from the play at the dinner.
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("Researchers" by DALL-E, Abstract, October 2023)
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WURA “Research Corner”
by Jake Soderlund
Recent Research Activity
Susan Gold Smith
Research in Progress
WURA retiree Professor Susan Gold Smith helped initiate the formation of a new Committee, the Labour Arts & Culture Committee, reporting to Windsor District Labour Council. This Committee will continue the work of the former U of W Labour Studies Programme. The new Committee will search out, inform, and support labour arts cultural activity in the Windsor Region, that is cultural activity based on values of solidarity and social justice. Productive connections have been made with Art Windsor - Essex, the Chimczuk Museum, Biblioasis, Media City, Artcite, Cliff Labour Films, Workers Action Centre, South Asian Film Series, several University of Windsor professors, and individual artists and cultural workers.
Examples of labour arts highlighted for April and May are the AWE exhibition, Nii Ndahlohke / I WORK, about the forced labour of First Nations children (1851-1946); the novel, Standing Heavy by Gauz published by Biblioasis; eight workshops preparing for May Day International Solidarity at Art Windsor - Essex Saturday Studio and Artcite Inc., organized by Windsor Workers Action Centre. It is a point of WURA pride that many U of W alumni are involved in all of these.
The Committee is open to membership and information is always welcomed for the Labour Arts & Culture Committee’s monthly report. Contact: sgold@uwindsor.ca
Christina Simmons
Research Completed
A few years ago, I published a book on the creation of modern marriage in the early twentieth-century U.S. that addressed the contributions of both whites and African Americans to that process. Since then, I have continued to research the perspectives of African Americans in the 1940s. In January, I visited the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans to examine the papers of Black sociologist Joseph Himes, who researched and taught about marriage from his position at the segregated North Carolina College for Negroes [later Durham, and now North Carolina Central University]. This and my prior research is part of a chapter I am contributing to an edited collection on twentieth-century American marriage, in which I argue that Black sociologists and health care professionals were articulating a significant and distinctive perspective on marriage that involved a comprehensive and egalitarian vision of marital and sexual health, including strong support for birth control, as well as “democracy,” respect, and “emotional partnership” between spouses.
Jake Soderlund
Research Completed
“Reassessing the Justifications for French-led UN Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa- 2011-2014: Françafrique (Neo-Colonialism) vs. R2P (Humanitarian Protection). Paper presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference, Chicago, Apr. 6, 2024. (with Tanja Collet and Tom Najem).
Ihor Stebelsky
Research Completed
The following entries on Crimea for the Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine in January - May 2024:
“Yalta” submitted for peer review and posting on website in March 2024
“Alupka” submitted for peer review and posting on website in May 2024
“Nikita Botanical Garden” submitted for posting on website in May 2024
“Alushta” – in progress
“Education on Ukraine in Canada: My Experience” Paper presented in Ukrainian at an online (via Zoom) conference on “Ukrainians Abroad: From History to Prognosis of Development,” sponsored by a consortium of Ukrainian universities and some institutes abroad, including the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, hosted by the Taras Shevchenko, Kyiv National University, 26 April 2024.
Researchers are reminded that June 15th is the deadline for WURA Travel Grant Application submission.
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| ("Scammers and Hackers" by DALL-E, May 2024) |
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I Was Scammed - And It Was Easy!
By Richard Dumala
This year, I fell victim to a text-messaging scam that left me feeling thoroughly deceived. I must define "victim" by saying that even if the scam engages me at all, they've won. I’m sharing my story in detail, so that you can see the kind of dialogue to expect when it happens to you. Here's what happened:
The Scam
This incident took place while I was planning a family event with my daughters. One lives abroad and we rely heavily on digital communication: email, Skype, sporadic phone calls, and texting. Texting is my least favorite; chalk it up to a generational gap.
During a text conversation with one daughter, I received a message from the “other daughter,” saying: "Hi Dad, I've lost access to my phone. Please text me at my new number, 647-580-9149. It's urgent! x"
Although skeptical, I responded immediately (my first mistake): "Who is this?"
The response came swiftly: "Your eldest."
Hook, line, and sinker—I was in "dad mode" now, ready to help. I even shared some security advice, thinking that's what a good father does, right? Our conversation continued:
Scammer: "It's so frustrating—I can't find my phone, and I can't recover my contacts or photos. I tried tracking it, but it's offline."
Me: "Make sure to report it lost and cancel your SIM card immediately!"
Scammer: "I've reported it and will call my provider next. This will be my new number for now. Can you help me with a favor? I have a bill due today and can't access my bank account. Can you pay it for me?" Notice the sense of urgency the scammer is setting up - trademark scammer tactic!
Me: "Wait a moment."
Here’s an important recommendation when faced with situations like these: the “Ten-Two Rule.” Pause for ten minutes to calm yourself and gather your thoughts and call two people closely connected to the issue.
Unfortunately, I didn't follow the "Ten" part. If I had waited and thought for a moment, I might have asked my "eldest" daughter her name, which could have revealed the deception early on. Instead, I foolishly proceeded.
But I did follow the "Two" part of the "Ten-Two Rule". I called my daughter's old number, left a voicemail, and texted, "Call me NOW. Not a text. Emergency!"
In the meantime, the scammer persisted:
Scammer: "Thank you! The bill is $1,874.40, payable via e-transfer to ##email address deleted##. Please send me a receipt once you've paid."
It became clear what was happening. Continuing with the "Two" rule, I reached out to my son-in-law, who hadn't heard anything about a lost phone. He tracked my daughter’s phone and confirmed her location: right where she was supposed to be, picking up my granddaughter from school.
Shortly afterward, my “eldest”, the real one, called me on her "lost" phone, alarmed by my "emergency" message. I received the expected earful for the tone of my message to her, but it was worth it to know she and her phone were safe.
I never paid a cent to the scammer. Although I reported the incident to the police, they couldn’t do much besides offer advice.
So How Should I Protect Myself?
Stay Vigilant. Always Be A Sceptic - Follow the Ten/Two Rule.
Don’t trust any e-mail, phone call or text you get!
If you do suspect something is wrong, take ten minutes to gather your thoughts before you do anything. Then contact two people you know who are close to you to discuss the e-mail, phone call or text message you received.
And if you're still looking for an informed source to tell you if you're being scammed call 211. It's an information service that connects you with certified information and referral specialists who has been trained to assess the potential for fraudulent activity. More information is on their website at https://www.citywindsor.ca/city-hall/customer-service/211.
Stay informed.
There are lots of sites on the Internet that will tell you what the latest scams are. These are a few to get you started: I linked specifically to the “common scams” link on this site but check out the other links on the left-side menu on this site. The link to “ Financial Crimes Against Seniors” is interesting. The Windsor Police site will also give you warnings about current scams happening right now in the city. This is a downloadable publication from the Federal Government of Canada in both pdf and e-Pub formats. It’s pretty well what’s in the Windsor and London Police sites but you can print it and read it like a book instead of browsing this information on a computer.
Stay vigilant, and don't fall for the same trick that I did!
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| (Campus Computing for Retirees. Image created by DALL-E, May 2024) |
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Getting and Keeping UWindsor I.T. Resources after Retirement
By Richard Dumala
There are many useful I.T. related services you can keep after you retire from the University of Windsor. These include your UWindsor e-mail address and up to five gigabytes of storage, access to the Web-based Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, One-Note, Teams and more) and access to Leddy Library on-line resources for example.
Most everyone is aware of serious cyber-attacks that have occurred at the University and our local hospitals in the last two years. These were expensive, compromised confidential information and served to reinforce the need, yet again, for everyone to maintain cybersecurity awareness and vigilance. The University has adopted Zero Trust architecture, a set of evolving industry-wide standards designed to contain the damage caused by security breaches. These procedures require some people to register their devices to provide “conditional access” to resources. As of this moment retirees are NOT required to register their devices. This means that you can access the University of Windsor Web sites, the Leddy Library and other resources from home or using the Wifi network while on campus to conduct your research regardless of the equipment you’re using. If you’re retired but still teaching on a sessional basis, for example, you may be required to register your device. The standards being implemented to protect UWindsor on-line resources are constantly evolving so these rules may change.
You are responsible for doing three things to receive and maintain these I.T. related services including;
- Renewing your account once a year,
- Updating your password every 120 days (three times a year), and
- Being aware of, and protecting yourself against, cyber-threats.
This article will tell you what you need to do to keep your UWindsor I.T. services.
1. Renew your account once a year.
Once a year, you will receive an email from I.T. Services to log onto a Web site and renew your UWinID. This is to ensure you still want it. If you do not want it anymore then do not do anything and your account will be deleted shortly thereafter. If the University did not do this there would be thousands of abandoned UWinIDs that would become fair game for hackers. No one would ever know this hacking is taking place until it is too late.
Take care to ensure the email you get is indeed from the University. Emails sent by hackers will give you a button to click to go to a non-UWindsor Website that prompts you for your Userid and Password – that is called phishing. Hacker URLs might be something that can be difficult to spot like http://uwinds0r.ca. Notice the mistake?
The University of Windsor Web page that allows you to renew your UWinID is at https://www.uwindsor.ca/itservices/uwinid.
2. Change your password every 120 days (about every 4 months).
You will get emails from I.T. Services at least three times a year to change your password. The Website that enables you to do this is also at https://www.uwindsor.ca/itservices/uwinid.
Did you know that a 12-character password is 62 trillion times more difficult to crack compared to a 6-character password. (Scientific American, 2019). Make sure your passwords are hard to guess. You must use at least ten characters, but more is better. Include a combination of at least one upper-case letter, lower-case letters, at least one number, and at least one special character like $, # or %. Do not use words. It is best to end up with just randomly chosen characters.
3. Maintain your cybersecurity awareness – keep yourself safe on the Internet
Computer hackers are always working to improve the way they can steal from you. It is up to you to ensure you know what they are doing and how to avoid being exploited. I.T. Services has an exceptional site to help you improve your cybersecurity awareness. The page offers information about;
So, there you have it, folks – your guide to navigating the digital seas of retirement at UWindsor. With a dash of tech savvy and a sprinkle of cybersecurity knowledge, you will be cruising through retirement like a digital pro!
The author would like to thank the generous assistance of Carl Amlin and Marcin Pulcer, I.T. Services for their input into this article.
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| (Technology Induced Frustration by Dall-E, May 2024.) |
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A Personal Comment:
“I Have Come Face-to-Face with a Stark Reality –
I’m a Luddite (and Quite Comfortable with the Realization)”
By Bruce Elman
I am calmer now. It has been about six weeks since my breakdown – my techno-breakdown, to be more precise. I have now made peace with my situation but six weeks ago my wife, Nancy, was suggesting that perhaps I might need to seek out some "professional help". Let me explain. Perhaps I will get more understanding from you than I got from her.
This all starts with my birthday -- in December, I celebrated my 75th birthday. I am now exactly the average of my parents’ ages when they passed away. My father died at 58 years of age; my mother at 92. You don’t need higher mathematics to verify that I am now the average of their ages when they passed away. This seemed to me, then and now, to be significant. My two sons decided that they should mark the occasion by giving me a Garmin Approach S62 watch to replace my (frankly, still quite new and perfectly usable) Fitbit. What was wrong with my Fitbit? In their view, it suffered from a serious, perhaps fatal, flaw. It did not have a golf application whereas my new Garmin Approach S62 would tell me not only how far I am from the hole but how far I am from the front of the green, the back of the green, as well as any lurking bunkers, sand traps, bodies of water, or other hazards that might arise.
Why they gave me the watch is a bit of a mystery because they know, with absolute certainty, two things about me: first, I am a terrible golfer and it would make absolutely no difference to my level of play if I knew the hole was 120 yards away or 140 yards away. In fact, I rarely break 100. (Actually, Nancy recommended that they forget about the watch and get me a package of golf lessons instead.) The second thing they know, is that I do not do well with technology. Don’t get me wrong, Nancy and I have a lot of technological equipment: A desk top computer, a laptop computer that I use as a desktop, three I-Pads. two e-Readers, two I-Phones (“and a partridge in a pear tree”). However, it is a mark of my discomfort with technology that I just recently gave up my Blackberry for an I-Phone. (My son, the doctor, was so worried about my ability to cope with the change that he came with me to the Apple store to help me purchase my I-Phone – and resuscitate me if necessary.) So, it was a bit of surprise when they gave me the watch but what does a father say? “Can you take it back and buy me a Timex?” Of course not, you show surprise -- "Wow! -- say “thank you” ad nauseum and then, secretly, dread the “set-up” process ahead.
Anyway, the watch gets set up. I’m obviously not using the golf function – it’s December and I live in Ontario – but I am using all of the other functions: steps, heart rate, sleep time – all functions I understand. As well, the watch monitors my stress level, my intensity minutes, my body battery, and my pulse ox (pulse oximetry), which is supposed to be a reading of my peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), or more simply put, the level of oxygen in my blood. I don’t know how the watch measures these functions nor do I know how important they are to assessing my overall well-being but I do remember when I had Covid, my son always wanted to know what my oxygen level was. So, you can imagine my concern when, one day, my watch stopped measuring my “pulse ox”. I was in a panic. I went to all of the reliable sources – the Internet, Youtube, even the manual -- to find out how to fix the problem. Following the advice I received from these sources, I even tried to reset the watch. At this point I lost everything – nothing would work. (Just as well because, prior to the re-set, my stress level, according to the watch, was precipitously high and still rising. So, with all of the functions lost, at least I didn’t have to look at the stress reading anymore.) Finally, I called Garmin itself and within a few minutes a Garmin technician had fixed the problem.
That was great but then he said, “I notice you haven’t registered your watch with us. I will send you instructions on how to register your watch.” This led to more frustration, anxiety, an elevated stress level, and more calls to, and email exchanges with, the Garmin Technical support people. It was at this point that Nancy suggested professional help – that is, professional medical help.
There is a reality here: I am a Luddite and I just have to admit it. By the way, according to Wikipedia, “the Luddites were members of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who opposed the use of certain types of cost-saving machinery, and often destroyed the machines in clandestine raids”. Anyway, as I said, I am a Luddite but I am comfortable with this reality – after all, that’s why I have seven grandchildren – to help me with my technological inadequacies.
The end of the story? I never managed to get the watch registered but it works nonetheless -- oh, except for the "body battery" function but I have no idea what that is anyway. I have used it about three time when golfing and it has worked like a charm. It hasn’t improved my scores but I always know how far away from the hole I am. In the meantime, with Father’s Day on the horizon, Nancy has issued a family-wide Bulletin (like an APB but more forceful): “No more technology for Dad!” |
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| ("By The Numbers" A cubist abstract created by Dall-E, May 2024) |
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By The Numbers
The Blue Ribbon Panel Report - Ontario Government Response
By Chris Busch and Joe Saso
Following the Laurentian University bankruptcy announcement in early 2021 combined with continuing concern over the financial stability of the entire Ontario postsecondary sector, the Ontario government announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) in March of 2023. This panel of experts was charged with providing recommendations and advice to keep the sector financially stable and focused on supporting student success.
The BRP released its report on November 15, 2023. The document speaks about enhancing student experience, improving labour market alignment, rewarding excellence and financial sustainability, and keeping education affordable for lower- and middle-income families, among other things. It is a serious document well worth examination.
Chief among the recommendations is the matter of funding. The BRP’s recommendations were clear as outlined below. The Ontario government released its budget in February of 2024 announcing $1.3 billion for colleges and universities. Following are excerpts from the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) response:
“TORONTO, February 26, 2024 – “Today’s announcement, while providing short-term relief, falls far short of what the government’s own expert panel found was urgently required. Ontario’s universities now face an eight-year long tuition freeze without adequate multi-year base funding, which continues to undermine the financial sustainability of the sector. The Blue-Ribbon Panel’s recommendations were clear: full implementation is critical for the sector’s survival, which would inject about $2.5 billion in ongoing base funding into colleges and universities over the next three years, with $1.9 billion in base funding specifically for universities.
In fact, Ontario universities receive the lowest per-student funding in Canada and are only funded at 57 per cent of the national average. The 10 per cent tuition cut in 2019 and ongoing freeze, declining real per-student operating funding...are further placing the education, programs and services students rely on at risk.
We are calling on the Ontario 2024 Budget to provide the additional multi-year base funding as recommended by the Panel.”
By The Numbers
Fall 2024 Enrolment - University of Windsor
Enrolment
Historical Fall Applicants by Degree Level and Type (PowerBI – As of April 21, 2024; accessed April 22, 2024)
Undergraduate applicants are beginning to accept their offers, in line with the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) deadlines, which typically require Ontario high school students to respond to their offers of admission by June 1st to secure their place in the upcoming academic year.
We continue to see a year-over-year increase in interest in undergraduate programming within the Faculty of Engineering, Nursing, Computer Science, and Biomedical Sciences, aligning with Provincial trends. The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science’s launch of a new “Co-op” stream has resonated well with high school students, reinforcing future employability and skills development via hands-on learning. Plus, the number of first, second and third-choice applicants continues to increase for the third consecutive year – now reflecting 57% of applicants. In the past, high school students could apply to only three universities through the application center. Now they may apply to as many universities as they wish.
Second entry programs, such as Law and Education, continue to see strong interest from local, national, and international applications. For example, the Transforming Windsor Law project has significantly resonated with prospective students, leading to a noticeable 9% increase in applications to their programs. While demand for high-quality teacher training is seen in four back-to-back years of increased application growth for both their consecutive and concurrent programs.
On January 22, 2024, Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced considerable changes to the International Study Program, creating significant turbulence across the Canadian higher education landscape. These changes, which significantly altered the study permit system for international students, have had broad implications, notably diminishing the appeal of Canadian institutions to overseas students. However, the University of Windsor experienced a somewhat mitigated impact compared to other universities. This is primarily because most of our international students are enrolled in graduate programs and are exempt from study permit caps announced by IRCC. While the announcement did affect the university, the specialized nature of our graduate programs provided a cushion against the full brunt of these changes, especially compared to other institutions in Ontario and Canada.
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No, this is NOT the WUFA picket line in 1978, the year our Association was certified as our bargaining unit, one of the first faculty unions in Canada. I couldn’t find a photo in my own files of our well-dressed faculty marching with their signs on what used to be Sunset Street. But this photo is the real UPI news photo of the first teachers’ strike in New York City in December 1962 after the march that recognized it as the bargaining unit in 1961. It appeared on the front page of the NY Post but was not used in the story in the NY Times. The reason I have an official UPI copy of the photo is because the young teacher carrying the edited “Dues Now” sign is my late wife Suzanne Selby (MA Columbia, MSW Windsor). Most or perhaps all of us in WURA are old enough to remember those years when professionals realized that it was not beneath professional dignity to organize and bargain as a union. No one thought about a retirees’ group in 1978, but by 1990 there were enough retired faculty and associated staff to form WURA.
The point of this photo and miniscule historical moment is that we should not take our organizations for granted, and while WUFA dues were deducted from our salaries automatically, WURA needs and deserves your modest voluntary contribution of $25 annually. I remind you that your WURA executive and other committees are working constantly to advance retirees’ interests regarding pensions, health benefits and other privileges at the University, arrange events to bring colleagues together, support a scholarship program, and publish this e-Bulletin to keep you aware of it all.
Please send your cheque for 2023-24 dues made out to WURA for $25.00 to our Treasurer:
Norman King
#103, 1935 Normandy St.
LaSalle, ON
N9H 1P9.
You may also make a direct deposit if you prefer through email to: nking@uwindsor.ca.
If you wish to save yourself some time and avoid being late next year, you may also pay for more than one year (2023 + 2024, or for 2024 + 2025 if you missed last year). If you have forgotten your present dues status, please send an email message to nking@uwindsor.ca, or write to him at the above address.
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| (Age Friendly Universities, A DALL-E generated image, May 2024.) |
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“The Age Friendly University Concept: A Status Update”
by Jake Soderlund and Veronika Mogyorody
An idea first broached at the Dublin City University in 2012, that universities “can make important contributions to addressing the needs of older adults,” is currently being discussed at the University of Windsor. Specifically, there is planning underway for Windsor to join the Age Friendly Global University Network, which currently has nine Canadian University members, including four in Ontario—McMaster, Toronto Metropolitan, Ontario Tech and Trent. [Google- Age Friendly Global University Network].
Ten “Principles” underlie the Age Friendly University concept. From WURA’s perspective, the most important are:making educational resources more available to an ageing population; promoting age-appropriate health and wellness programs; developing arts and culture activities that appeal to older adults; touching base with (and perhaps coordinating?) a variety of community-based organizations serving seniors in Windsor and Essex County; as well as ensuring, to the extent possible, the continued welfare of not just retired faculty, but all university retirees.
Over the past ten years, Dublin City University, Arizona State University and the University of Strathclyde have turned the idea of Age Friendly Universities into the Age Friendly University Global University Network which, as of 2023, has its Secretariat located at Arizona State University. It is this organization that the University of Windsor proposes to join, importantly at no cost. WURA strongly supports this initiative (as does President Gordon) and we are well represented in the deliberations, chaired by Associate VP, Academic Erika Kustra, that are on-going. More updates will follow as the process of joining the Age Friendly Global University Network unfolds over the summer. As of now, some of the ideas include the investigation of lifelong opportunities for retires that focus on mentoring skills development and personal support. In other words, providing resources and programs that facilitate an inclusive environment and combat ageism while also contributing to our well-being.
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Come Join Us
For A Fun-filled Day
at the
Stratford Festival
on
Thursday, September 19, 2024
to see
London Assurance
The daytrip will include:
* round-trip chartered bus from Windsor to Stratford
* tickets to see London Assurance
* buffet dinner in the Festival Theatre reception hall.
* special guests, educational presentations and a great time.
You can also travel by private vehicle and join us for the play and dinner.
Note: This date includes the "Bring-A-Friend" offer for some Stratford members.
- more details to follow shortly -
Send us an e-mail for more information
and to ensure you receive future communications.
wura@uwindsor.ca
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