Today is World AIDS Day, a day to unite and show support for individuals living with HIV and remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS. The date of December 1 was recommended by Jim Bunn, a former television broadcast journalist from San Francisco, with the first World AIDS Day being celebrated in 1988.  

The UN Secretary-General's message to the world on World AIDS DAY is that we can--and must--end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. AIDS-related deaths have fallen by almost 70 per cent since their peak in 2004, and new HIV infections are at the lowest point since the 1980s.

The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre is working with the "I'm Ready" campaign to assist individuals to participate in free and confidential testing for HIV in their own homes. Go to https://www.readytoknow.ca/ready-get-a-kit/im-ready-test-app/ to register and learn more. Once you are registered, the kits can be picked up at the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre, 2nd floor North, W.A. Murphy Student Centre. 

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next presentation of the 2023-24 Environmental Sciences and Human Biology seminar series on Friday, December 1, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. in Kelley Memorial Building, Room 237. Dr. Jay Penney, Department of Biomedical Sciences, AVC, will present “Understanding microglial contributions to neuro-degenerative disease using stem cell models.”

All are welcome.

The UPEI Jazz and Popular Music Ensemble is looking forward to sharing an exciting program of music on Tuesday, December 5, at 7:30 pm, on the SDU Stage in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall. This 26-member ensemble is a hybrid of a jazz big band, including several vocalists, with a mixture of jazz, soul, funk, pop, and everything in between. 

In addition to the full set, there will also be a variety of solo and small group performances curated by members of the ensemble. From Stevie Wonder to Weather Report, Dusty Springfield, Amy Winehouse, Peter Gabriel, singer-songwriters, and Latin fusion, there's something for everyone! 

The UPEI Faculty of Nursing invites you to attend our Simulator Demonstration Open House on Friday, December 1,  from 2:00-4:00 pm in the Health Sciences Building 203. Advanced Obstetric "Victoria" S2200 and Newborn "Tor" S2210 will be on display during this informative and interactive event. 

Are you a health researcher interested in accessing multi-regional health data? Join in on Wednesday, December 6, at 1:00 pm, to learn about HDRN Canada’s Data Access Support Hub (DASH). DASH offers coordinated services to researchers interested in accessing multi-regional data assets. UPEI's Secure Island Data Repository (SIDR) will soon be operational and able to assist with DASH projects.

Learn how DASH can help you navigate the data access process as well as the centralized services and tools available for researchers conducting multi-regional research projects, including

• single data access request form for researchers to request data from multiple regions
• access to support from experts at data centres across Canada
• an inventory of all the data assets available via HDRN Canada, and
• an algorithm inventory to aid in analysis of the data.

To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/hdrn-canadas-data-access-support-hub-dash-webinar-tickets-752106249037?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Faculty of Education would like to invite all to attend the public presentation of Mahdi Najim Albishi's PhD dissertation defense, "An Exploratory Case Study: Distributed Leadership for Reforming Higher Education Leadership and Academic Governance Aligning Vision 2030 in a Saudi Arabian Context."

The presentation will take place on December 6 at 4:00 pm in Memorial Hall 417 or through Zoom at https://upei.zoom.us/j/64690934094?pwd=TlRRUWUvd3kvL1lXTk1YWllzQkZ2QT09

Meeting ID: 646 9093 4094
Passcode: 364808

Dr. Greg Keefe, UPEI’s interim president and vice-chancellor, and fourth-year political science student Antwaun Rolle invite members of the campus community to the first annual raising of the Flag of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at UPEI in observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3. The flag raising will take place on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 12:00 pm (noon) at the flag plaza near Kelley Memorial Building. 

The Flag of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was created by Eros Recio in 2017 and presented to the United Nations that same year. The flag is a tricolour flag with three equally sized horizontal stripes of gold, silver, and bronze, meant to evoke the three medals at the Paralympic Games. Students, staff, and faculty are also encouraged to wear the colours of the flag through to and on December 3.

UPDATE AS OF NOV. 30, 2:30 PM:  This necessary maintenance has been postponed to a future date.

UPEI IT Systems and Services (ITSS) will be performing emergency power maintenance on our data centre on Thursday, November 30, from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am (midnight). During this time there will be no network or Wi-Fi on campus, and any systems hosted in the data centre, such as Colleague, MyUPEI, RxWorks, LIMS etc., will be unavailable. 

If you are off campus, many services such as Microsoft solutions (including email), Google, Zoom, upei.ca, Moodle etc., that are in the cloud will not be impacted.  

We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. 

For more than 20 years, the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre has been hosting an exam stress-buster meal. At a time of year when students may not plan their meals well, we offer two options: beef chili and curry dahl (lentil) with white rice. We are able to do this with the support of many on campus. Staff and faculty offer their time in 30-minute time slots to help set up, serve, and clean up. As food insecurity for our students continues to be in our minds and hearts, this is one way that UPEI responds. This semester, chili and dahl meals will be offered on December 12 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm and 4:30 to 6:00 pm. There is an extra time slot on Monday, December 11, to help set up the space.  

Please check your calendars and add your name to our Chili/Dahl Volunteer Sign-Up

Sister Sue and Lauren

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next presentation of the 2023-24 Environmental Sciences and Human Biology seminar series on Friday, December 1, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. in Kelley Memorial Building, Room 237. Dr. Jay Penney, Department of Biomedical Sciences, AVC, will present “Understanding microglial contributions to neuro-degenerative disease using stem cell models.”

All are welcome.

The Healthy Campus Committee is launching a new fitness subsidy for one-on-one personal training. The intention of the program is for a UPEI staff/faculty member who isn’t active and/or hasn’t participated in small group training and/or fitness programming (i.e., fitness subsidies).  

We are arranging two 30–minute information sessions with Derek Smith, UPEI personal trainer, and Angela Marchbank, UPEI Fitness and Wellness Coordinator who will provide a tour of the sports centre and the private personal training studio, discuss what personal training is, and answer questions.

For those attending the orientation session, an offer of an Introductory personal training package will be provided. The package includes a 45-minute consultation and assessment, three 45-minute personal training sessions, and one program design at a cost of $50 (+HST). The regular cost is $230 plus applicable taxes.

Those who are currently active and have accessed fitness programming will be placed on a waitlist as we have a limited number of subsidies for this program.  

Please contact Angela Marchbank, amarchbank@upei.ca, for more information and/or to register for the information sessions and/or to be placed on the waitlist. 

On November 30 at 7:30 pm, the UPEI Wind Symphony will have its inaugural performance in the new Performing Arts Centre at the UPEI Campus.

The performance, entitled “Flashes and Apparitions,” will be led by conductors Nicole Strum and Dale Sorensen. The performance will feature works by Pulitzer Prize winner Augusta Read Thomas, Irish composer Amanda Feery, Juno award-winning Canadian composer Jordan Nobles, and the Atlantic Canadian premiere of Nerve and Verve by PEI’s own Evan Hammell.

This is a 45-minute drop-in session where we will look at some basic slide design principles and then spend time redesigning one of your own slide decks.  

What to bring: A set of slides and a device to work on

Schedule:  

• 10-minute presentation on slide design 

• 30 minutes to work individually on your own slides; the host is present for questions 

• 5 minutes to reflect on how it went and ask more questions 

Contact Kristy at kmckinney@upei.ca if you have any questions.

The search committee for the Dean of the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering has arranged for the online viewing of the video presentations for Dr. Ali Akgunduz, Dr. Regina Lee, and Dr. Yudong (David) Yao.

Dr. Ali Akgunduz's presentation can be viewed at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rYS6Dat8obGZN9xnIzkod_AVO7WdPL2X/view

Dr. Regina Lee's presentation can be viewed at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pd4axSlMbp9wbbxFT-MNl4pQ5X5X-pgy/view

Dr. Yudong (David) Yao's presentation can be viewed at https://drive.google.com/file/d/19ps-QR-r0FJMEt5YFrwPDvEAEBHF99zm/view

The committee welcomes your feedback on the candidates. Please send feedback by email to vpar@upei.ca by 4:00 pm on Thursday, November 30, 2023. Thank you for your input into this search process. All feedback remains confidential.  

Join Dr. Libby Osgood, Sr. Susan Kidd, and Inge Dorsey to hear about our experiences related to teaching and learning with UPEI students who participated in Global Brigades engineering and medical trips to Honduras and Guatemala in 2022 and 2023. We are happy to share our "Being Recruited by Students" stories.

Come and hear how rewarding (and easy) it was to be involved with this organization, support student-led projects, and provide meaningful learning opportunities that can include credit courses.

Join us online on Thursday, November 30, 2023, 12:00--12:30 pm.

https://upei.zoom.us/j/65607449102?pwd=TEx6aVRGMlc1U1BIbDJOTVQ5MFcrQT09

If you are not available to join but would like to follow up, contact Inge Dorsey at idorsey@upei.ca.

The UPEI Faculty of Nursing invites you to attend our Simulator Demonstration Open House on Friday, December 1,  from 2:00-4:00 pm in the Health Sciences Building 203. Advanced Obstetric "Victoria" S2200 and Newborn "Tor" S2210 will be on display during this informative and interactive event. 

Are you still deciding what to gift your loved ones for Christmas? Discover unique gifts, treats, and festive delights sold by small businesses owned by students and alums at the UPEISU's Holiday Fair! 

Approximately 20 vendors will be offering a variety of items, including clothing, jewelry, and more.

Explore the talents of our student entrepreneurs!

Location: McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre

Date: Friday, November 30, 2023

Time: 12:00 to 2:30 pm

Depending upon the work requirements of University departments, the Christmas holiday schedule will be in effect from December 25, 2023, through January 1, 2024, inclusive.  Office and regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. 

Payroll deadlines: 

For the December 22 pay, the deadline for PTFs, pay changes, etc., are due by noon on November23. Timesheets/overtime are due December 11 on 10:00 am. 

For the January 5 pay, the deadline for PTFs, pay changes, etc., are due by noon on December 7. Timesheets/overtime are due on January 2 at 10:00 am. 

For the January 19 pay, the deadline for PTFs, pay changes, etc., are due by noon on December 21. Timesheets/overtime are due on January 8. 

Additional information regarding the Christmas holiday schedule can be found at MyUPEI. 

The Faculty of Education would like to invite all to attend the public presentation of Mahdi Najim Albishi's PhD dissertation defense, "An Exploratory Case Study: Distributed Leadership for Reforming Higher Education Leadership and Academic Governance Aligning Vision 2030 in a Saudi Arabian Context."

The presentation will take place on December 6 at 4:00 pm in Memorial Hall 417 or through Zoom at https://upei.zoom.us/j/64690934094?pwd=TlRRUWUvd3kvL1lXTk1YWllzQkZ2QT09

Meeting ID: 646 9093 4094
Passcode: 364808

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next presentation of the 2023-24 Environmental Sciences and Human Biology seminar series on Friday, December 1, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. in Kelley Memorial Building, Room 237. Dr. Jay Penney, Department of Biomedical Sciences, AVC, will present “Understanding microglial contributions to neuro-degenerative disease using stem cell models.”

All are welcome.