The UPEI Health, Safety, and Environment department (HSE) is offering Standard First Aid/CPR training sessions:

Standard First Aid/CPR
March 23 and 24, 2023
8:30 am–4:00 pm
Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Room 142

This comprehensive two-day course offers first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills for those who need enhanced training as a work requirement (high-risk areas such as labs).

The cost of registration will be covered by HSE for all UPEI faculty and staff, including students who require training for on-campus employment. Students who do not require training for on-campus employment are welcome to attend; however, the cost of registration will not be covered. Please note that lunch will not be provided.

As space is limited, please pre-register by contacting Jacky Buell by the end of the day Tuesday, March 14, 2023, via email (hse@upei.ca) or by phone (902-566-0901).

Join us on March 21 at 7:00 pm for an Island Lecture Series presentation by marine ecologist Dr. Irené Novaczek on the ecosystem restoration project at Basin Head. Basin Head was designated as a "Marine Protected Area" under the Oceans Act in 2005, to conserve and protect a unique strain of Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) which is thought to exist only within the confines of Basin Head.

The talk will focus on adaptive management of the marine protected area to ensure that the unique giant form of Irish moss at Basin Head is able to survive in the coastal lagoon environment, which is challenged by the impact of local agriculture, invasive European green crabs, and ongoing climate changes.
 

Join Josh MacFadyen and Libby Osgood  to hear about the OER textbooks that they developed with support from the OER Development Grant program. Bring your curiosity and questions to the Teaching and Learning Centre in the Robertson Library Annex Room 230 on Wednesday, March 15, at 12:30. We'll take a look at these Open Educational Resources and talk about ideas on ways to develop more OER for our students.  

The OER Development Program through the Teaching and Learning Centre and the Robertson Library is accepting grant applications for the creation or adaptation of open educational resources (OERs). The grant types include:

• Open Textbook Grant: Two grants of up to $6000
  • the development of a new open textbook on a topic that is currently not covered by an existing open textbook; 
• Open Textbook Adaptation Grant: up to $4,000
  • the adaptation of one or more open textbooks to create a new version or edition of an open textbook (i.e., a Canadian edition of an existing open textbook);
• Supplementary Resources Grant: up to $2,000
  • the creation of ancillary materials for existing open textbooks, including, but not limited to test banks, slide decks, or interactive media, etc.

The deadline for applications is Friday, April 28, 2023, with work expected to begin during the spring or summer of 2023. 

More information is available at https://library.upei.ca/OERProgram/grants.

Questions about your grant idea? Contact TLC@upei.ca. 

Questions about OERs? Read more at http://opencontent.org/definition/.

The Faculty of Education would like to invite all to attend Diane Montgomery's public presentation of her PhD dissertation proposal research titled "A Collaborative Student-Initiated Assessment Approach to Support Teachers in Inclusive Classrooms." Please join us through the Zoom link below.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://upei.zoom.us/j/65723925036?pwd=QVlXbjVZWDhQS0hlWURPcDFlN0hvdz09

Meeting ID: 657 2392 5036

Passcode: 047265

The use of tobacco products is not permitted on University property as per the Smoke-Free Campus Policy. This applies to every person present on campus. Tobacco products include but not limited to cigarettes, vapes or other smoking devices, cannabis or any other form of tobacco product. University property includes all campus buildings and associated property for the main campus, Alumni Hall, CCCCA, and the new medical school. Main campus property includes all grounds as indicated in the Campus Map and all UPEI vehicles.

Due to inclement weather forecast over an extended period this week, and in the interest of safety for all concerned, the public presentations by candidates for the Dean of Education have been cancelled and will be rescheduled to a later date.

UPEI faculty/staff receive massive discounts on small group training and specialty fitness classes at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.  

Small Group Training: Twelve classes with a personal trainer, in a group of six, in a private studio cost UPEI faculty/staff  $55+hst per person. Regular price is $140+hst per person. Also, we have an affiliated kinesiologist and CPT-CSEP trainer. Receipts can be used for benefit claims if applicable with your health insurance.

Specialty Fitness Class programs (12 classes) cost UPEI faculty/staff $30+hst per person. Regular price is $105+hst per person. The specialty classes have already started but at that price, it's still worth it.   

Fitness subsidies are applied on the back end, which gives UPEI faculty/staff the great prices listed above. To find out more about the above programs, dates, and times, please log into recreation.upei.ca. Click on the highlighted green UPEI LOGIN button and log in with your UPEI credentials. As you look through the programs, the system will automatically give you the cheaper price. Registration and payment can be made online.

Another small group training option: If you have six faculty/staff who would like to have a small group training opportunity but at a different time, please contact Angela Marchbank, Coordinator of Fitness & Wellness, at amarchbank@upei.ca with your request. We'll try and work out different group times with a trainer if possible.

The Women in Science speaking tour with Dr. Tasneem Darwish, scheduled for March 31, has been postponed. 

Are you a chief warden, floor warden, or guardian for your building? Do you know what to do if there is a building evacuation? Do you have questions about your role as a warden or guardian or the evacuation procedures for your building?

UPEI Health, Safety, and Environment will hold a building emergency plan session for chief wardens, floor wardens, and guardians on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at 10:15 am in Andrew Hall Room 142. The session should only take 30 minutes.

Please let hse@upei.ca know if you are interested in attending.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada. Every three days, someone on PEI is diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

March is Colorectal Cancer Screening Month. Current colorectal cancer screening guidelines on PEI recommend a FIT Test (Fecal Immunochemical Test) every two years for Islanders aged 50-74 years of age for average-risk individuals. If you are at higher risk for colorectal cancer (positive family history, blood in the stool, history of colorectal cancer, notice a change in bowel movements, unexplained weight loss, vomiting, experience long-standing diarrhea or constipation), then you may require a colonoscopy. This can be arranged through the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre. 

The FIT test is available at the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre for anyone who is average risk and aged 50-74. The health centre is located on the second floor north in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre above the bookstore. If you identify as being higher risk, make an appointment to see a nurse practitioner at the health centre, and they can review the screening that is best for you and refer you for a gastroenterology consult if necessary.

Detecting colorectal cancer at an early stage improves your chances of survival and avoidance of treatment. For more information, check out Health PEI’s Provincial colorectal cancer screening program at https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-pei/colorectal-screening-program-fit.

Due to inclement weather forecast over an extended period this week, and in the interest of safety for all concerned, the public presentations by candidates for the Dean of Education have been cancelled and will be rescheduled to a later date.

The first-ever UPEI Panther Pitch competition took place two years ago as part of the Harry W. MacLauchlan Entrepreneurship Program. This year, UPEI's Experiential Education Department is re-offering the program through March, culminating in a pitch competition in May. To be eligible for the Panther Pitch, students must register their teams by March 12, 2023. To read the full story and for details on how to apply, please CLICK HERE!

First- and fourth-year students in Arts, Business, Engineering, Nursing, and Science have been invited to fill out the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to help UPEI improve student experiences. Students who complete the survey are eligible to win prizes.  

Thank you to the students who have completed the survey. Three students have won a prize. The second draw of three early bird prizes will take place on Friday, March 31. If you have not responded or if you have started but not finished the survey yet, it is not too late to check your UPEI email for the invitation and complete the survey to be eligible for the prize draws. 

 If you have questions about the survey, please contact Dr. Yuqin Gong, Manager of Institutional Research, at the Office of VP Academic and Research, via 902-566-0361 or ygong@upei.ca. 

IT Systems and Services will be performing network maintenance on Sunday, March 12, from 8:00 to 10:00 am. During this time, there will be intermittent connectivity on the campus network. 

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. 

The excitement for this Saturday's Gold Rush draw is growing as big as the pot! With no winners in the last FIVE draws, the total pot has grown to more than $11,300, with half going to the winner of the draw.

Gold Rush is a virtual fundraising initiative that raises funds for UPEI’s athletic programs. 

Play today and every week for a chance to win! Download the UPEI Panthers app from the App Store or on Google Play, or play from your computer. The weekly draw is held at 8:00 pm every Saturday.

The UPEI Men’s Hockey team are getting ready to host the national championship, the U SPORTS Cavendish Farms University Cup, March 16–19. For U-Cup tickets, we are offering the special price of $75 for a staff-faculty tournament pass, which includes all eight games, representing a 50 per cent saving. To purchase a pass, faculty and staff must go to the Eastlink Centre box office in person and present their UPEI ID. UPEI will play its quarter-final game on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, at 7:00 pm! Don’t forget to wear your “green” and white! 

Due to inclement weather forecast over an extended period this week, and in the interest of safety for all concerned, the public presentations by candidates for the Dean of Education have been cancelled and will be rescheduled to a later date.

The first-ever UPEI Panther Pitch competition took place two years ago as part of the Harry W. MacLauchlan Entrepreneurship Program. This year, UPEI's Experiential Education Department is re-offering the program through March, culminating in a pitch competition in May. To be eligible for the Panther Pitch, students must register their teams by March 12, 2023. To read the full story and for details on how to apply, please CLICK HERE!

First- and fourth-year students in Arts, Business, Engineering, Nursing, and Science have been invited to fill out the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to help UPEI improve student experiences. Students who complete the survey are eligible to win prizes.  

Thank you to the students who have completed the survey. Three students have won a prize. The second draw of three early bird prizes will take place on Friday, March 31. If you have not responded or if you have started but not finished the survey yet, it is not too late to check your UPEI email for the invitation and complete the survey to be eligible for the prize draws. 

 If you have questions about the survey, please contact Dr. Yuqin Gong, Manager of Institutional Research, at the Office of VP Academic and Research, via 902-566-0361 or ygong@upei.ca.