UPEI students, staff and faculty are invited to a presentation by the Tobacco Use Policy Review working group. The working group will present the results of a recent survey and will seek further input for proposed changes to the current UPEI Tobacco Use Policy.  Sessions will be held on Monday, May 2 at 10:00 am and Tuesday, May 3 at 2:00 pm at Don and Marion McDougall Hall, room #246.

ITSS wishes to remind the University community that in order to accommodate changes to software* installed on computers in the student computer labs for the new school year (Fall semester), we must receive requests including any installation media (CDs, DVDs, etc.) and any related licensing information such as serial numbers before June 1, 2016. Email all requests to smahar@upei.ca.

Any requests received after June 1, 2016 will be applied in the next round of software updates. All software installations are required to be licensed as network installations and not single workstations only. For a complete list of software installed in the labs and classrooms, please follow the following link: http://www.upei.ca/itss/computer-lab-software-preparations-fall-2016

* NOTE: Software should be Windows 7 compatible.

UPEI, SDU, and PWC alumni are invited to the UPEI Alumni Association's Annual Alumni Welcome Mixer, celebrating the UPEI Class of 2016. Join your fellow alumni to mix and network with this year's graduating class:

Thursday, May 5, 2016
5:00 - 7:00 pm
PEI Brewing Company
96 Kensington Road, Charlottetown, PEI

Entertainment by Ryan Merry. Draw prizes and light refreshments are available! Shuttle service will be available from 5:00 - 7:30 pm, leaving from the PEI Brewing Company with pick-up and drop-off location at the W. A. Murphy Student Centre bus stop on the UPEI campus.

Facilities Management will be conducting scheduled maintenance on the power systems for UPEI's data centre on Saturday, May 14 between the hours of 8:00 and 10:00 am. This maintenance should not affect our systems, however, there is a very slight chance it may interrupt service. For more information contact Jeff MacDonald at jmacdonald@upei.ca

Project Beacon, UPEI's organizational tranformation intiative, will be reaching its first "go live" milestone when components of the finance module on the myUPEI portal become operational on May 2, 2016. Learn more

The Project Beacon team invites everyone to a "Go Live" Celebration on Monday, May 2 at 10 am in the second floor lounge in the Kelley Memorial Building.

UPEI will be recognizing the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or seriously injured on the job by lowering the flags on campus to half-mast on Thursday, April 28. The National Day of Mourning is not only a day to remember and honour those lives lost or injured due to a workplace tragedy, but also a day to renew the commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace and prevent further injuries, illnesses and deaths.The Day of Mourning was first recognized in Canada in 1984, and has been marked in over 100 countries. 

The School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences at UPEI is holding its 13th annual Math Camp scheduled for the weekend of April 29 – May 1, 2016. Supported by the Canadian Mathematical Society and the Atlantic Association for Research in the Mathematical Sciences, ours is one of about 20 math camps being organized across Canada during the spring and summer months. This year there are 24 students participating from Island high schools. The 2016 Math Camp is organized by Dr. Shafiqul Islam and Dr. David Horrocks.

Build your writing confidence! The Grammar Refresher Course offers two interactive workshops designed to help you identify and correct common writing errors. By reviewing key grammar basics and practicing strategies for editing, you will boost your ability to craft clear and professional documents.

Over the two days, you will perfect the following skills: identifying common sentence errors; employing proper punctuation; pinpointing problems in subject-verb agreement, pronoun use, parallel structure, and modifiers; cutting unnecessary words; building clear and concise sentences; distinguishing between commonly confused words; and editing your work.

Price: $559  To find out more go to  http://www.upei.ca/skillsdevelopmentandlearning/course/grammar-refresher-build-your-writing-confidence or email sdl@upei.ca 

Don't forget - Dr. Len Findlay, University of Saskatchewan, is giving a public talk, entitled "Pedagogical Authority or Consumer Sovereignty? Academic Freedom and the Academic Mission," this Wednesday, April 27, at 11:00am in MCDH 243. Everyone welcome!

Dr. Findlay's talk will be followed by a workshop in the afternoon on issues related to academic freedom, pedagogy, and curriculum--to be held in MCDH 329, from 1:00-3:00. More info on themes and topics can be found at http://projects.upei.ca/scent/speaker-dr-len-findlay/

And finally, don't forget to check out the semester-long blog that SCENT and the FDO have been running--over at projects.upei.ca/scent. Read through them-- and leave a comment! There's also an open blog for thoughts, perceptions, and observations at the end of the semester/end of this blog.

The UPEI Music Society is proud to present its sixth annual Variety Show on Friday, May 6 at 7:30 pm. This year, the show will take place at the Florence Simmons Performance Hall (Holland College, Prince of Wales Campus). Doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available in advance either from the Florence Simmons box office or website. Admission is $18. All proceeds from the show will go towards UPEI Music scholarships. Contact Parker Clements, President, UPEI Music Society at upeimusicsociety@gmail.com for more information.

Read program details

The Girls Get WISE Science Retreat is a fun, educational, day-long science retreat for girls in Grades 7-9. The students will participate in hands-on chemistry, physics and engineering sessions plus learn about different science, technology, engineering and math careers from female role models.

When: Friday, April 29, 2016
Time: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Where: McMillan Hall, W. A. Murphy Student Centre, UPEI campus
Cost: $10
Registration: Still a few spots available. Register online at http://www.engineerspei.com/node/395

Contact Kim by phone (902) 566-1268 or email info@engineerspei.com if you have any questions.

Faculty Recognition Night will be held Wednesday, May 4, beginning at 7:00 pm (Reception: with live music, 6:30 pm) at the Fox Meadow Golf and Country Club. This event honours the winners of the Hessian Award for Excellence in Teaching, the UPEI Merit Award for Scholarly Achievement, and the Outstanding Service Award  as well as those FA members who are retiring. 

Tickets are $50.00 each (with a subsidized price of $25.00 for FA members and their guests), and can be pre-ordered at the Faculty Association Office, SDU Main Building, Room 315, Ext. 0438. Deadline for reserving tickets is 11:00 am, Monday, May 2, 2016.  Faculty Recognition Night is co-sponsored by the UPEI Faculty Association and the Office of the President.

For more information: sgallant@upei.ca

Student Affairs and Counselling Services will be offering Bystander Intervention Training this summer. Bringing in the Bystander uses a community of responsibility model to teach bystanders how to intervene safely and effectively in cases where sexual assault may be occurring or where there may be risk. Its main message is that “Everyone in the community has a role to play in ending sexual violence.” This prevention program emphasizes a bystander intervention approach. The first session this summer will be taking place at the end of May 2016. To sign up please fill out this form: http://goo.gl/forms/UT22n5sUtx If you have any questions or for more information please contact saworkshops@upei.ca

There will be a UPEI Biosafety Training Session for Summer Students on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in AVC Room 287N.

This session is aimed at students working in and around containment labs for the summer.  (It does not qualify as required biosafety training for AVC graduate students.) Topics to be covered include biosafety and biosecurity principles and what is required to work in biohazard containment labs.

To attend, you must pre-register by contacting Angela Deighan, Research Services and Graduate Studies, before April 29, 2016 by email at adeighan@upei.ca or by phone: 902-628-4308.  Provide your name, email address, ID number, Department, and the name of your supervisor for the summer.

There will be a UPEI biosafety refresher training session on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 from 10 am-12:00 pm at AVC Room 287N.

This session is required for those who attended the Basic Biosafety course in 2013 or earlier. It is not a substitute for Basic Biosafety. Topics to be covered include a review of basic biosafety principles, a practical approach to spill cleanup, and an update on what’s new at UPEI in the field of biosafety.

To attend the Biosafety Refresher course, you must pre-register by contacting Angela Deighan, Research Services and Graduate Studies, before May 6, 2016 by email or by phone (902-628-4308). Please include your name, department, email address and phone number in your email or voice message.

There will be a UPEI basic biosafety training session on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm in AVC Room 287N.

Topics to be covered include basic biosafety principles and how they are applied at the University of Prince Edward Island, as well as biosecurity training. This session is open to graduate students. (Please note: those who have not attended a training session since 2013 are currently due for the Biosafety Refresher Course.) 

To attend the Basic Biosafety course, you must pre-register by contacting Angela Deighan, Research Services and Graduate Studies, before May 6, 2016 by email or by phone (902-628-4308). Please include your name, department, email address and phone number in your email or voice message. If you are a graduate student, please indicate this and include your supervisor’s name.

Central Printing at the Robertson Library will be closing at 12:00 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 for the afternoon.

You’ve worked so hard to receive your degree and it’s certainly something to be extremely proud of and on display.

Degree framing services are offered by the UPEI Alumni Association. Visit the secure order site, 8734upei.com, to view the five models of frames that are available. Each frame includes a mat with the UPEI coat of arms embossed in gold. You are encouraged to place your orders immediately so your desired frame is available. Frames may be picked up at the reception immediately following convocation ceremonies at the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall. AVC Graduates may pick-up their frames at their post-convocation reception in the AVC Learning Commons.

Contact Sarah Hastelow in the UPEI Alumni Office at (902) 566-0615 or shastelow@upei.ca to learn more. Email address: shastelow@upei.ca

The countdown to Convocation is on! If you know a student graduating this year, please pass along this time-sensitive information.

All graduates are required to rent and wear a gown and hood to their Convocation ceremony on May 7, 2016. Graduating students will need to order their gown and hood on https://www.buildagrad.ca/upei by Monday, April 25, 2016. Students should order by this date to guarantee that a gown and hood will be available for them on Convocation Day.

For more information, visit upei.ca/convocation or contact Eileen Kinch at kinch@upei.ca.

The cost to rent convocation regalia is $25.00 + taxes (or $30 onsite). Prepaid regalia can be picked up on Friday, May 6 from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, and on Saturday, May 7 starting at 8:00 am at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, room 114 upon presentation of a UPEI ID and the Gaspard online confirmation form. Regalia must be returned an hour and a half following the ceremony.