The excitement for this Saturday's Gold Rush draw is growing as big as the pot! With no winners in the last FOUR draws, the total pot has grown to more than $13,255, with half going to the winner of the draw.

Gold Rush is a virtual fundraising initiative that raises funds for UPEI’s athletic and recreation programs. You can now select a specific team, club, or program to direct your proceeds from each of your tickets. 

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.

As part of continuing to engage with the various audiences that make up the campus community, Dr. Greg Keefe, interim President and Vice-Chancellor would like to invite you to a series of Campus Town Halls where he will give brief updates as well as listen to your concerns and respond to questions.

Six 90-minute in-person events are planned: two each for faculty, staff, and students to help accommodate schedules. Those who cannot attend in person due to work-from-home arrangements/other accommodations can join via Zoom.

Participants are asked to attend one of the two town halls for the group that is applicable to them.

Faculty Town Halls

1. Wednesday, March 20, 3:00–4:30 pm
   Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Don and Marion McDougall Hall (MCDH 242)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/63841183049?pwd=WS9vU1c4Z0pmNkIra21UVlc1R2pldz09

2. Friday, March 22, 10:00–11:30 am
   Duffy Science Centre Amphitheatre (DSC 135)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/69749369292?pwd=RUswS0pvNnhDQTlHc01USGhiUTRLQT09

Staff Town Halls

1. Monday, March 25, 1:00–2:30 pm
   Performing Arts Centre Theatre (PAC 121 S)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/64618483493?pwd=SHQwUCt1Y3ZOYkt0ckovaGRKdmhGQT09

2. Wednesday, March 27, 10:00–11:30 am
   Duffy Science Centre Amphitheatre (DSC 135)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/65439065003?pwd=MjZ6TXFvdnNDLzc3d0MxK2FUcUlldz09

Student Town Halls

1. Tuesday, March 26, 3:00–4:30 pm
   Performing Arts Centre Theatre (PAC 121 S)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/66581563155?pwd=MXc1YnpsOFBkNFAyL1NDd2svU0Z0dz09

2. Thursday, March 28, 1:30–3:00 pm
   Performing Arts Centre Theatre (PAC 121 S)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/69611619672?pwd=bWhMeUFRZFBkWXF4RFZoY1hVa2xFdz09

If you are unable to participate in the scheduled town halls, you are welcome to provide feedback or send comments to president@upei.ca at any time.

The PEI Federation of Agriculture is conducting a survey to better understand how Islanders think of agriculture. This 10-minute survey is open to everyone living on Prince Edward Island. All participants have the chance to enter a draw for a $50 gift card to the Atlantic Superstore. To take the survey, follow this link: https://forms.gle/uBnTo74uxabx4VAS9 This research is part of the coursework for a group of students who are doing their capstone course for Environmental Studies 4010: Public Scholars on Environmental Issues.

The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre is conducting a survey to receive feedback on the services it provides. The deadline to participate in the survey has been extended to March 22, 2024, at 4:00 pm. If you or your family member have used the services of the health centre in the past two years, please take five minutes to complete the survey at https://forms.office.com/r/h0JzhrStAs?origin=lprLink. 

We appreciate your time and consideration. We are always looking for ways to improve the services we provide, and your feedback can help us to identify what is working well and what could be improved. Thank you!

With the sunset of Google's Jamboard on December 31, you will find an excellent alternative in Microsoft's Whiteboard. Available as one of the suite of useful tools in your UPEI Microsoft 365 account, Whiteboard is a must try. You can learn more about the capabilities of Microsoft's Whiteboard here or contact the Teaching and Learning Centre (tlc@upei.ca).

Our Coffee Break Conversation will be hosted by Kristy McKinney, instructional multimedia specialist in the TLC. Bring your favourite morning beverage and join us in the TLC, Robertson Library Annex, Room 230, on March 25, at 10:30 am.

Shannon MacDonald, Chair of the UPEI Board of Governors and Presidential Search Committee, recently hosted "Fireside Chats with the Finalist Candidates for the UPEI Presidential Search" for current UPEI students, staff, and faculty:

• Candidate 1, Friday, March 8, 2024, 1:30–2:30 pm, Performing Arts Centre 121S
• Candidate 2, Monday, March 11, 2024, 1:30–2:30 pm, Duffy Science Centre Amphitheatre 135
• Candidate 3, Monday, March 18, 2024, 1:30–2:30 pm, Performing Arts Centre 121S

The UPEI Presidential Search Committee thanks all those who participated in the chats in-person and online, and in small-group meetings.

Members of the campus community now have an opportunity to provide feedback anonymously regarding the candidates until 11:59 pm, March 21, 2024, at: https://forms.office.com/r/F6YY4K6J1D

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the final presentation of the 2023-24 Environmental Sciences & Human Biology seminar series on Friday, March 22, at 12:30 p.m. in Duffy Science 204.

Lauren Reid, MSc candidate, Human Biology (Sweeney-Nixon Lab, Department of Biology), will present “Evaluation of an in vitro inflammatory bowel disease model,” and Keileigh Rowe, MSc Candidate, Human Biology (Ross Lab, Department of Biology), will present “Overcoming metabolic constraints in scalable growth of mouse embryonic stem cells.”

All are welcome.

Reminder: The UPEI Parking Advisory Committee is conducting a parking study to help determine current and future parking needs within our community by collecting input and ideas from students, faculty, and staff through an anonymous survey.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey to help shape future parking, mobility, and accessibility at UPEI.

The deadline to submit your input through the survey is March 22, 2024.

Here is the survey link if you missed it: https://forms.office.com/r/tggDGitKjN

Thank you,

Parking@upei.ca

The Scholarships and Awards Office is encouraging application submissions for convocation, senior class, and year-end scholarships and awards! The application deadline for the following awards is Monday, April 1, 2024. Click the links provided below to access the application and/or recommendation forms for more information. Please submit your application(s) and any supporting documents electronically to scholarships@upei.ca or in person to Dalton Hall 202.

• Arlie Parks Scholarship - In Memory of Dr. Kenneth MacIntyre (Science)
• Marylou Hughes Scholarship (Science)
• Gerald M. Gerry Birt Memorial Award (Science/Nursing/Arts)
• David Austin O'Malley-Keyes Memorial Award (Arts/Music)
• Frank J. Costello Scholarship (Arts/Education)
• Joseph A. Ghiz Memorial Scholarship (Law)
• PEI's Famous Five Graduating Student Award (Arts/Campus Community)
• Dr. Graeme and Alberta Bryant Boswall Award (Campus Community)
• Dr. Regis Duffy Academic Achievement Award (Campus Community)
• UPEI Class of 1989 Award (Campus Community)

Shannon MacDonald, Chair of the UPEI Board of Governors and Presidential Search Committee, recently hosted "Fireside Chats with the Finalist Candidates for the UPEI Presidential Search" for current UPEI students, staff, and faculty:

• Candidate 1, Friday, March 8, 2024, 1:30–2:30 pm, Performing Arts Centre 121S
• Candidate 2, Monday, March 11, 2024, 1:30–2:30 pm, Duffy Science Centre Amphitheatre 135
• Candidate 3, Monday, March 18, 2024, 1:30–2:30 pm, Performing Arts Centre 121S

The UPEI Presidential Search Committee thanks all those who participated in the chats in-person and online, and in small-group meetings.

Members of the campus community now have an opportunity to provide feedback anonymously regarding the candidates until 11:59 pm, March 21, 2024, at: https://forms.office.com/r/F6YY4K6J1D

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the final presentation of the 2023-24 Environmental Sciences & Human Biology seminar series on Friday, March 22, at 12:30 p.m. in Duffy Science 204.

Lauren Reid, MSc candidate, Human Biology (Sweeney-Nixon Lab, Department of Biology), will present “Evaluation of an in vitro inflammatory bowel disease model,” and Keileigh Rowe, MSc Candidate, Human Biology (Ross Lab, Department of Biology), will present “Overcoming metabolic constraints in scalable growth of mouse embryonic stem cells.”

All are welcome.

The UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre is hosting an in-person session on building Moodle online quizzes. The quiz activity can be used for short review quizzes or higher-value tests. Using Moodle Question Bank also allows instructors to build their bank of questions, which can be edited or grow each instance you teach the course.

The session will run on Tuesday, March 26, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm in the Teaching and Learning Centre in the Robertson Library Annex (RL 230). Use this form to register for this session: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=9KUeeE99lUaXGGaCg81bviMdmudb-_hAlIyzwN_bom9URERISTZBVkM3WlQxWFNXSDNVUFhRRFBVUS4u

Reminder: The UPEI Parking Advisory Committee is conducting a parking study to help determine current and future parking needs within our community by collecting input and ideas from students, faculty, and staff through an anonymous survey.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey to help shape future parking, mobility, and accessibility at UPEI.

The deadline to submit your input through the survey is March 22, 2024.

Here is the survey link if you missed it: https://forms.office.com/r/tggDGitKjN

Thank you,

Parking@upei.ca

The excitement for this Saturday's Gold Rush draw is growing as big as the pot! With no winners in the last FOUR draws, the total pot has grown to more than $13,255, with half going to the winner of the draw.

Gold Rush is a virtual fundraising initiative that raises funds for UPEI’s athletic and recreation programs. You can now select a specific team, club, or program to direct your proceeds from each of your tickets. 

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.

**PLEASE NOTE UPDATED DEADLINE of March 22, 2024:***

SkillsPEI is a division of the PEI Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning, and Population. It manages the design and delivery of employment and skills development programming funded by the Canada-Prince Edward Island Labour Market Development Agreement and Canada-PEI Workforce Development Agreement. 

Through SkillsPEI, the Post-Secondary Student Program supports full-time post-secondary students working a minimum of 12 to a maximum of 18 weeks during the summer. The exact number of weeks designated per placement will be based on factors such as but not limited to position, wage, and the likelihood of opportunity for experiential learning. Students must be entering or returning to full-time post-secondary studies in the fall.  

Wage subsidy offered:

• Employer can set the wage rate but must provide a minimum of $14.50/hour and will be funded up to $15.80/hour. 
• Employers will be reimbursed 100% of the approved hourly wage plus 4% vacation pay to a maximum of 40 hours per week for the total weeks approved.
• Note: The subsidy does not include 8% benefits, so additional funding must be sourced elsewhere.

To centralize the administration of this program for UPEI researchers, Research Services is accepting/submitting research-related applications. To apply for the program, please provide the following details to Research Services (researchservices@upei.ca) by the closing date of March 22, 2024:

• Project or activity description
• Position title 
• Job activities/duties 
• Objectives to be achieved
• Education and skills required
• Duration including start and end date and total weeks
• Rate of pay (hourly)
• Mentorship plan
• Supervisor name and contact details 

For additional information about the program, please click here. UPEI researchers may contact Maria Steele, Manager of Research Services, for more details (mlsteele@upei.ca).

On Wednesday, March 20, ITSS will conduct routine maintenance on the myUPEI portal and related services from 8:00 pm to midnight. During this time, there may be intermittent access to and performance issues with myUPEI, Self-Service, and Colleague.

We encourage students, faculty, and staff who may need documents or links located on myUPEI to plan ahead and bookmark or download the resources they may need during this period.

As a reminder, you can access Moodle directly using https://moodle.upei.ca and Outlook email directly using https://outlook.office.com.

If you have any questions, please contact the ITSS Help Desk at 902-566-0465.

With measles outbreaks in Quebec and cases now in Nova Scotia, people are wondering if they need to get vaccinated for measles. Islanders born before 1970 are considered immune even if they were not vaccinated because of the high rates of vaccination (herd immunity). 

In PEI, MMRV (measles-mumps-rubella-varicella) vaccine is part of childhood vaccination. Children generally receive the vaccine at 12-months-old with a booster at 18 months. MMR vaccines are also provided to older children and adults who have not been immunized or do not have evidence of immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella. If you are born after 1970, it is recommended to complete the two doses of MMR vaccine if you have not already received it.

Public Health Nursing is holding clinics to immunize for measles. In Charlottetown they are located at 161 St. Peters Road, telephone 902-368-4530. If you are unable to attend these clinics, make an appointment at the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre to get vaccinated. You can also make an appointment to discuss this and other vaccines with the registered nurse at the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre.

To learn more about measles, check out https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-and-wellness/measles-mumps-and-rubella-german-measles-vaccine-mmr

To see if you are due or overdue for other vaccines, visit www.canimmunize.ca/en/pei-assessment-tool 

For more information on MMR, view https://youtu.be/jL9QfTubi7I

Google has announced the retirement of the Google Jamboard application.

From now until October 1, 2024, the Jamboard application will continue to function normally. From October 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024, the app will be placed in “view-only” mode to give you time to back up your Jam files.

While the app is in “view-only” mode, you’ll no longer be able to create new or edit existing Jams on any platform, including the web, iOS, Android, and Jamboard devices. On December 31, 2024, Google will shut down the Jamboard application, and you will no longer be able to access your Jam files. Any remaining Jam files will be deleted. 

Prior to December 31, 2024, you can export your Google Jamboard content following the instructions posted here: Export your Jams - Jamboard Help (google.com)

As an alternative to Google Jamboard, Microsoft Whiteboard is currently available for all UPEI M365 accounts.

The UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre is hosting an in-person session on building Moodle online quizzes. The quiz activity can be used for short review quizzes or higher-value tests. Using Moodle Question Bank also allows instructors to build their bank of questions, which can be edited or grow each instance you teach the course.

The session will run on Tuesday, March 26, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm in the Teaching and Learning Centre in the Robertson Library Annex (RL 230). Use this form to register for this session: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=9KUeeE99lUaXGGaCg81bviMdmudb-_hAlIyzwN_bom9URERISTZBVkM3WlQxWFNXSDNVUFhRRFBVUS4u