Supports, Activities, and Events for UPEI Students during the labour disruption

The following message was issued to UPEI students via their University email accounts on March 20, on behalf of UPEI Student Affairs.

Hello UPEI Students,

With the commencement of the faculty strike, we are reaching out to ensure that you know we are open for service and are here to support you. It’s also important to know that during a faculty strike, the University will remain open, and students are welcome on campus.

We appreciate that labour disruptions like a strike can be confusing and stressful for students, so we have pulled together the following schedule of activities to provide opportunities for you to remain connected and engaged with each other. This schedule of events is for the week of March 20 to 24. More events will be added at a later date if needed. We will navigate this strike period together.

Q&A Station for Students during the Faculty Association strike
Monday to Friday, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, W.A. Murphy Student Centre concourse

Staff from Dalton Hall will be on hand to help answer questions and let you know of the different supports and services available to you during the strike period.

Soup for the Soul
Tuesday, March 21, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, UPEI Chaplaincy Centre

The Chaplaincy Centre invites you to come for Soup for the Soul, hosted by the staff of the Robertson Library. Come enjoy a tasty bowl of soup—black bean and lentils, and broccoli cheddar—with a dinner roll and fresh fruit!

Peer Mentoring Program

All students are welcomed to drop in anytime during our peer mentoring sessions. Come chat and debrief with peers who can empathize and share coping strategies and resources. Small group or one-to-one conversations are available—whatever you need. Our peer mentors are trained, friendly, and want to help.

Where: 5th floor Dalton Hall, Mawi’omi Indigenous Student Centre
When: Drop in anytime on

• Daytime: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday between 1:00 and 4:00 pm
• Evening: Wednesday and Thursday evenings between 6:00 and 9:00 pm

Come once, come as often as you like. We’re here to listen.

Mawi’omi Indigenous Student Centre

• Tea, Tuesday (1:00 to 3:00 pm)—Tea is an integral part of engaging with and forming strong connections with communities (especially Elders). It creates a space that encourages us to slow down and appreciate the people around us, listening intently as the tea cools to the perfect temperature. If the weather suits, we may even go on a walk to learn a bit about harvesting and making your own teas. The plants have many teachings to share, and I believe this is a great way to foster learning from the land (plus we will have hot tea and stories after). All are welcome as the intent of this programing is for people at UPEI to connect and reconnect.
   
• Dream Catcher Workshop, Thursday, 1:00 to 3:00 pm (ZOOM or in person)—Dream catchers are known to be Ojibwe medicine and were traditionally (at least according to some sources) made with dog wood and sinew. Like everything, there is so much we can learn from the dream catcher, and it too encourages us to slow down and appreciate how things are all interconnected. You can pick up a kit to make your own dream catcher in the Mawi’omi Centre office and then join us online, or you can come up to the lounge on 5th floor Dalton Hall and join us in person. Please reach out to Jasmine at jpauze@upei.ca for more information. All students are welcome.

Student Affairs 

Fifth and First Floor, Dalton Hall

If you wish to make a personal counselling or academic advising appointment, please email studentserv@upei.ca. If you would like an appointment with accessibility services, please email accessibility@upei.ca.

We can meet with you either online or in person.

Campus Life Program

• In person: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, Day Lounge, W.A. Murphy Student Centre
• Online: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Students can join us on Discord at https://bit.ly/upei-discord

For more information about services available during the strike, as well as frequently asked questions about how the strike might impact you as a student, please see the Student FAQs page on the UPEI labour relations website.