By Thomas Becker

Despite capturing a handful of individual awards Wednesday afternoon, UPEI Women’s Basketball still has some unfinished business.

The biggest prize is up for grabs and the Island squad is poised to make a run for the AUS Championship this weekend.

Hopes are riding high and for good reason. The young Panthers are better equipped than they've been in years. Their sophomore trio—Jenna Mae Ellsworth, Carolina Del Santo, and Karla Yepez—now know what it takes to win in this league and will do whatever they can to avoid the same early exit they made last season. Veterans Kiera Rigby and Jane McLaughlin lead this youthful nucleus into battle one last time, looking to end their careers with a title.

“Being a year older and having that experience certainly helps,” said head coach Greg Gould. “We’re a mature yet young team and have experience playing in big games.”

At times this season, the 11–9 Panthers were virtually unbeatable. You don't have to look much further than in late January when they dethroned the nation’s No. 1 Acadia Axewomen 88–68. At other times (usually the second game of a back-to-back), they were a shadow of themselves, labouring through their offensive and defensive game plan.

Now they have no choice. If they want to hoist the championship banner, they’ll have to string together three consecutive wins—a task they’ve only accomplished once this year.

Standing in their way first is the veteran-laden UNB Varsity Reds, who have five seniors and two fourth-year players occupying their roster. Their 10–10 record doesn’t tell the full story, however, as six rotation players missed at least five games due to injury, including key pieces Hannah Currie and Grace Wade. As result, their depth has been tested and performed admirably in the face of adversity.

“UNB’s the deepest team in the league, and they’re good. It won't be easy,” Gould said.

Gould is anticipating UNB will deploy a zone defence to counteract UPEI’s ability to get to the basket.

“Just because they’re in zone doesn't mean we can't take them off the dribble,” he said. “We still need to be aggressive and attack them.”

Rigby, who’s arguably the league's best perimeter finisher, averaged a career-high 18.4 points per game (third in the AUS) and will be the focal point on offence again. And the Varsity Reds are no doubt planning for her, as well.

“When you play teams in the playoffs, one of things they're going to try to do is limit her touches. Defensively, they're going to try to take away things that we do well. If they're going to stop her, they’re going to give up something else, so we just have to be prepared for other opportunities.”

That opens the door for their perimeter players to make an impact. Ellsworth was recently named as a second-team all-star and will help carry the scoring load. As will her running mate and rookie-of-the-year, Reese Baxendale, who is expected to use her speed to keep defences off balance.

Aside from Yepez off the bench, UPEI’s depth is their greatest weakness. But big games welcome new heroes and if a combination of Annabelle Charron, Jennifer Newman, Victoria Barbour, and Kimeshia Henry can deliver, the Panthers will be even more dangerous.

Coming off a defensive player of the year award, Del Santo will continue to anchor the defence and be tasked with protecting the paint from oncoming guards. The second-year centre also led the league in rebounds and could steal a few extra possessions off the offensive glass, which could turn the tide between two evenly matched teams.

“She’s the one who cleans up the stuff when we break down. She’s the one who's getting us double-digit rebounds every night and we need big games from her again.”

Come tonight, the test begins. The question remaining: are the Panthers up for the challenge?

“Ultimately it comes down to our own execution,” Gould said. “If we want to win, we have to play at our best.”

Go Panthers Go!

UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz welcomed the investments in science and research that were identified in the federal budget tabled by the Honourable Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance, in the House of Commons on February 27, 2018.

“I am pleased to see the 2018 federal budget’s commitment to science and research through multi-year funding,” said President Abd-El-Aziz. “The benefits of these proposed investments will benefit post-secondary institutions and students from coast-to-coast.”

Budget 2018 proposes to invest $925 million over five years to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIRC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).  Budget 2018 also supports increasing diversity in science through greater collaboration between the granting councils, research funding recipients and improved support for women, underrepresented groups, and early-career researchers.

President Abd-El-Aziz noted that UPEI’s priorities, including involvement with the industry-led Ocean Supercluster, align well with Budget 2018 given our strong research capabilities from across the fields of science, engineering, climate change, environmental studies, and veterinary medicine which are already making positive impacts on Canada’s ocean economy. 

President Abd-El-Aziz added, “We look forward to working with our federal government partners in the months and years to come to help support our number-one priority which is to develop our future leaders through robust experiential learning and research opportunities that allows our students to achieve their full potential.”

You can find the Universities Canada 2018 Federal Budget news release here.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.
 

The Société Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin (SSTA), Collège de l'Île, and the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island are pleased to host the Honourable Jean-Marc Fournier, Quebec’s Minister responsible for Canadian Relations and the Canadian Francophonie at a public lecture on Wednesday, March 7. 

Minister Fournier has been touring the Maritime Provinces, promoting co-operation between Quebec and francophone communities across the country. The visit to Prince Edward Island coincides with “Les Rendez-vous de la francophonie,” a collection of events taking place in Canada from March 1 to 21 celebrating French culture as part of the Journée internationale de la Francophonie (March 20).

During his talk, Minister Fournier will address the topic, “building the Canada of tomorrow, together.” After the lecture, there will be a question period. The event will take place in Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, room 241, and begins at 11:30 am with a buffet lunch. Admission is free. Simultaneous translation will be provided.

All are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Johanna Venturini, Project Manager, Communications and Community Relations, Société Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin at 902-436-4881 or johanna.venturini@ssta.org.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.
 

Dr. Don L. Baker, Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia, will give the inaugural lecture in UPEI’s new Asian Studies International Seminar and Korean Studies Speaker Series on Thursday, March 8, 2:30 pm, Faculty Lounge (Room 201), SDU Main Building.

Dr. Baker will give a presentation called “From the Mountains into the Cities: The Transformation of Korean Buddhism in the Twentieth Century” on Thursday from 2:30 to 3:45 pm. The storm date for the event is Friday, March 9, 2:30 to 3:45 pm, Room 213, SDU Main Building.

A renowned scholar in the area of East Asian history, especially Korea’s religious, intellectual, and cultural history, Dr. Baker is frequently invited by many leading universities and research institutes around the world to give special public talks. He joined UBC in 1987 as its first professor of Korean Studies (KS) and was entrusted with the task of building a Korean Studies program. Under his leadership, it has become the best KS program (with BA, MA, and PhD streams) in Canada and one of the premier KS programs in the world. For many years, he also served as director of UBC’s Centre for Korean Research. He has authored, edited, co-edited, or translated eight scholarly books since 1996. His Sourcebook of Korean Civilization, Vol. II, and Korean Spirituality are accepted as two popular textbooks in Korean history or religion courses and are frequently cited by scholars and students. He recently published a pioneering monograph, Catholics and Anti-Catholicism in Chosŏn Korea (University of Hawaii Press, 2017). 

“As the first of our international seminar and speaker series,” says Dr. Edward Chung, coordinator of Asian Studies and director of the Korean Studies Project at UPEI, “this is a wonderful lecture topic on modern Buddhism, especially for understanding the religious and cultural transformation of Buddhism in twentieth-century Korea under the influence of Japan, Christianity, Western ideas, and socio-economic changes. This public talk is significant because of the growing popularity (public awareness) of Buddhism in our Island communities as well.”

This international seminar and speaker series project is an initiative of the UPEI Faculty of Arts, Asian Studies Program, and its Korean Studies Project, and is supported by a major international Seed Program for Korean Studies grant (AKS-2017-INC-2230001) through the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea, and Korean Studies Promotion Service, the Academy of Korean Studies.

Everyone is welcome to attend Dr. Baker’s presentation. Healthy refreshments will be provided.

The next edition of the 2018 Island Studies Lecture Series features the research of Dr. Nand C. Bardouille on the important role of regional integration in Caribbean island states to overcome the disadvantages associated with their smaller size. The lecture is Tuesday, March 20 at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. All are welcome.

“Either we integrate or we perish…” For forty-plus years, this famous aphorism has given impetus to a grouping of mainly small-island states in the Caribbean Basin that is endeavouring to advance regional integration. This lecture addresses the question: what role does the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) play in positioning its members to overcome their small size in the international system? CARICOM is a grouping of fifteen member states and five associate members, which span the archipelagic state of The Bahamas in the northern part of the Caribbean Basin to the low-lying coastal states of Suriname and Guyana in South America.

Dr. Bardouille will call attention to the vitally important role of collaborative regional governance arrangements in undergirding the viability of Caribbean island states. He will focus on how CARICOM enables co-ordinated regional responses to constraints/vulnerabilities associated with small size and the achievement of policy success for its members that face existential threats such as climate change and transnational crime. Dr. Bardouille will trace the key milestones/achievements of and the challenges that confront CARICOM and will reflect on CARICOM’s prospects.

Dr. Nand C. Bardouille, a national of Dominica, is currently a visiting professor in the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program at UPEI.

Watch for another lecture about islands—near and far—coming in April. For more information, contact Laurie Brinklow at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

The UPEI Faculty of Business will host an information session for those interested in its Executive MBA program. The event will be Tuesday, March 13 at 5:00 pm in the boardroom at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown.

UPEI’s EMBA program offers a high-quality learning experience for working business professionals. The program is designed for those working in, or aspiring to work, in a management or leadership position. Classes are offered bi-weekly on Fridays and Saturdays with the option to complete the program in 20 months.

Learn more about the program and application process, have your questions answered, and meet with staff from the Faculty of Business.

To reserve a seat, contact 902-566-6474 or mba@upei.ca.

For more information about UPEI’s Executive MBA program, please visit upei.ca/business/emba or contact the MBA Coordinator at 902-566-6474.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

The W.A. Murphy Student Centre lobby was crowded, with lineups well down the hall, as people waited to get a scoop of ice cream and help a good cause: mental health.

As part of COWS ice cream and the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Moo Let’s Talk campaign, a satellite ice cream scooping station was set up on campus March 1, 2018 to raise funds for the CMHA and to increase awareness of mental health issues and supports.

UPEI student, faculty and staff came out enforce to support the initiative, which was in memory of UPEI student Jason Driscoll. March 1 would have been his 22nd birthday.

UPEI President Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz took time to hand out ice cream and speak with Jason’s family and students.

In total, the satellite station raised $1,431, with 350 people served.

The President’s Office also donated $1,000 in Jason’s memory to support additional initiatives during Mental Health Week at UPEI. The use of the funds will be directed by Jason's family.  

Every week during the season, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their sports. Congratulations to Jenna Mae Ellsworth, the UPEI Panther Subway Athlete of the Week for February 27–March 4.

Jenna Mae Ellsworth is a second-year guard on the UPEI Women’s Basketball team and a Bachelor of Science student from Charlottetown. The Panthers made it to the AUS playoffs over the weekend, defeating the University of New Brunswick 76–70 and Cape Breton University 78–73 before losing in the finals to Acadia 80–58. Ellsworth played every minute of the Panthers three games on the weekend, averaging more than 22 points per game. For her outstanding performance, Ellsworth was selected to the AUS tournament all-star team. “Jenna Mae had an outstanding AUS tournament at both end of the floor,” said coach Greg Gould. “She was our leader on offence and defence!”

Go Panthers Go!

U-SPORTS, the national governing body for university sports in Canada, announced today the winner of the 2018 Sylvia Sweeney Award is UPEI’s Kiera Rigby. The Sylvia Sweeney Award recognizes the Canadian women’s university basketball player who best exemplifies the value of athletics, academics, and community involvement.

“Throughout her five years at UPEI, Kiera has been an outstanding Panther on the court, in the classroom, and in the community,” said Chris Huggan, director of Athletics and Recreation at UPEI. “I am thrilled that she is being recognized on a national level for all that she has done to better the lives of others. This recognition is very well deserved. A great way to end her university sporting career.”

From the U-SPORTS release:

Five-foot-ten forward Kiera Rigby was named an AUS first-team all-star for the first time in her five-year career with the UPEI Panthers. She led the team in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game, ranking eighth in the nation, while shooting a respectable 43.5 per cent (36.7 from beyond the arc). She also grabbed 4.3 rebounds a night to go along with 2.0 assists.

The Charlottetown native is also a vital part of the community. Her interest in biology led her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (physical medicine and emergency departments), where she has volunteered more than 80 hours since June. She also volunteers her time with the World University Services of Canada (WUSC), Canadian Cancer Society, and Arthritis Society. If that wasn’t enough, she’s also a three-year member of the UPEI Varsity Leadership team, a tutor with Student Services, and an active member of the UPEI Biology Society and UPEI Pre-Med Society.

Rigby’s balancing act doesn’t end there. Academically, she has an outstanding 3.9 cumulative grade-point average. The four-time Academic All-Canadian made the dean’s list four times and graduated in May with a major in biology and a minor in biomedical physics.

Rigby is currently doing her honours research in Dr. Adam Johnston’s exercise physiology lab, examining Duchenne muscular dystrophy. She intends on continuing her schooling afterwards and has applied to several programs across Canada specializing in physiotherapy, including Dalhousie, McMaster, and the University of Toronto. She’s also preparing for an interview for a four-year program at the Canadian Chiropractic College in Toronto.

“Kiera is a born leader. She cares for everyone she comes in contact with, and that caring and supportive personality makes people want to follow her,” said Panthers head coach Greg Gould. “Kiera always has time to uplift and support those around her. It’s amazing to watch how people of all ages are drawn to her magnetic personality.”

Congratulations, Kiera!

Historica Canada, the country's largest organization dedicated to enhancing awareness of Canadian history and citizenship, is launching a new Heritage Minute to coincide with 2018 International Women’s Day on March 8. The new Heritage Minute features PEI literary icon L.M. Montgomery and was created in consultation with UPEI past-president Dr. Elizabeth “Betsy” Epperly and Montgomery scholars Dr. Mary Rubio and Dr. Laura Robinson.

Dr. Epperly is an internationally respected expert in the area of L.M. Montgomery scholarship. Her first book, The Fragrance of Sweet-Grass: L.M. Montgomery’s Heroines and the Pursuit of Romance, was ground-breaking in positioning Montgomery as an author of significance in the Canadian and international spheres. Her second major work, Through Lover’s Lane: L.M. Montgomery’s Photography and Visual Imagination was pivotal in expanding the scholarly landscape of Montgomery studies.

Dr. Epperly was instrumental in advancing and institutionalizing Montgomery scholarship at UPEI by creating, with her UPEI colleagues, the L.M. Montgomery Institute. Her vision was expansive and inclusive, creating spaces for students, readers, fans, and scholars to come together to explore Montgomery’s body of work.

“The L.M. Montgomery Institute welcomes this new Heritage Minute, celebrating and, for some, introducing one of Canada's most beloved and influential authors,” said Dr. Philip Smith, chair of the L.M. Montgomery Institute, “and what a fine resource for developing the Minute in Dr. Epperly, not only an expert scholar, but also someone who appreciates the special relationship of Montgomery to her Island and to her fans.”

Congratulations, Dr. Epperly!

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.