The following statement was issued to the UPEI campus community by Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, President and Vice-Chancellor, in observance of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women.

Today, December 6, is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in Canada.

Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, the day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal: Geneviève Bergeron, Helene Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte.

As well as commemorating these young women whose lives ended twenty-seven years ago in an act of gender-based violence, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women represents an opportunity for our University community and for all Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society. It is also a time to consider the women and girls for whom violence is a daily reality, and to remember those who have died as a result of it.

Earlier today, UPEI’s Director of Student Affairs Treena Smith addressed those gathered at the annual Montreal Massacre Memorial Service about the “Bringing in the Bystander” program, a bystander intervention workshop that uses a community responsibility approach. How appropriate, as while today is about remembering, it is also a day for communities to come together to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls and to challenge the culture that allows it to thrive.

UPEI will also observe the day by lowering the flags in front of Kelley Memorial Building to half-mast.

December is one of the busiest months in the academic year for students, filled with final assignments, exams, and presentations. A number of activities are being held across the campus to offer students some relief from the stress of studying and meeting deadlines.

The Robertson Library’s Stress-Free Zone is one such area that is in full swing, operating throughout the exam period and featuring board games, treats from Chartwells, and a comfortable spot to take a break. The Office of the President hosted its annual Festive Coffee and Cookie Break at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre on December 6, while a number of departments across campus are providing healthy grab-and-go snacks at various times and locations.

A favourite tradition is the chili lunches, this year taking place on December 6 and 7 at the Chaplaincy Centre. Robert “Rocky” Paquet, a long-time service worker with UPEI’s Facilities Management department, was famous for the free exam-week spread that he organized for students twice a year. Rocky’s untimely death in July 2017 after a brief illness affected so many on campus that they vowed to carry on his legacy. 

Sister Sue Kidd, Campus Minister and Rocky’s lunch collaborator, extended her gratitude to the faculty, staff, members of the Student Union, and staff at The Wave who stepped up to ensure the lunches continue. She added, “This year's menu will be healthier, generate less waste, and reflect the international diversity of the campus. In addition to chili, a vegetarian curry will be served!”

Last week on #GivingTuesday, students, friends, family, and colleagues gathered to unveil a plaque that dedicates the kitchen in the recently renovated Chaplaincy Centre to Rocky. Ways to donate towards the creation of a student award in Rocky’s memory were also announced:

1. Complete the UPEI Pledge Form
2. Contact Kim Roach at (902) 894-2888 or karoach@upei.ca
3. Enrol in Payroll Deduction

Dr. Ian Gardner, a professor of epidemiology and Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Aquatic Epidemiology at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College, is being honoured with the prestigious Calvin W. Schwabe Award for lifetime achievement in veterinary epidemiology and preventive medicine.

The Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (AVEPM) will present Gardner with the award at the 2017 Schwabe Symposium on December 3rd in Chicago, Illinois. Gardner was nominated by Dr. Ian Dohoo, professor emeritus of epidemiology at AVC and a past winner of the award. His nomination was supported by Dr. Matthias Grenier, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany, and Dr. Wesley Johnson, professor emeritus, University of California, Irvine.

In his nominating letter, Dohoo said that it was Gardner’s stellar reputation as a veterinary epidemiologist that enabled the University of Prince Edward Island to garner one of only 19 CERCs awarded to universities in Canada in 2010.

Before taking on the CERC, Gardner was professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He served as the president of both the Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (AVEPM) and the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD). He was an associate editor of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and on the editorial board of six other journals.

Dr. Gardner and his collaborators are world leaders in diagnostic test evaluation and validation in the veterinary sciences. An important focus of his work has been the fields of evaluation of diagnostic tests in the absence of a perfect reference test, developing quality standards for diagnostic tests, and pooled testing for detection of diseases in animals. His work with collaborators has led to a widespread acceptance of the legitimacy of the approach for test evaluation for chronic infectious diseases of animals.

He is internationally recognized for developing methods to assess disease risk in terrestrial and aquatic food animals. These methods have been used in global veterinary and public health activities, and have influenced policies at the United States Department of Agriculture and the World Organization for Animal Health.

He is among the most cited researchers in his field, with more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications in leading journals, such as Preventive Veterinary Medicine, American Veterinary Medical Association, and Veterinary Pathology.

“Besides his outstanding achievements as scientist, researcher, and scientific leader and his superb records of research grants and academic awards, it is his reputation as academic teacher, his specific interpersonal attitude, the inspiration he is able to provide and deep humanity that makes him a role model for professionals truly engaged in knowledge generation and knowledge transfer,” said Dr. Greiner in his letter of support.

The Calvin W. Schwabe Award is presented annually by the AVEPM. Previous recipients include Drs. Calvin Schwabe, Robert Anderson, James Steele, S. Wayne Martin, Clive Gay, David W. Hird, Hollis Erb, Preben Willeberg, Dale Hancock, Ian Dohoo, Yrjo Grohn, Roger Morris, and Will Hueston.

In 2017, a new University Closure Policy was approved by the UPEI Board of Governors and endorsed by the University Senate. The policy and associated University Closure Procedures to help guide senior management in making decisions about storm closures and how to communicate them.

The decision to close UPEI is not made lightly. However, in weather situations where the potential risk to UPEI’s students and employees as well as property, are high, the University may “close,”* meaning classes and exams are cancelled and services are reduced.

How will I know if UPEI is closed?
The University uses a number of different channels to communicate storm closures. These include:

• A message on the home page of upei.ca
• An email to all students, faculty, and staff to their upei.ca email account
• Updates from the University’s Twitter account, @UPEI, and announcements posted to UPEI’s Facebook page
• Media outlets (radio, TV, and print news websites) are informed and encouraged to share our status
• A message is placed on the UPEI Campus Closure and Alert Phone Line (902-894-2882)
• A message is placed on the UPEI Campus Screen network (there are screens in several buildings across campus).

When will I know if UPEI has decided to delay opening or close?
When conditions develop outside of normal operating hours, announcements will be made according to the following schedule:

• 6:30 am - The decision to delay opening or close the University will be made on or before 6:30 am. If there is a delay, there will be a further announcement at 10:00 am.
• 10:00 am - The decision to open the University at 12:00 pm or again delay opening will be made on or before 10:00 am. If there is a further delay, the next announcement will be made at 2:00 pm.
• 2:00 pm - The decision to open the University at 4:00 pm for evening classes or close the University for the remainder of the day will be made on or before 2:00 pm.

If the decision to close the University is made during normal operating hours, it will be announced as soon as possible through the University’s various communications channels as outlined above.

Will the UPEI reopen after a closure announcement is made?
When the conditions that caused the closure improve and no longer pose a danger to the University community or prevent the normal operation of the campus, UPEI may reopen all or parts of the campus. The change in status will be announced as soon as possible through the University’s various communications channels as outlined above.

For more information, email communications@upei.ca

Reminder: Winter Parking Restrictions

From November 1 to April 30, winter restrictions on overnight campus parking are enforced. Parking Lot “A” is the only lot where overnight parking is permitted for the winter season. Residents of Andrew Hall and Bernardine Hall may park overnight in the Andrew Hall lot, provided that their vehicles are moved to Lot “A” during storm conditions and until the lots have been plowed after a storm.

If vehicles are left in any parking lot other than Lot “A” during storms or before snow removal is complete, the vehicle will be towed at the owner's expense. Facilities Management appreciates your co-operation to ensure parking lots are cleared safely. If you have any questions or concerns regarding winter parking, contact Mark Pharand, Manager, Security Services, at mpharand@upei.ca.

*Technically, UPEI is only closed completely in extreme circumstances, as there are essential personnel who need to work on campus and we have students living in residence. However, the University will use the word “closed” to communicate to the campus community that classes and most services are suspended.

Cavendish Farms has announced a $2 million donation to the University of Prince Edward Island’s School of Sustainable Design Engineering to support sustainable farming solutions in the agricultural industry.

“With our roots on Prince Edward Island, Cavendish Farms is proud to support the UPEI School of Sustainable Design Engineering as they develop innovations for the agriculture industry here on the Island and across the globe,” said Robert K. Irving, President of Cavendish Farms. “Cavendish Farms has a strong commitment to the environment and sustainable farming practices. This donation will help continue to further sustainable farming for years to come.”

The UPEI School of Sustainable Design Engineering (SSDE) advances knowledge, grows industries, improves health, and betters society by developing engineers with exceptional design skills combined with global perspectives. Recognized nationally for program innovation, the SSDE works to find solutions to complex, real-world challenges through a collaborative team approach. Teams function like an engineering consulting firm where students work alongside global experts from higher learning, research and development, industry, and community partners.

Engineering is a key priority of UPEI’s friend- and fund-raising INSPIRE! Campaign. This donation is the largest single donation to the campaign to date.

“We are deeply grateful to Cavendish Farms for their generous support of our INSPIRE! Campaign, and for their vision to advance sustainable solutions of direct benefit to the agriculture industry and our communities,” said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. “The generosity of Cavendish Farms will enable a level of innovation pursuit that we have not experienced here on PEI before. On behalf of UPEI, I thank Cavendish Farms for being a catalyst for the creation of new knowledge by supporting the science needed to unlock areas of potential that exist between PEI’s most traditional and most rapidly emerging industries.”

About the INSPIRE! Campaign – Building upon the University of Prince Edward Island’s impressive reputation of providing quality education, the INSPIRE! Campaign ensures that UPEI will continue to evolve and deliver exceptional learning experiences and opportunities that prepare students for success. Launched on October 2, 2015, the Campaign has four key priorities that align with the University’s strategic plan: Engineering, Experiential and Global Learning, Veterinary Medicine, and Athletics.

About Cavendish Farms – Cavendish Farms is a family-owned company that produces quality frozen and fresh potato and appetizer products for the North American and international food industry. They operate six processing plants including three on Prince Edward Island.

The L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History has announced its first-ever list of associates for 2017–2020, made up of 37 scholars from Canada and the United States who, according to the Institute’s website, are “pushing the field of Canadian history in exciting new transnational directions…asking new questions and bringing new perspectives to the writing of Canadian history.” Among the first cohort are two distinguished members of UPEI’s Faculty of Arts: Dr. Lisa Chilton and Dr. Robert Dennis.

The Institute’s goal for its associates program is to build a diverse network of scholars inside and outside of Canada, and to support the work of both Anglo- and Francophone scholars from a variety of institutions and at different stages in their careers.

From the L.R. Wilson Institute’s website:

Dr. Chilton is an associate professor of history, a member of the graduate faculty of the Master of Arts in Island Studies, and the director of a new program in Applied Communication, Leadership, and Culture in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Prince Edward Island. Her areas of research and publishing expertise are the history of international migrations and the history of British cultural imperialism, especially as they relate to pre-World War Two Canada. Her publications include Agents of Empire: British Female Migration to Canada and Australia, 1860s-1930 (University of Toronto Press, 2007), articles and chapters in multiple journals and edited collections (one of which won a CHA article prize in 2016), and a CHA booklet in the Immigration and Ethnicity in Canada Series, titled, Receiving Canada’s Immigrants: The Work of the State Before 1930 (2016). She is currently writing a book on the history of Canadian immigration from the 1760s to the Great Depression.

Dr. Dennis is an assistant professor of religious studies and an intellectual and religious historian with a specialization in Roman Catholicism. He is currently writing a history of Saint Dunstan’s University from 1955 to 1969. Dr. Dennis has recently completed a manuscript on how transatlantic developments in Catholic social thought influenced the formation of social Catholicism in English Canada during the Depression and Second World War years. This study focused on how Catholic intellectuals across the country engaged normative assumptions in classic liberalism and social democracy, reframing them, often with great radicalism, within frameworks of neo-Thomist/personalist and distributist philosophies. This project situated the experience of the Canadian Church within the broader context European Catholicism and international Catholic social thought as the Church restructures in the decades before the Second Vatican Council.  

“UPEI is delighted that two of our leading scholars have been recognized by the L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History,” said Dr. Robert Gilmour, vice-president academic and research at UPEI. “Drs. Chilton and Dennis have impressive records as innovators, not only with respect to their research, but also as communicators of their work to the scholarly community and to their students.”

The associates will also help determine the winner of the annual Wilson Book Prize, an annual $10,000 award for the publisher of a book that makes Canadian scholarship accessible to a wide audience.

For a complete list of the Wilson Associates, go to https://wilson.humanities.mcmaster.ca/associates/.

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. 

UPEI’s Climate Research Lab is proud to launch the 2018 edition of its PEI weather trivia calendar. “Some Weather We’re Having!” will be available for sale on December 21, 2017 at The Bookmark in the Confederation Court Mall, Murphy’s Pharmacies in the Charlottetown area, or at the UPEI Climate Research Lab on campus.

Co-authored by Don Jardine and Dr. Adam Fenech, the weather trivia calendar is filled with 365 stories about real local weather events from across the Island over the past 250 years and their impact on the everyday lives of Islanders.

“There are so many stories in there,” said Jardine, climate station manager. “There are some sad ones and some funny ones. This year we have a focus on extreme rainfall events and on storms in the Greenwich area.”

“Because of the nature of the Island and the way that we live, we’re very affected by weather. Sometimes it keeps us at home or away from school, and sometimes it drags us to the beaches because it’s so nice,” said Dr. Fenech, director of the lab. “But the weather really controls a lot of what we do and who we are. We say in our calendar ‘Our weather is our story.’ It’s the stories around the weather that are so intriguing.”

The 2018 edition of the calendar features:

• All new 365 stories of PEI weather trivia for every day of the year
• Twelve beautiful full-colour PEI weather photographs
• Stories of Prince Edward Island as told by our weather
• Information about Island extreme rainfall events and a history of storm events in the Greenwich area
• And much, much more!

Some examples of the stories in the calendar:

• January 9, 1963: Sixteen-year-old Kenneth Blacquiere of Summerside was adrift on an ice pan in the Northumberland Strait with 40 km/h winds and near zero visibility until the early morning. The car ferry, the Abegweit, was called from her Borden berth at 2:16 am with Captain Gideon Kean in control. Captain Kean worked out where he thought the boy could be, based on the tides, and found the boy about 2.5 miles offshore from the Seacow Head Lighthouse.
• April 20, 1907: Frank McKenna, who drove the mail between Charlottetown, Pownal, and Cherry Valley, had stopped at Mr. Murphy’s in Southport (Stratford), and left his horse standing outside unfastened. The horse decided to try the river ice back to Charlottetown on his own, having no trouble until about halfway across when he broke through. Mr. McKenna rushed to rescue the horse with a pole and was able to recover some mailbags, but unfortunately the horse was lost in the channel of the Hillsborough River.
• February 2, 1936: During snow storms over the previous two weeks, hundreds of pounds of lobsters washed up on the banks of the North Shore and near the North Cape. While the farmers were busy banking the gravel, fishermen were gathering up the lobsters for a mid-winter feed.
• June 21, 1899: Five girls were clam digging on the bar off the west end of Summerside during the afternoon low tide. They wandered along the bar until they finally found themselves surrounded by a rising tide. They started to wade ashore and only one, Angie Gallant, succeeded. She waded in many places up to her neck and arrived home at 4:30 pm in a very exhausted condition. The others, girls ranging in age from 7 to 11, tragically lost their lives.
• December 3, 2016: A seaweed diet dramatically cut the methane output of cows. A PEI dairy farmer from Seacow Pond, Joe Dorgan, harvested seaweed collected after storms washed it up on the beaches and fed it to his cattle. The seaweed saves food costs and also reduces greenhouse gas emissions (methane) by about 20 per cent versus normal cattle feed. The seaweed diet helps the cattle to be healthier and produce more milk.

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

Third-year University of Prince Edward Island business student Colin Trewin is the winner of the inaugural Robert J. Connaughton Sr. Memorial Award.

Established by the late Robert J. Connaughton Sr.’s family, the award is given to a UPEI student who is a member of the Holland Hurricanes football team, or the UPEI track-and-field or hockey teams. 

Trewin plays with the senior men’s Island Mariners, of the Maritime Football League, and the Holland Hurricanes, of the Atlantic Football League. He is the research and policy coordinator for the UPEI Student Union, working on issues such as sexual violence and employment insurance reform. After he graduates in May 2019, he plans to attend law school.

“The financial assistance provided by this award will make an extraordinary contribution towards helping me achieve my goals,” said Trewin.

A resident of Massachusetts, Robert Connaughton Sr. was an avid sports fan, particularly at the scholastic and college levels. His six children and 11 grandchildren were all involved in high school and collegiate sports.

Robert Connaughton Sr. was a great fan of Saint Dunstan’s University’s and UPEI’s football programs in the 1960s and 1970s. His son Bobby Jr. played football for Saint Dunstan’s University and UPEI—Saint Dunstan’s is one of UPEI’s two founding institutions—and sons Dave and Neal for UPEI. He and his wife, Jane, came to Prince Edward Island as often as they could, attending UPEI hockey and football games during their visits. Two of his grandchildren (Ellen and Jared) were born on PEI. Jared Connaughton is a two-time track-and-field Olympian.

“On behalf of the Connaughton family, I congratulate Colin on being the first winner of the Robert J. Connaughton Sr. Memorial Award,” said Neal Connaughton.

Christmas came early for Larry and Lisa Walsh, of Second North River, New Brunswick, when their dog, Lupina, recovered the use of her legs after suffering a severe neck injury seven weeks ago.

Lupina, a two-and-a-half-year-old FS Brussels Griffon, fell down the stairs at her home on October 28 and, over the next couple of days, progressively lost her ability to walk. When Larry and Lisa brought their tiny dog to the Atlantic Veterinary College on October 30, she was almost completely paralyzed. She could still feel and move her toes, but she was in a lot of pain and could not walk or even stand.

A CT scan revealed that the first two vertebral segments in her neck were dislocated, causing very severe compression of her spinal cord and, in fact, almost transecting it. Small dogs like Lupina can be affected by a condition called “atlantoaxial subluxation,” which predisposes them to dislocation of these bones in the neck. Severely affected dogs can become permanently paralyzed. Surgery is the only treatment that is reliably effective, but it also carries significant risk.

On October 31, Dr. James Dundas, a board-certified small animal surgeon at AVC, performed a difficult surgical procedure on Lupina. He used two loops of a heavy suture line to “lasso” the two vertebrae together and bring them back into position, easing the pressure on the dog’s spinal cord and allowing it to heal. The operation was difficult because the surgery site was very near the spinal cord. Too much manipulation of the spinal cord could make the transection complete, or could even be fatal.

Lupina spent almost two weeks in the veterinary teaching hospital after surgery, slowly regaining motor skills, but she still could not walk or stand. After going home, she spent four weeks in a splinted bandage, followed by two weeks in a soft bandage. She came back to AVC once a week for four weeks for reassessments and dressing changes. Over time, she gradually regained the use of her legs.

During her recheck on December 19, Lupina showed her caregivers for the first time since her accident that she can walk.

“Today her bandage was removed, and she is walking beautifully!” said Dr. Shelly Shamir, a small animal surgery intern who assisted Dr. Dundas with the operation. “She still has some neurological deficits, but is improving every day. She is a very lucky girl to have survived and improved after such significant trauma to her neck.”

Larry and Lisa are thrilled to have their beloved Lupina back on her feet.

“Pet owners will understand why we go the extra mile to do whatever it takes to save the life of our dog,” said Larry. “Lupina is a much loved member of our family. Lisa and I are so thankful for everyone at AVC for their love and care for animals, and to have the hospital so close to us. Otherwise, we would not have our Lupina today.”

“Lupina’s name means She Wolf,” he added, “and she is one heck of a fighter.”
 

Teams from the UPEI Faculty of Business had a tremendous showing at the eleventh annual Montreal Exchange’s Options Trading Simulation. The ten-week competition pitted more than 1,500 teams from 38 universities against each other in a simulated exchange. Teams from UPEI took third and twelfth places.

Teams are given a starting balance of a notional $100,000 and have 10 weeks to trade in financial securities to make money and complete mandatory strategies.

UPEI's top team was “Billy Capital,” made up of Sam Aulie and Marcus Power. The team placed third overall, securing UPEI’s best ever result in terms of rank and ending portfolio value. They finished the competition with $254,807.75, benefitting early from a well-timed “put option”—a financial instrument which makes money when the underlying share price drops.

“We made a lot of our money right before Andrew Left (an activist short seller) went on the news and talked about Shopify being a sham,” said Aulie. “After that, the share price dropped 20 per cent and we made our bulk of the money there.”

For their efforts, the team won $2,500 of real money.

UPEI’s second best showing came from “Corporate Panthers,” Kearah Davis, Rudolph Al Aswad, Caroline Carey, and Yohannes Yosefe. The team’s ending balance was $151,038. With 288 trades over the 10-week competition, it speaks to the intense level of engagement and decision-making capabilities of our students. 

Congratulations!

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.