The second event of the UPEI student conference series—“Difficult Dialogues”—takes place on Thursday, March 14, 5:30–7:00 pm in AVC Lecture Theatre A. The event will feature a screening of the short film “Toilet Training”—a documentary following several transgendered people as they talk about the struggles they had growing up as transgendered—as well as a presentation by guest speaker Greg Howard, Executive Director of the PEI Human Rights Commission, a panel discussion involving four people with a variety of transgender experiences, and a question and answer period, followed by a reception. The evening aims to build awareness and education about transgender experiences generally, and on PEI specifically, and is organized by UPEI student Jay Jonah and sponsored by Webster Academic Services, UPEI Rainbow Alliance, UPEI Action Committee on Sexual and Gender Diversity, UPEI Women’s Studies, and the PEI Human Rights Commission. For more information, contact Jay Jonah at jjonah@upei.ca or Ann Braithwaite at (902) 628-4312 or abraithwaite@upei.ca.

University 100 is pleased to announce the next presentation in The Vern Smitheram and Andy Robb Leadership Development Series—Winter 2013:"Leadership, A Call to Service". Robert Hanf was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Nova Scotia Power Inc. in January 2013. Prior to his new position at Nova Scotia Power, Bob was Executive Chairman, Light and Power Holdings, and Director, Barbados Light & Power; Chief Legal Officer for Emera Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of Bangor Hydro; General Counsel for Emera and its affiliates; and was Partner with the law firm McCarthy Tétrault LLP. A native to Nova Scotia, Bob is a graduate of Dalhousie University Law School and is currently completing his master of divinity at the Atlantic School of Theology. Bob obtained his bachelor of arts in philosophy from the University of Prince Edward Island. The University 100 Vern Smitheram and Andy Robb Leadership Development Series—Winter 2013, on the theme of "Leadership, A Call to Service" is an opportunity to engage students and the community in important conversations about the theory and practice of leadership.

Join Dr. Roger Prichard for his presentation on “The Future of Nematode Parasite Control in Animal and Human Populations in an Age of Increasing Drug Resistance." Dr. Prichard received his Ph.D from the University of New South Wales in Australia. His current position is James McGill Professor of Parasitology, Professor of Animal Science, and of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal. He is a Fellow with the Australian Society for Parasitology, and Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, UK. He is an honorary member of the European Veterinary Parasitology College and recipient of the Wardle Medal Canadian Society of Zoologists, the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology Award for Research Excellence and the Distinguished Veterinary Parasitologist Award, American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists. His current research is on control of helminth parasites in livestock, companion animals and humans, and on the problem of anthelmintic resistance.

Join third-year UPEI Business students enrolled in Integrated Marketing Studies as they present marketing campaigns to a panel of judges. PEI 2014 Inc. wants to engage Islanders aged 19 to 25 in the 2014 celebrations. The committee has challenged the students, who represent this target market, to develop creative marketing campaigns that promote PEI 2014 to their peers and encourage their participation in the celebrations.

The UPEI Recruitment and Admissions team would like to welcome the campus community to a "Brown Bag Lunch Session" on Tuesday, March 5th from 12:00 - 1:00 pm in the Main Building Faculty Lounge to learn more about our area. Students, staff, and faculty are invited to join us in conversation to share their ideas, provide feedback, and pose any questions you may like to have answered. We look forward to seeing you there!

Join the Department of Sociology and Anthropology for a Celebration of Peace, to recognize UPEI's Peace Project, on Thursday, March 7 at 10:00 am in the Chaplaincy Centre. Established by Blythe Relf-Phypers as part of a directed studies course supervised by David Varis, this initiative is supported by the UPEI Faculty of Arts, Chaplaincy Centre, and Student Affairs. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome to attend.

Vagabond Productions is presenting "While We’re Young" by Don Hannah. The play explores the trials and tribulations of making the transition into adulthood. The show runs March 20, 21, 22 and 23 at The Guild, 115 Richmond Street (at the corner of Richmond and Queen). The doors open at 7:00 pm, for a 7:30 start. Admission is by cash donation. The play employs mature language and explores mature themes, so it is not recommended for younger audiences. For more information, you can email Dr. Greg Doran at gdoran@upei.ca or call 566-6013.

Brenda Goodine will present her Master of Education Thesis Defense on Friday, March 15 at 9:00am in Memorial Building, room 308. Thesis Title: Painting a Portrait: Early Learning Assessment Practices". All are welcome to attend. ABSTRACT This mixed-methods, qualitative study provided a snapshot of how Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) and early learning programs attend to the assessment of young children. While ECEs primarily use observation to assess children’s development and learning, specific assessment tools, which monitor and provide summative results, are implemented amid concerns that standardized measures are not appropriate for young children. The program administrator of an early years program, designated as an Early Years Centre (EYC) by the province of Prince Edward Island, and three ECE staff working with pre-school aged children, were purposely selected to participate in the study. Findings were obtained from a mix of participant observation, semi-structured interviews, ECE journal entries, and one focus group. Additionally, an online questionnaire was sent to 64 program administrators across the province and had a 36% return rate. Study results highlighted the complexities, tensions, and opportunities in creating rich portraits of children’s learning and development. This study provides a context to move forward within the ECE system and shows a need to: (a) address the training and educational needs of ECEs; (b) support the leadership development of program administrators; and (c) conduct further research to enable the opportunity for integrating formative and summative assessment monitoring processes among stakeholders (early childhood, education, public health and social service).

Irene Gillis will present her Master of Education Thesis Defense on Tuesday, March 12 at 3:00pm in Memorial Building, room 417. Thesis Title: "Environmental Influences on Healthy Living". All are welcome. ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore what healthy living means to adult women living in a rural area of a Canadian province. This study examined the benefits and barriers identified by the participants in relationship to healthy lifestyles, as well as the facilitators they recognized in relation to healthy living. Eight women, aged 40-65, from Prince Edward Island took part in the study. Using a descriptive, qualitative approach, data was collected through in-depth interviews. Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for common themes and codes. Results indicated that the participant’s ideas about healthy living included eating in a healthy way, being physically active, experiencing a personal spirituality, and not having addictions to substances. The participants identified a range of factors that facilitated living a healthy lifestyle including: having balance, having confidence in oneself, being in control, supportive family members and friends, spirituality, and public policy. The participants believed that the benefits of a healthy lifestyle involved alleviating stress, enjoying life, having more energy, and being sick less often. The participants identified a number of barriers to living a healthy lifestyle as well. These include a lack of energy and motivation, stress, a lack of time, conditions in the workplace, the location of the exercise facilities, the size of the community, the cost of food, and the lack of support from family and friends. This research study calls for rethinking the education and teaching strategies used to educate women in the area of healthy living. These strategies should be reframed to address the learner as a whole, thus incorporating the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of lifestyle choices, with a focus on the physical and socio-cultural environments in which individuals live.

AVC's first-ever Art Show featuring an art exhibit by students, staff, and faculty will be held in The McCain Foundation Learning Commons on Friday, March 15 starting at noon. A reception will follow at 5:30 pm for artists and admirers with light refreshments. Everyone is welcome!