UPEI's second 'Difficult Dialogues' student conference series event on transgender topics takes place on Friday, October 25, 5:30-7:00 pm in AVC Lecture Theatre A.

The event features a transgender 101 presentation to introduce people to the idea of transgender, and what it means to be a transgendered individual. There will also be a presentation from the PEI Human Rights Commission; a presentation from an openly transgendered speaker from Nova Scotia; and keeping with the tradition of the previous event, a transgender panel of UPEI students. There will be opportunities for questions and dialogue throughout the event.

'Discussing the transgender community is not an easy thing to do as it can be a very complex and confusing topic, but it is one that is worth understanding,' said UPEI student and event organizer Jay Jonah. 'I believe that it is important to discuss these issues because there are transgender people on the Island, and it is important for the general public, educators, counsellors, politicians, and family to understand how to respectfully work with people who identify as transgender.'

The evening aims to build awareness and education about transgender experiences generally, and on PEI specifically. The event is organized by Jonah and sponsored by UPEI's Webster Academic Services, AIDS PEI, and the UPEI Student Union.

For more information, contact Jay Jonah at jjonah@upei.ca

The Lucy Maud Montgomery Institute (LMMI) extends congratulations to Alice Munro, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature. Munro is the first Literature laureate to base her writing career in Canada, and has cited Lucy Maud Montgomery's work as an important influence in her early life, from which she would later draw so much of the inspiration for her own peerless short fiction.

In 'Dear Life,' published in 2012 as part of a set of autographically-themed pieces described by Munro as 'the first and last-and the closest-things I have to say about my own life,' she writes of how she coped with the sometimes difficult and dirty realities of growing up on a farm:

But I was used to this and could easily ignore it all, constructing for myself a scene that was purified to resemble something out of the books I liked, such as Anne of Green Gables or Pat of Silver Bush…Fresh manure was always around, but I ignored it, as Anne must have done at Green Gables.

In an interview for the 2005 biography Alice Munro: Writing Her Lives, Munro told Robert Thacker that she considered Emily of New Moon, 'one of the best books in Canada.' Munro had earlier contributed an afterword to a 1997 edition of 'Emily of New Moon,' in which she talked about her intense identification with Emily's experience of the writer's life:

UPEI will host a public meeting to release the findings and recommendations of the external review that was conducted to examine the Institute of Island Studies and its interconnectivity with other UPEI and community programs. Mike Randall of Engage Atlantic will lead a moderated discussion on each of the six categories of recommendations. The terms of reference and membership of the Island Studies Futures Committee will also be announced.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013, 4:00-5:30 pm, AVC Lecture Theatre A

UPEI students are going door to door in surrounding neighborhoods to collect non-perishable food items on Thursday, October 31 from 4:15-7:00 pm in support of UPEI's food bank.

'Trick or Eat' is a national Halloween food drive organized by Meal Exchange, a registered charity that empowers student leaders to address hunger in their communities. Since 1993, the charity has raised over $3 million worth of food and engaged over 87,000 youth across North America.

Suggested items include: pasta products/pasta sauce, rice, canned meats and fish, peanut butter, cereal, canned vegetables, dry and canned soups, fruit juices, canned/powdered milk, baby food, diapers, beans, and legumes.

Items can also be donated to the group organizers. All proceeds will support UPEI's Food Bank.

Interested in canvassing for the campaign? Contact UPEI Residence Life Advisors and event organizers Kaylee Graham at krgraham@upei.ca, (902) 218-3772; Taylor McIntyre tmcintyre@upei.ca; or Paige Stubbs pstubbs@upei.ca

Help support UPEI's food bank, and have a safe and happy Halloween!

The UPEI Wind Symphony under the direction of Dr. Karem J. Simon, will be performing on Sunday, November 3 at 2:00 pm at Three Oaks High School in Summerside. This recital is done collaboratively with the TOSH Band program, which will also be featured.

For this performance, the Wind Symphony has taken on some very ambitious repertoire. Among the featured works is 'Endurance' by the American composer Timothy Mahr. According to the composer, the work is a musical reflection upon the infinite endurance of the human spirit, the religious spirit, and the spirit of the earth. Initial inspiration for the piece came from a book of the same title by Alfred Lansing, documenting the amazing story of the ill-fated expedition of the Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in 1914-1916. His ship, the Endurance, became ice-bound and eventually sank, stranding Shackleton and his crew of 27. They experienced over 15 months of life exposed to the unrelenting, dangerous Antarctic weather, and, miraculously survived to tell it. The strength of character exhibited by these men in enduring incredible hardships is truly awe-inspiring.

Concerto soloist for this performance is marimbist Branden Kelly. Kelly is a fifth-year UPEI music education major who hopes to continue his percussion studies at the graduate level next year. He has been highly active as a performance major, completing two solo recitals, being awarded the first prize in the most recent UPEI Performance Competition, and represented PEI at the National Competitive Festival of Music this past August. 'The David Gillingham Marimba Concerto,' which he will perform, exploits the technical facility of the marimba, showcasing its diverse colours and styles.

Philip Sparke's 'Celebration,' a virtuosic work, will open the recital. It was written for the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, one of the world's finest wind bands. A sonorous, extended opening fanfare gives way to a busy Presto based of material derived from the fanfare in addition to contrasting lyrical themes. The evening will conclude with the delightful and energetic 'Danse Diabolique' by Austrian Joseph Hellmesberger.

Each year, the Wind Symphony tours selected areas of the region to provide its membership with additional performance experiences and share its music with a wider audience. Performances scheduled this year will bring the Wind Symphony to Wolfville, NS, and Montague, PEI, in addition to collaborations with the PEI Intermediate Honour Band, and East Wiltshire Intermediate School bands.

During the past fifteen years, the Wind Symphony has produced an annual CD featuring selected repertoire from each year's performances. Cathedrals, released in May 2010 received the 2011 Music PEI Award for Best Classical Recording. In February 2011, the Wind Symphony released its O Canada CD, a project exclusively for PEI public schools. Its most recent CDs, Freebirds, Lord of the Rings, and Four Horsemen have been highly acclaimed. Additional information, including audio tracks of the Wind Symphony, may be found at http://music.upei.ca/windsymphony.

UPEI Athletics and Recreation announced the UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week for the week of October 21-27. UPEI Athletics and Recreation showcases these talented athletes to recognize their hard work and dedication to their respective sports throughout the season. UPEI Athletes of the Week are also nominated to Atlantic University Sport and Canadian Interuniversity Sport for possible recognition in the region and/or country.

Who: Tessa Fudge, Women's Soccer; and Mavric Parks, Men's Hockey

What: UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week

When: Week of October 21-27

Why: Tessa Fudge, a first-year arts student from New Ross, NS, played two strong games in Panther soccer wins over UdeM and Acadia. In the win over Acadia, Fudge scored the winning goal to clinch a playoff spot for the UPEI Women's Soccer team.

Mavric Parks, a third-year arts student from Eganville, Ontario, and UPEI Men's Hockey goaltender had a great start to the season highlighted by a strong performance in a 2-1 loss to Acadia on Saturday night. Parks made several amazing stops in a 25-save game performance.

Fudge and Parks will be recognized at this week's UPEI Athletes of the Week Celebration on Thursday, October 31 at 12:45 pm in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre's McMillan Hall. All are welcome.

Go Panthers Go!

Mavric Parks

On Wednesday, October 30, the University of Prince Edward Island hosted a public meeting to release the report of an external panel that was commissioned to review the Institute of Island Studies.

The review, initiated by Vice-President Research and Graduate Studies Robert Gilmour and interim Vice-President Academic Christian Lacroix in June, examined the role and governance of the institute in relation to UPEI's Island Studies programs and courses, as well as its connections with the PEI and broader community.

Earlier in the year, UPEI did not renew the contract for the institute's director due to budgetary restraints, but officials were quick to assure stakeholders that the study of islands is an important aspect of the University's programming.

'Many people with an interest in the Institute contacted us to voice concerns about its future,' said Lacroix. 'We felt it was vital to have an unbiased, independent review conducted that would give feedback on how to move forward. With the receipt of the reviewers' recommendations, and our newly-established Island Studies Futures Committee now in place, Island Studies and the Institute are in good hands.'

The final report from the three-member panel-Dr. Liette Visseur, Dr. Graham Whitelaw, and Hon. David MacDonald-was compiled after the reviewers held several on-campus forums and interviews with key stakeholders. The report contains 29 recommendations, grouped into six categories: overarching recommendations, administration, governance, educational initiatives, administrative and financial support, and Canada Research and UNESCO chairs.

The mandate of the Island Studies Futures Committee, chaired by UPEI Associate Professor of History Dr. Ed MacDonald, is to review the recommendations of the external IIS review panel, seek input through consultation with colleagues, and make recommendations on how to structure and implement changes to IIS. The terms of reference for the committee were also unveiled at the public meeting. Committee members include chair MacDonald, Ann Grayborn (IIS advisory board chair), Harry Baglole (community representative), Dr. Neb Kujundzic (interim Dean of Arts), and Dr. Jim Randall (Master of Arts in Island Studies program coordinator). For more information or to contact the Island Studies Futures Committee, please email iisfutures@upei.ca.

Read a summary of the external review report, or view the full report. For more information on the Island Studies Futures Committee, click here.

For information:

UPEI defensive field hockey player Katherine Koughan was selected to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Field Hockey All-Canadian Team on Wednesday, October 30 at the All-Canadian Awards Banquet in Victoria, BC. Koughan is a second-year business student from Stratford, PEI.

Read the full CIS release here.

Congratulations, Katherine!

Atlantic University Sport (AUS) is pleased to announce the return of the Tim Hortons AUS men's hockey all-star game. Returning for the first time since 1999, this year's event will be held Friday, November 8 at the new Grant-Harvey Arena in Fredericton, NB on STU's home ice, with the puck set to drop at 7:00 pm. All proceeds from the game will help fund Canada's men's hockey team trip to Trentino, Italy for the 2013 FISU Winter Universiade, December 11-21.

UPEI Men's Hockey Head Coach Forbes MacPherson is an assistant coach on Team Canada's coaching staff.

Read the AUS release here.

The UPEI Student Union will be involved again this year in the Movember campaign. Movember's vision is to have a lasting impact on the face of men's health. Each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches around the world. Through the power of the moustache, vital funds and awareness are raised to combat prostate and testicular cancer, and mental health challenges. Movember encourages men to join the movement by growing a moustache for the 30 days of November. Movember's not just for 'Mo Bros'. 'Mo Sistas' are an important part of Movember's success. Once registered, Mo Sistas raise funds and encourage the men in their lives to get involved. Essentially, Mo Sistas do everything that Mo Bros do, without a Mo. To join the UPEI team, please go to http://ca.movember.com/team/1078905

The following is a list of Movember events at UPEI: