The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is currently underway for first- and fourth-year students at the University of Prince Edward Island. NSSE collects information at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities about first-year and senior students' participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development.

Three UPEI students have already won $100 by completing the NSSE survey. However, if eligible students have not completed the survey yet, it is not too late to do so and be included in the next early bird prize draws which are scheduled to take place on March 3, March 10, and the final grand prize in mid-April. First- and fourth-year students should check their UPEI email account for an email from NSSE to complete their online survey today!

Students in UPEI’s Department of Applied Human Sciences are hosting a panel discussion about food insecurity on Prince Edward Island. “A healthy ‘food Island’ for all? Food insecurity and healthy public policy: a call to action” will be held 7:00 pm, March 13 in the Wanda Wyatt Lecture Theatre in UPEI’s K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre. All are welcome.

The panel will discuss the current state of food insecurity in PEI, its impact on one’s health and well-being, what current actions the government is taking to address food insecurity, and future actions needed to address this growing problem.

The panel includes:

Dr. Valerie Tarasuk, Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto is the keynote speaker. Dr. Tarasuk is an acclaimed international researcher in food insecurity and is the lead researcher for PROOF, which has been providing reports on provincial and national data on food insecurity for the past several years. She will will review the current state of food insecurity in PEI and, drawing on evidence of what has worked in other jurisdictions, identify some potential policy options to address food insecurity here. 

Dr. David Sabapathy, Deputy Chief Health Officer, Department of Health and Wellness, Government of PEI. Dr. Sabapathy will review current health status of Islanders compared to the rest of Canada, and the role that the social determinants of health play in Islanders’ health.

Jennifer Burgess, Department of Family and Human Services. Burgess will discuss initiatives that government has taken to reduce poverty and food insecurity in PEI, and proposed future actions.

Dr. Colleen Walton, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Human Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island. Dr. Walton will discuss her current food costing research in PEI and the need for ongoing monitoring as  part of the strategy to improve food security.

The panel is organized by a group of UPEI senior Foods and Nutrition students, under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Taylor. The event is supported by the Saint Dunstan’s University Institute for Christianity and Culture.

For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Taylor, jtaylor@upei.ca, or 902-566-0475.

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 next lecture presented by The PEI History of Medicine Society features Dr. Jean Mitchell, associate professor of anthropology at UPEI. Dr. Mitchell’s talk is entitled, “The ‘Other War’ in the South Pacific (1942-45): malaria, the American military, and Pacific islanders during the Second World War.” Her lecture is Wednesday, March 8 at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building.

When American troops landed in New Hebrides (Vanuatu) in the Southwest Pacific in 1942 to halt Japanese expansion during the Second World, they were ready to mount a full-scale war. They were ill-prepared for their early battle with malaria, which quickly incapacitated soldiers. They also had limited access to quinine supplies—the only effective treatment—that had been cut off by Japanese forces.

Controlling malaria became instrumental in deciding the outcome of the Pacific war. The subsequent search for malaria chemotherapy initiated one of the largest biomedical research efforts in the first part of the twentieth century, providing a model for later biomedical and health research programs. When the endemic malaria became an epidemic among American soldiers, it transformed the little known archipelago of New Hebrides into an “unintended laboratory” for malaria research and control.

Dr. Jean Mitchell has been doing research in the Pacific for more than 20 years. Her interest in medical anthropology developed while working in health programs in the South Pacific and India.

All are welcome!

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.

Erin O’Halloran, a fourth-year student in UPEI’s Faculty of Business, is a member of one of two national finalist teams in the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) Breakthru competition. Breakthru is a biennial start-up competition where more than 60 teams compete for the chance to pitch live on stage at the Breakthru LIVE awards dinner on March 23 at the Fredericton Convention Centre.

O’Halloran’s team is representing Newpy, a social network app for posting photos of products that are hidden inside digital packaging. The digital packaging designs grab attention and spark curiosity as to what is inside. Newpy offers two types of digital packaging—variety, which are ever-changing, unique designs to reflect user’s interests, and custom, which are specifically tailored to reflect a company’s brand. Custom digital packaging showcases the company’s name or logo in plain sight directly on the packaging. Companies will now have a choice: they can choose to hope good photos of their products are taken, or they can guarantee with Newpy that every photo posted will grow their brand.

“The very innovative network application developed by Erin and Alana is an amazing idea and a truly entrepreneurial endeavour,” said Dr. Juergen Krause, dean of UPEI’s Faculty of Business. “I applaud their accomplishments and wish the team great success at the competition.”

Good luck, Erin!

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.

Every week, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes a female student-athlete for her hard work and dedication to her respective sport. Congratulations to Kiera Rigby (Women’s Basketball), the UPEI Panther Subway Athlete of the week for February 21-26!

Kiera Rigby is a fourth-year Bachelor of Science student from Charlottetown and a member of the UPEI Women’s Basketball team. Rigby scored 21 points and shot 40% from field goal range in the AUS quarter-final Women’s Basketball Championship loss to Acadia. She made 11 of 13 shots from the foul line, and had three rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one blocked shot. “Kiera had a great all-around game in our playoff game with Acadia,” said coach Greg Gould. “She has become one of the premier scorers in the AUS!”

Find more details at gopanthersgo.ca.

Would you answer a stranger’s cell phone? Well, Jean does, and so begins Dead Man’s Cell Phone, by Sarah Ruhl. The play is a funny take on relationships in the digital age. Jean’s decision to answer the phone is complicated by the fact its owner is dead. This simple action draws Jean into Gordon’s world, taking her places she never expected.

“The play explores a lot of timely issues, given people’s addiction to their cell phones. The play asks questions about how technology affects relationships,” says director Greg Doran.

Once Jean answers Gordon’s phone, she learns about his life and his dark secret. The play is both funny and dark. It asks questions about love in the digital age, when face-to-face contact has been reduced, “friend” has become a verb, and social media has made us anti-social. If you wonder where all of the cell traffic goes, this play is for you.

Dean Man’s Cell Phone runs March 22 to March 25 in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. The doors open at 7:00 pm for a 7:30 pm start. Admission is pay-what-you-can. The play contains adult language, so it may not be appropriate for younger audiences. For more information, contact UPEI Theatre Studies at 902-566-6013 or email gdoran@upei.ca.

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.

Two UPEI students are attending the Daughters of the Vote National Leadership Forum that will mark the 100th anniversary of the first Canadian women attaining the right to vote. One young woman from every federal constituency in Canada was selected to represent her community and share her vision for Canada. Payton Jadis and Taya Nabuurs will represent the constituencies of Malpeque and Cardigan, respectively, during this five-day forum, March 6-10, in Ottawa.

Nabuurs is thrilled to attend and says, “It’s an honour to be included in this event as I’ve been in touch with some of the other delegates and they are very impressive, emerging, young leaders.” She adds, “I’m excited about the many discussions I’ll be a part of, in particular, having the opportunity to speak with the members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.”

For Jadis the feeling is mutual. “I would like to discuss and shine a light on Indigenous women’s issues,” she notes. She is also excited for the opportunity to travel to Ottawa. “I’ve never been to our nation’s capital and I really look forward to visiting the Parliament buildings and seeing firsthand where change comes into effect.”

In addition to their studies, Nabuurs and Jadis serve the campus community in impactful roles: Jadis as the President of the UPEI Aboriginal Student Association, and Nabuurs as the Director of Communications for the UPEI Student Union. The University is proud of their achievements and wishes them well during their time in Ottawa.

UPEI will soon be home to a Chair in L.M. Montgomery Studies and Communication, Leadership, and Culture. The three final candidates for the position will be making public presentations in the coming month. The successful candidate will have an established record of Montgomery scholarship and interest in Montgomery outreach, and will be part of development and delivery of the new program in Applied Communication, Leadership, and Culture in the Faculty of Arts at UPEI.

The candidate presentations include:

“No Matter Where We Wander: L.M. Montgomery Writes Prince Edward Island in Ontario”
Dr. Benjamin Lefebvre, Ryerson University
Friday March 10, 3:15 pm
Room 211, SDU Main Building

“’World famed Island novelist' and 'canny businesswoman': L. M. Montgomery’s presence in Canadian periodicals”
Dr. Sarah Galletly, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
Thursday, March 23, 6:30 pm
Wanda Wyatt Lecture Theatre, room 104, K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre

“Anne of Green Gables in the City: Introducing Halifax's Literary Landmarks"
Dr. Kate Scarth, Dalhousie University
Thursday, March 30, 6:30 pm
Wanda Wyatt Lecture Theatre, room 104, K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre

The Applied Communication, Leadership, and Culture (ACLC) bachelor’s degree is a new interdisciplinary program in the Faculty of Arts at UPEI designed to connect the communication skills and leadership training of a Liberal Arts education to successful post-graduation employment. The ACLC program is defined by its focus on the transferability of written, oral and visual communication skills, critical thinking, and cultural awareness acquired during a Liberal Arts education to the world beyond academia. Technical skills, work-integrated learning, and career-related mentoring are key components of the program’s design.

L.M. Montgomery achieved international fame through fiction, largely set on Prince Edward Island. She was an accomplished communicator in multiple genres and media: a newspaper woman, photographer, diarist, poet, correspondent, creator of multi-media collage, public speaker, amateur theatre director, and successful litigant for authors’ rights. The L.M. Montgomery Institute (LMMI) was founded in 1993 at UPEI, Montgomery’s alma mater. It has hosted twelve international biennial conferences and has supported numerous interdisciplinary publications, including scholarly essay collections and research tools. The LMMI, housed in the Robertson Library of UPEI, owns the world’s largest public collection of rare and foreign language editions of Montgomery’s novels, Montgomery memorabilia, and a newly created digital archive of hundreds of the period magazines in which Montgomery originally published many of her stories and poems.

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.

UPDATE: This lecture has been rescheduled to Tuesday, March 24 at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of SDU Main Building. 

The next Island Studies Lecture is Tuesday, March 14, at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. Dr. Peter Buker will speak about scale and governance, including its effects on small islands such as Prince Edward Island.

The relation between a political jurisdiction’s scale and how well (or poorly) its government performs is seldom addressed in scholarly literature or in practice. However, scale does affect governance. This lecture addresses the question: how do size factors of population and geography relate to accountability and responsibility to efficiency and effectiveness? Citing political theory, public administration, economics, and social “small-scale” literature, and taking into account technological advances, Dr. Buker will focus on how scale applies to governance. The implications, especially for small island jurisdictions such as Prince Edward Island, are many. For example, the case for and against Maritime Union can be explored by looking at the tension between small governing systems supporting reciprocal relations between their citizens and their government and large governing systems supporting one-way command relations.

Dr. Peter Buker is chair of General Studies at Yorkville University. He has a widely varied academic background in economics, politics, and community economic development, and considers scale to be one of the most important single factors affecting our experience as citizens.

Admission to the lecture is free. All are welcome to attend.

Watch for details for another lecture about islands April 18. For more information, please contact Laurie 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 next featured author in the Winter’s Tales Reading Series is Meags Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is a Montreal-based graphic novelist and memoirist, comic book artist, illustrator, story-teller, and improv comedian. She will give a presentation of her work at Charlottetown Rural High School on Friday, March 31, at 1:50–3:15 pm. Her talk is open to the public, but please do not park in front of the school, where buses will be arriving.

Fitzgerald’s graphic memoir, Long Red Hair, is “a fascinating take on relationships, sexuality, attraction and individual boundaries” (The Comics Journal). CBC Books named it one of the “10 Great Canadian Books to Read during Pride.”

She calls Photobooth: A Biography a “non-fiction graphic novel.” A long-time photo-booth lover, she researched these once-vital and rapidly “fleeting machines” in North America, Europe, and Australia. She constructed a biography of these booths through the eyes of owners, technicians, collectors, and devotees such as herself.

Fitzgerald’s comic books include Waxing Moon, about the intimate friendship of two girls, and The Village Under the Clouds, about an agrarian society, created by “harmonious” gods, which “relied heavily on trade, co-operation and trust” for generations, and which is threatened when malicious “second-rate gods” take over.

Her presentation is sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts and the UPEI Faculty of Arts and Department of English, with generous cooperation from Charlottetown Rural High School. For further information phone 902-566-0389.

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.