Every week, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes two student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. Congratulations to Caroline Del Santo and Cody Payne, the UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for January 1–7!

Carolina Del Santo is a second-year centre on the UPEI Women’s Basketball team and a Bachelor of Science student from Barcelona, Spain. Del Santo had an incredible game over the weekend against St. Francis Xavier University, scoring 20 points, grabbing ten rebounds, and blocking five shots in just 21 minutes of play. “This was Carolina’s best game in a Panther uniform,” said coach Greg Gould. “She was very good on both ends of the court.”

Cody Payne is a second-year forward on the UPEI Men’s Hockey team and a Bachelor of Business Administration student from Davie, Florida. The Panthers beat St. FX 3–2 in an exciting game over the weekend, ending in a shootout, but fell the following night 5–2 to Dalhousie. Payne scored three goals over the two games, including the shootout winner. “Cody had a very strong game in our last game of the first semester,” said coach Forbes McPherson. “We were hoping he would continue that trend heading into the second half. Cody was up to the challenge and provided our team with goals at key times.”

UPEI students get into all Panther home games for free. Let’s fill the stands and make this the best season ever!

The University of Prince Edward Island has received a $1 million gift from the estate of Ruth MacDonald to establish the Roderick Stirling MacDonald Scholarship Fund.

“I am grateful to be able to represent our family today in the awarding of this gift,” said Ken Clark, who is Roderick and Ruth’s nephew. “Education was very important to my aunt and uncle and knowing this will support future students in this way is a great way to honour their legacy.”

“The University is extremely grateful for this generous gift from the estate of Mrs. Ruth MacDonald to honour her late husband,” said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. “This scholarship fund will support UPEI students in attaining a quality post-secondary education. Mrs. MacDonald’s considerate act of naming UPEI as a beneficiary of her estate will have a tremendous impact on our students for years to come.”

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.

Students, faculty, and staff gathered on January 10 to celebrate the newly refreshed office of The Cadre, a UPEI-student-run online news publication. Third-year Arts student Lorelei Kenny, former editor-in-chief, led the initiative to revitalize the space by applying to the Annual Fund Projects Program, which has supported renovation projects in the past like the W.A. Murphy Student Centre Credit Union Day Lounge and the Dawson Lounge in SDU Main Building.

Kenny took a few moments to reflect on the months of planning, hard work, and collaboration required to rejuvenate the space, and acknowledged a long list of people who played a role in realizing the project.

“There are so many people to thank for the success of this project,” said Kenny. “But most importantly I would like to acknowledge the generous alumni and friends of the University who contribute to the annual fund so that ideas like this can become a reality.”

Before the office was refreshed, the space was furnished with odds and ends accumulated over decades by students working for The Cadre. Kenny credits her predecessor, Elizabeth Iwunwa, for the initial cleanup and sorting through the clutter. With the help of many hands, the office was transformed into an inviting and professional space where the editorial staff can write, collaborate, and conduct interviews.

UPEI President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz attended the open house and was a part of the committee that reviewed the initial application for funding. “The Cadre is an important part of the campus community. Over the years, their articles have captured stories on our campus, shed light on important issues, and pushed our community to reflect and be better. I am so pleased to see the transformation to this space and I know it will benefit our students for years to come.”

The University of Prince Edward Island and UPEI Alumni Association continued their time-honoured tradition of hosting a New Year's Day Levee on January 1. UPEI’s version of the social event—held at the School of Sustainable Design Engineering—proved yet again to be a popular stop for levee-goers.

A group of international students and alumni provided a helpful hand as they welcomed members of the community, wrote out presentation cards, and helped to collect and hang up coats while several UPEI music students, attired in Victorian dress, sang seasonal carols.

UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz and Valerie Abd-El-Aziz, UPEI Board of Governors Chair Pat Sinnott and Darlene Sinnott, and UPEI Alumni Association President Curtis Toombs received close to 500 guests including the Honourable Antoinette Perry, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, and Chief Brian Francis of the Abegweit First Nation. UPEI honorary degree recipients and former premiers of Prince Edward Island, the Honourable Catherine Callbeck and Pat Binns, were also in attendance.

View the 2018 Levee Photo Gallery

About the levee tradition
The word levee (from the French noun lever, to raise) originated with King Louis XIV of France whose custom was to receive his subjects just after arising, a practice that then spread throughout Europe. In the 18th century, the levee in Great Britain and Ireland became a formal reception given by the sovereign just before noon or in the early afternoon. It was in Canada that the levee became associated with New Year's Day when fur traders began the tradition of paying their respects to their government representative on January 1. The first recorded levee in Canada was held in 1646.

The men’s and women’s Panther basketball teams play a pair of games at home each this weekend against Saint Mary’s University. The women tip off Friday’s game at 6:00 pm.

“We are looking forward to playing Saint Mary’s at home this weekend,” said coach Greg Gould. “They are an athletic, physical team who execute well in their half-court offence and are one of the best defensive teams in our conference. To be successful, we will have to defend well and keep them off the offensive boards.”

The men take the court against SMU at 8:00 pm.

“Our focus moving into this weekend is to eliminate those stretches throughout the game when we don't take good shots and we lose our concentration on defence,” said coach Darrell Glenn. “We typically have a really bad quarter when we give up greater than 15 points and score less than ten. If we can improve in that area, we give ourselves a fighting chance.”

UPEI and SMU face off again the following night. The women’s game starts at 6:00 pm. The men play at 8:00 pm.

#BellLetsTalk is just around the corner! The Panthers are proud to sponsor with Bell Aliant for Bell Let’s Talk Night on Saturday, January 27. The UPEI Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams are hosting Cape Breton University. Help us help others join the conversation about mental health. 

The University of Prince Edward Island and Synapse Applied Research and Industry Services congratulates Nautilus Biosciences Canada Inc. (Nautilus), a marine biotechnology company founded by UPEI professor Russell Kerr, on being acquired by Croda International Plc.

Croda Group is an international, multi-sector company that provides innovative, sustainable ingredients for customers in the areas of personal care, health care, crop care, polymer additives, lubricants, coatings and polymers, geo tech, home care and industrial specialities.

Synapse was pleased to support the acquisition process by shepherding discussions and helping coordinate the agreements between UPEI and Croda/Nautilus. Synapse, an independently-incorporated company was created to help transfer the expertise and knowledge housed in UPEI into products, processes, services, and insights that can provide practical social and economic benefit beyond the university environment.

UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, “We are delighted that a technology rich enterprise coming from the University will become part of an internationally recognized company like Croda, and that their excellent work researching marine microbial microbiology will continue to develop and have commercial realization. We look forward to future opportunities for partnership and collaboration with both Nautilus and Croda.”

Read the Croda International Plc news release

Every week, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes two student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. Congratulations to Kiera Rigby and Amin Suleman, the UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for January 8-14!

Kiera Rigby is a fifth-year forward on the UPEI Women’s Basketball team and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) student from Charlottetown. The Panthers split a pair of games against Saint Mary’s University over the weekend. Rigby scored an incredible 26 points in Friday night’s win, shooting 47% from the field. “She went 66% from the 3-point line and was 8 for 12 from the free-throw line,” said coach Greg Gould. “Kiera also had three rebounds and a blocked shot. On Saturday, she scored 21 points, shooting 40% from the field and 80% from the free-throw line while collecting three rebounds.”

Amin Suleman is a third-year guard on the UPEI Men’s Basketball team and a Bachelor of Arts student from Toronto, Ontario. The team dropped two games to Saint Mary’s University over the weekend, but Suleman was a standout for the Panthers. “Amin had a very strong weekend against the Huskies,” said coach Darrell Glenn. “He combined for 20 rebounds, shot an impressive 50% from the field, scored 24 points, and played 60 minutes.”

#BellLetsTalk is just around the corner! The Panthers are proud to sponsor with Bell Aliant for Bell Let’s Talk Night on Saturday, January 27. The UPEI Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams are hosting Cape Breton University. Help us help others join the conversation about mental health.

And don’t forget! UPEI students get into all Panther home games for free. Let’s fill the stands and make this the best season ever!

The University of Prince Edward Island is pleased to announce a $25,000 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant in support of UPEI’s Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) program.

Funding will allow two UPEI Student Affairs employees to be professionally trained as instructors in the ASIST program. Once trained, these instructors will offer the two-day ASIST program free-of-charge to students, faculty and staff at UPEI, beginning with high-priority groups such as residence life coordinators, Student Affairs staff and other employees who may be the first point of contact for students in a crisis.

“On behalf of all members of the UPEI community, I thank Bell Let’s Talk for supporting the University’s efforts in suicide intervention with a Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant,” said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor, Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. “This grant will have a significant impact on our ability to encourage an open dialogue across campus about student mental health.”

Having members of the UPEI campus community trained in suicide intervention will not only further the discussion about the state of student mental health, but also provide crucial support to students in need. By being proactive and making this training available, UPEI hopes to sustain a healthy and supportive community across campus.

“This is a very exciting development in UPEI's move to better equip our whole campus community to support our students, faculty and staff,” said Treena Smith, Director of Student Affairs. “Our plan is to have over 200 people trained in ASIST over the next three years and this is all due to Bell Let's Talk funding.”

“Bell Let’s Talk is very proud to provide a $25,000 grant to support the University of Prince Edward Island’s ASIST mental health training program,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “The 2017 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund provided 70 grants to support programs providing mental health services in communities around the country that help Canadians living with mental illness.”

Bell Let’s Talk Day is January 31
Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of these interactions on January 31, at no extra cost to participants:

• Text and talk: Every text message, mobile and long distance call made by Bell Canada, Bell Aliant and Bell MTS customers
• Twitter: Every tweet using #BellLetsTalk and Bell Let’s Talk Day video view
• Facebook: Every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and use of the Bell Let’s Talk frame
• Instagram: Every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view
• Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let’s Talk filter and video view

The Bell Let’s Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk Day, and provides significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace initiatives. To learn more about the Bell Let’s Talk campaign, and to download the Bell Let’s Talk toolkit to help get the conversation started, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

About the University of Prince Edward Island
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 Chaplaincy Centre will host an interfaith panel on the role of women in society. The discussion begins at 2:00 pm, Sunday, January 21 in the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre.

A panel made up of representatives of the Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian faiths will make presentations and participate in a discussion. Panellists will also field questions from the audience.

“Any opportunity we have to learn from each other is a valuable experience,” said Sister Sue Kidd, campus minister at UPEI. “We’re creating a venue for that conversation.”

Members from all faith backgrounds are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

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.

Island filmmaker and photographer Will Beckett will be the first speaker in the 2018 Island Studies Lecture Series. Beckett will bring his childhood fascination with prehistoric life to the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building on Tuesday, February 13 at 7:00 pm. Beckett will discuss the behind-the-scenes adventures of making his forthcoming documentary series, Prehistoric PEI.

Beckett spent the past three years making the first documentary about Prince Edward Island’s little-known prehistoric past—a journey that’s taken him as far as Philadelphia, PA, in his quest for an answer to the question: where have all of PEI’s fossils gone?

In 1845, a farmer unearthed one of Canada’s very first fossils in New London, PEI. Islanders still find fossils of plants and animals embedded in cliffs, lying openly on the beaches, and buried under the soil. The public seldom hears about these discoveries, and even more rarely do they get a chance to see them unless they visit museums in Ontario or Nova Scotia.

PEI’s fossils paint a fascinating picture of a time long before the dinosaurs when the land teemed with a variety of life. Will’s lecture covers the inspiration for, and the information around, the documentary and the discoveries he’s made along the way. He’ll also offer a sneak peek of some of the documentary footage, along with a glimpse of what Prince Edward Island looked like 290 million years ago.

Originally from St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia, Beckett now lives in Charlottetown. He’s worked as a crew member on TV projects such as CBC’s The Songs of Gene MacLellan and The Stats of Life. He’s also acted in commercials and appeared in the Island-produced feature film Kooperman.

Admission to the lecture is free. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Watch for another lecture about islands—near and far—March 20. For more information, 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.