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BookFest has made its way back to Windsor for its 13th year.
University students were able to enjoy a free carnival on campus.
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Lancer Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams end their season.
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Spitfires break losing streak after a rough start to the weekend.
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Your c ampus and community newspaper // october30 2014 // Vol. #87 Issue #9 // uwindsorlance.c a
Students to Vote on Bylaw and Elections Changes travisFauteux News Editor __________________________ A special meeting could determine whether or not important services for undergraduate students will continue. On Oct. 30, the University of Windsor Student Alliance (UWSA) is holding a special general meeting in the CAW Centre’s Ambassador Auditorium where students will be able to discuss and vote to ratify sweeping changes to the alliance’s bylaws and elections policy. April Adams, the chief returning officer for the UWSA, said she hopes to see a large amount of students attend the important meeting. “They requested change, so the only way we can implement the change is if they vote,” said Adams. “We need to hear their voice. We heard it once before, we acted on it, so now we need them to come on out.”
If 238 full-time undergraduate students do not attend, the UWSA board of directors will most likely have to apply the changes itself, an option the UWSA is reluctant to pursue. The University of Windsor has not forwarded student fees to the UWSA because it wants the alliance to fix major governance issues brought up last year, but if quorum is not met and students are unable to approve the governance changes themselves, the University may not be satisfied and could continue to withhold the Fall semester student fees. “If we don’t meet quorum and we can get everyone on board from the board, then we’re going to try our best to implement the new policy because we know it’s better for the members,” said Adams. “The way it works, I have two calendars now and one is for the old and one is for the new. They’ll both work.” See VOTE on page
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Mohamad El-Cheikh, UWSA senator, and Kyra Knapp, operations manager, answer questions students have about the proposed bylaws and elections policy changes at a town hall Oct. 22. [Photo by // Travis Fauteux]
Students Hold Picnic for Child Poverty not every child is able to enjoy something as simple a picnic.
Social work students at the University of Windsor organized a flash mob Oct. 28 which also attracted the attendance of some high school students. [Photo by // Travis Fauteux] travisFauteux News Editor __________________________ A flash mob to raise awareness about child poverty and child welfare has taken place in the form of a picnic.
University of Windsor social work students organized the flash mob on the Chrysler Hall quad’s lawn Oct. 28. In addition to raising awareness, canned goods were also collected at the picnic to be donated to the
Windsor-Essex Food Bank. Paige McDowell, a second-year social work student who helped organize the event, said a picnic-style flash mob was chosen for the project because it expressed the message that
“One of the biggest concerns with child poverty and child welfare is child hunger itself,” said McDowell, “I know that there are a lot of children out there that go without food for the day.” According to Poverty Free Ontario, over the last 35 years the poverty rate in Ontario has remained between 9 per cent and just over 12 per cent, aside from a slight drop between 1980 and 1991 where the poverty rate reached 7 per cent. Poverty Free Ontario states, “whether in good or bad economic times, since the recession of 1992, Ontario has struggled to stay below a double-digit poverty rate of 10% or higher.” The flash mob was part of a class project for a social welfare class, which examines the Canadian social welfare system and focusses on ways to identify and assess the needs of vulnerable populations. “I think we tried to focus on food and the
picnic really symbolizes the children not being able to eat that lunch,” said McDowell. “So, I think by us having lunch and collecting canned goods, it just goes along with the theme of child hunger and trying to alleviate that.” The event also attracted the attention of grade nine, eleven and twelve pysical education class from Westview Freedom Academy, taught by Darcie Alfini. Alfini wanted to take her classes to also give them the chance to help the local food bank, while also learning about poverty. “I found out through Facebook from a friend of mine that they were doing this and I thought that it’s something that’s close and dear to me,” said Alfini. “It’s teaching the kids that, for example, one in six children struggle with hunger and we can do something about it ... especially in our local communities.”