APRIL 2007

Event lauds ties with Pakistan

April 30, 2007

Windsor’s Pakistani community and the University of Windsor welcomed the high commissioner of Pakistan to Canada Saturday evening at Assumption University as dignitaries and politicians praised Canada’s relationship with the South Asian country.

High Commissioner Musa Javed Chohan attended a celebration of Pakistan’s 60th birthday, history and culture at the Freed-Orman Centre, organized by the Canada Pakistan Association of Scientists and Engineers (CPASE).

His keynote address outlined Pakistan’s struggle for independence, political and economic turmoil and, more recently, the country’s evolution into one of the most populous nations in the world with a growing business sector.

“We are a new country, but an ancient nation,” Chohan said.

Pakistan will officially celebrate its birthday on Aug.14. Saturday’s event included a colourful presentation by a group of children who danced and sang in traditional costumes, representing different regions of Pakistan.

Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sandra Pupatello (L – Windsor West) told the audience the province is building a strong economic relationship with Pakistan following the government’s trade mission to the country in January.

She said Ontario’s twinning with Pakistan’s province of Punjab was a first for Canada and an Islamic state.

“Imagine what kind of message that sends out,” Pupatello said, adding that Ontario has found “tremendous opportunities” in Pakistan, where a growing middle class is driving telecommunications and technology sectors.

“The business contacts we’ve made there are vital,” she said.

Pupatello said the government’s business mission to Pakistan was inspired by Ontario’s large Pakistani community, numbering more than 100,000 members.

U of W president Ross Paul, NDP MPs Joe Comartin (Windsor-Tecumseh) and Brian Masse (Windsor West) also addressed the group, praising the achievements of Pakistani immigrants in Windsor and across the country.

Source - Windsor Star Digital.
Link to Windsor Star Digital: http://digital.windsorstar.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

Student documentary tells stories of Rwandan survivors
April 10, 2007

Communications studies major Jenny Chao Yu says that interviewing survivors of the Rwandan genocide for a documentary film project was inspirational.

“When we heard the testimonials, we were all crying with them,” says Yu, the director of the four-member group. “You learned from them, to see them so determined to keep living for the people they lost.”

The resulting 20-minute documentary; “Dry Your Eyes, Rwanda,” features interviews with a number of refugees living in Windsor. It will be screened tomorrow at noon as part of a Rwandan-themed double-bill at the International Student Centre on the ground floor of Cody Hall.

“The film is very forward-looking,” Yu says. “I hope it can help the survivors adjust to life and conquer the fears inside them.”

Also on the bill is Shake Hands with the Devil, which follows Canadian general Romeo Dallaire as he returns to Rwanda 10 years after the massacres he failed to stop as head of the United Nations peacekeeping force. The International Student Centre's International Wednesdays documentary screenings are free and open to the public.

Source: University of Windsor International Student Centre.
Link to WISC: www.uwindsor.ca/isc

Windsor’s Lancer track and field geared for provincial championship
February 22, 2007

The Windsor Lancers track and field team are a group of dynamic athletes who take individual competitions, and put the passion for the team and the over all success of the Lancers above their own. They combine team work, motivation, and team sprit to encourage each other to their victories. Nothing is more evident than when the Lancer team gets together on their home track sidelines at the end of the day for the relay events.

Head Coach Dennis Fairall and the Windsor Lancers have proven time and time again that they are the most dominant program in the country. The Lancers come into this weekend's 2007 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Track and Field Championships as the defending OUA champions, the defending CIS champions and ranked No.1 in the country.

The Windsor men's team will be looking for their ninth consecutive title, while the women vie for their third in a row, as competition gets underway Friday February 23 and 24 at the St.Denis Centre in Windsor.

On the men's side the Lancers have the best result of the year in eight events coming into this year's championships. In the distance events they will look to fourth year student Andrew Coates (Newmarket, Ontario) who has the No.1 time in the OUA in the men's 1000 metre (2:27.15). Windsor's 4x800 metre relay is ranked first with a time of 7:37.58, over 10 seconds better than their closest competitor, which was achieved at McGill's Team Challenge.

The leadership in the field events will come from Windsor's one-two punch of Derek Watkins (Ottawa, Ontario) and last year's Most Outstanding Performer Jamie Adjetey-Nelson (Windsor, Ontario).

Watkins currently boasts the best result of the season in the high jump (2.18) and triple jump (14.88). This past weekend he captured two gold medals in both events and broke two school records in the process at the University of Michigan.

Adjetey-Nelson has been the backbone of the Lancer field events for the past four seasons and will look to bring home gold in the long jump and pentathlon.

The Lancers also boast one of the best throws teams in the country with four athletes in the top ten in Canada in the shot put, and a fifth right behind them in eleventh. Mike Miller is third in Canada at 16.46m, while Brian Jones sits sixth (15.80m), Justin Farina is seventh (15.32), Matt Morencie is tenth at 14.68, and Matt Harris is eleventh at 14.44m.

The Lancer women lead the OUA in six events as they look for the championship banner this weekend. In the sprints, Danielle Harrison (Leamington, Ontario) leads the OUA in the 60 metre rankings with a time of 7.74. Shannon Davis (Scarborough, Ontario) also sits atop of the leader board as she had a season best time of 40.32 in the 300 metre at Windsor's Team Challenge.

In the distance events Windsor will look to 2006 OUA Female Track MVP Jackie Malette (Windsor, Ontario) who will be in tough competition this weekend in the 1000 metre and 1500 metre events.

The Lancer women, much like the men show off an OUA leading time of 9:10.56 in the 4X800 metre relay almost 12 seconds faster than the Western Mustangs.

On the field, Sabrina Notarangelo (Tecumseh, Ontario) had a CIS standard time of 5.77 metres in the Tomlinson Fieldhouse at McGill this year to put her at the top of the OUA in the long jump.

In the weight throw fourth year student Sarah Jibb (Thamesford, Ontario) recorded her best throw of the season (16.58) on February 10 at the St.Denis Centre and sits first in the OUA.

Events begin at 12:30pm on Friday with the Pentathlon events and the evening concluding at 8:40pm with the 3000m sections. On Saturday, events begin at 9:45am with the weight throw, but for safety reason, doors open to the public at 12.15pm in time for the Men's triple jump final and 60m heats.

One and two day passes can be purchased at the door. Two day passes are $10 for adults, $8 for senior/students (including U of W Students), while day passes are $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Please note that regular season passes, and all sport passes are not valid at the championships and can not be used.

Physics professor emeritus gets his book translated in Chinese
February 20, 2007

Physics professor emeritus Mordechay Schlesinger doesn't understand Chinese, but Chinese people understand the importance of his work. His book, Modern Electroplating, was recently published in Chinese translation by the Beijing-based Chemical Industry Press.~

Now in its fourth edition, the 800-page monograph provides a thorough explanation of principles and techniques of electroplating technology. Dr. Schlesinger says it is naturally of interest to industry in China and indeed, around the world.

"Any electronic circuitry, its production involves electroplating," he says. "To be competitive, we in North America must develop newer, better techniques."

While the English version book has sold well by the standards of its publisher, Schlesinger doesn't expect to get rich on royalty cheques from the billion-plus people in the Chinese market. "By the time the taxman takes his cut, it doesn't amount to all that much," he admits.

Auto Boss LaSorda Profiled in Forbes Magazine
September 14, 2006

To have grown up in a family of nine children, in a house measuring 84 square metres, isn't a typical beginning for the head of a global car manufacturer.

Nor is having a grandfather who had to go to jail for starting a strike against that same company.

Nevertheless, from these origins, Windsor alumnus Thomas LaSorda (B.A., B.Comm., 1977; MBA 1980) eventually rose to the top of the Chrysler Group, becoming CEO in September, 2005.

In a September, 2006 article in Forbes, a prominent American business magazine, Mr. LaSorda talks in his own words about his early jobs, the importance of education, and the influence of his parents in instilling the "driving principles" of his life.

Windsor Alumna in Bid for U.S. Congress Nomination
September 7, 2006

A former University of Windsor graduate student and instructor could be occupying a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives by the end of 2006. Terri McCormick, who studied political theory and taught international politics at Windsor, is in the running to represent the Republican Party in a Wisconsin seat in mid-term elections to be held this November.

Ms. McCormick, who has served in the Wisconsin state assembly since 2000, was born in Waupun, a small city in the Midwestern U.S. state. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and went on to study at Marian College and Lawrence University, both in the U.S., before heading north for her studies at Windsor.

Her only rival for the Republican nomination of the 8th Congressional District is John Gard, also a representative in Wisconsin's State Congress. If she wins more Republican votes on the primary elections slated for Sept. 12, Ms. McCormick will go on to face the Democratic candidate for the seat on Nov. 7.

Dedicated Sessions Help Orient International Students
September 5, 2006

Starting university takes some getting used to. If you're starting in a new language, in a new country, that can complicate matters somewhat. Almost 200 international students attended special orientation programs for them Sunday and Monday, dealing with questions on everything from academic regulations to what type of food to expect in the cafeteria—and how to prepare for a Canadian winter.

The sessions, organized by the International Student Centre, were the biggest yet, filling the Ambassador Auditorium Sunday.

"We know that international students have specific needs that must be addressed," says coordinator Mallika Padmamabhan. "But we also want to make sure they have time to interact and connect with the general student body during Windsor Welcome Week."