During UPEI Welcome Week from September 1–5, 2025, students will take part in a collaborative initiative titled “Becoming Sustainable Panthers.” 

UPEI will team up with Island Waste Management Corporation (IWMC), Call2Recycle Canada, and Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) to collect used batteries and small electronic devices to promote sustainability, help the environment, and provide a valuable service to the neighbouring community.

On September 1, students, wearing UPEI Welcome Week t-shirts, will visit homes in Sherwood and Brown’s Court to collect used batteries, using bags and boxes from Call2Recycle Canada. They will also hand out extra bags and pamphlets promoting recycling to each household.

On Thursday, September 4, from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, representatives from IWMC, Call2Recycle Canada, and EPRA will be on campus in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre, to promote their recycling initiatives. They will also host games to share information on sorting waste aimed at students, faculty, and staff who live off-campus, hand out recycling bags and boxes for batteries, and also collect used batteries and electronic devices from members of the campus community for recycling. 

Many electronic products can be recycled through this program, including

• office equipment such as computers, laptops, tablets, printers, monitors, keyboards, mice, and cables; 
• communication devices such as telephones, cell phones, and pagers;
• entertainment equipment such as stereos, gaming devices, cameras, and GPS units;
• small household appliances such as toasters, coffee makers, vacuum cleaners, scales, clocks, irons, fans, and hair dryers;
• fitness and activity equipment such as smart watches, e-bikes and e-scooters, and treadmills.

For the list of accepted items for drop-off, visit RecycleMyElectronics.ca. 

The Student Program for Research Engagement and Excellence (SPREE) invites the UPEI community and the public to join us for the 2025 SPREE Research Poster Competition. This event celebrates the work of undergraduate and graduate student researchers who have been conducting research across a range of disciplines including Science, Arts, Psychology, Business, and Engineering.

Attendees will have the opportunity to view research posters, connect with student researchers, and learn about the diverse projects happening on campus. While a panel of judges will evaluate the posters with prizes awarded to top undergraduate and graduate entries, your vote also counts! A People's Choice Award will be decided by ballots from the student researchers, UPEI campus community members and the public who attend.

Who Should Attend:

• UPEI Faculty, staff, and students interested in research and supporting student researchers;
• Community members and industry professionals;
• Anyone curious about the innovative research projects being conducted at UPEI!

For questions about the 2025 SPREE Research Poster Competition please contact Rosetta Shokunbi, SPREE Student Coordinator at tshokunbi@upei.ca

Applications for UPEI student parking permits will open on August 15, 2025.

To apply for your parking permit, please visit the UPEI Parking Services web page at https://www.upei.ca/security/parking-services/get-student-parking-permit.

Students may apply for a General Lot Permit (for Lots A, B, D, E, or H) or for a Residence Permit (only if you live on campus). There is a limited number of permits available. Once applications reach the limited number of available permits, students will be placed on a waitlist.

All permits are paid in person, and successful applicants will receive an email from parking@upei.ca with information on when and where to pay for your permit.

Payments will be taken through debit and credit cards only.

To apply, you will need the following information:

• Name
• Student number
• Address 
• Email
• Vehicle make and model
• License plate number 
• Province of registration 
• Residence building if living on campus

For more detailed information about parking at UPEI, go to the UPEI Parking Services web page. Please direct any questions or information changes to parking@upei.ca.

Please be advised that the Fitness Centre will be closed for equipment installation and maintenance on:​

​Thursday, August 21

​This closure will allow us to upgrade and service our equipment to provide you with improved workout experience.​

​The Sports Centre will be opened 8:00 am – 7:00 pm (camps, gymnasium, squash courts, indoor track)​

​We appreciate your understanding and patience, and we look forward to welcoming you back once the work is complete.​

Thank you,

Athletics and Recreation Department Management

The Teaching and Learning Centre is hosting onboarding sessions for new(er) sessional instructors, where you can learn about:

• instructional design supports and professional development offerings available through the Teaching and Learning Centre
• Moodle, UPEI’s learning management system
• how to design learning so everyone can access, engage, and succeed—an approach known as Universal Design for Learning
• a guide to enhancing assessment practices, including grading, feedback, and considerations for generative AI
• what goes into a good syllabus, including Gen AI statements

These sessions are as follows:

• Online: Thursday, August 21, 2025, 2:00 to 3:00 pm
• Online: Tuesday, August 26, 2025, 6:00 to 7:00 pm

Sign up to attend one of these sessions using the following link - https://forms.office.com/r/jvbDHQA2Gq

Note: These sessions will also be recorded and can be sent to you if you are unable to attend.

If you have any questions, please reach out to TLC@upei.ca.

The annual "Back to School Sale" is on now until August 22. Save 20% on all regular priced UPEI and AVC clothing, giftware, backpacks, school supplies and more. We're located in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre, open Monday to Friday 9:00-4:00. Shop online 24/7 at upei.ca/bookstore. 

Please "save the date" for our next town hall on August 20:

August Check-In and Update

• Wednesday, August 20, 2025
• 2:30–3:30 pm
• Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Don and Marion McDougall Hall (MCDH 242)

This event will be similar to past events where brief updates will be given with an opportunity to ask questions. You will be able to attend in person (always preferable) or online. If you are unable to participate in person, you are welcome to join us virtually at this Teams Town Hall link.

We look forward to seeing you!

Members of the UPEI campus community,

It has recently come to the attention of IT Systems and Services (ITSS) that there is a fake website impersonating the real myUPEI login page. This site looks very convincing—it even links to genuine UPEI web pages—but it is designed to steal your login info.

Please DO NOT visit: myupei.org. This fake website address is being shared so that you know to avoid it—please DO NOT open it or provide any information through the site. 

What to do if you have visited the site:

1. Change your UPEI password immediately.
2. Let ITSS know by submitting a help request at go.upei.ca/itrequest.

Please know these scams are tricky and can fool anyone. Reporting it helps us protect others.

ITSS is working on having the fake site taken down, if possible, but that can take time.

If you have questions, concerns, or spot other suspicious sites, please reach out at go.upei.ca/itrequest.

Thank you!

IT Systems and Services Team

Human Resources is pleased to introduce a new SharePoint site. This site serves as an informational hub offering a variety of resources. Please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with this new layout.

Here are a few examples of what information you can access on this site:

Benefits + Pay:

• Details about employee benefits at UPEI
• Payroll forms, time entry 

Employment Information:

• Collective Agreements
• How to make updates to your personal details
• Leave Request Form
• Organizational Charts

Culture + Well-being:

• Employee Engagement
• Well-being Resources

Training + Development:

• Professional Development Funds
• Tuition Waivers
• Training Opportunities

Management + Hiring:

• Classification
• How to Hire documentation
• Onboarding & Orientation Checklists
• Performance Development

Note: You must download fillable PDFs to your device before you can complete them.

You can access this SharePoint site through the myUPEI Employee Portal:

This site is a work in progress. We’ll be adding more information over time and welcome your feedback. If you have suggestions about the site’s layout, flow, or notice any issues with content (such as broken links or missing PDFs), please let us know by contacting hrgeneral@upei.ca

Please be advised that the Fitness Centre will be closed for equipment installation and maintenance on:​

​Thursday, August 21

​This closure will allow us to upgrade and service our equipment to provide you with improved workout experience.​

​The Sports Centre will be opened 8:00 am – 7:00 pm (camps, gymnasium, squash courts, indoor track)​

​We appreciate your understanding and patience, and we look forward to welcoming you back once the work is complete.​

Thank you,

Athletics and Recreation Department Management

Applications for UPEI student parking permits will open on August 15, 2025.

To apply for your parking permit, please visit the UPEI Parking Services web page at https://www.upei.ca/security/parking-services/get-student-parking-permit.

Students may apply for a General Lot Permit (for Lots A, B, D, E, or H) or for a Residence Permit (only if you live on campus). There is a limited number of permits available. Once applications reach the limited number of available permits, students will be placed on a waitlist.

All permits are paid in person, and successful applicants will receive an email from parking@upei.ca with information on when and where to pay for your permit.

Payments will be taken through debit and credit cards only.

To apply, you will need the following information:

• Name
• Student number
• Address 
• Email
• Vehicle make and model
• License plate number 
• Province of registration 
• Residence building if living on campus

For more detailed information about parking at UPEI, go to the UPEI Parking Services web page. Please direct any questions or information changes to parking@upei.ca.

We invite you to join us for the AVC Summer Research and Leadership Poster Presentations on Tuesday, August 26 and Wednesday, August 27 from 12:30 – 1:20 pm in the AVC Learning Commons, Room 285N.  The AVC SRLP program is designed to introduce DVM students to research opportunities by involving them in a summer research project with a faculty mentor, with supplemental group sessions and a final poster presentation of their work.

The poster awards presentation will be Thursday, August 28 from 12:30 - 1:15 pm in AVC Learning Commons, Room 285N. 

Please come and support the efforts of our students and their mentors and learn more about the exciting breadth of research at AVC.

In his new book, The Geography of Home: Poems for a Lost Time, Edward MacDonald traces the rural Prince Edward Island where he grew up from the late 1950s through the early 1970s, a landscape on the cusp of far-reaching change. Published by Island Studies Press, the book will be launched on September 7, 2025, at 2:00 pm, in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building, Room 201, University of Prince Edward Island. 

In the introduction to the book, MacDonald writes that “home is a place in the heart. It is part actual and part invented, part remembered and part reconstructed, part learned and part inherited.” He goes on to say the depiction of an era offered here is a mixed-media portrait, combining prose and poetry, history and memory. Each poem takes as its touchstone a place, person, or practice and is paired with a short reflection that unpacks facets of the culture being explored. Archival photos woven throughout add another layer to this portrait. MacDonald writes that while history attempts to trace changes over time, “memories are the little, coloured stones that we collect to assemble a mosaic of our lived past.” 

The Geography of Home was published with the support of a SSHRC Exchange Publication Award from the Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Research at UPEI. Island Studies Press thanks Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, associate vice-president research and dean of graduate studies at UPEI, for supporting faculty publications.

Dr. Edward MacDonald is a professor emeritus of history from the University of Prince Edward Island. He is the author of If You’re Strong-hearted: Prince Edward Island in the Twentieth Century and co-author of The Summer Trade: A History of Tourism on Prince Edward Island, and has written, compiled, or co-edited nine other books. In 2023-24, he was appointed to the Order of Canada and then the Order of Prince Edward Island for his work as an Island historian and teacher.

The event is free, and all are welcome. Thanks to Bookmark, books will be available for purchase. For more information, contact Bren Simmers at Island Studies Press, 902-566-0386 or ispstaff@upei.ca.

Please be advised that the Fitness Centre will be closed for equipment installation and maintenance on:​

​Thursday, August 21

​This closure will allow us to upgrade and service our equipment to provide you with improved workout experience.​

​The Sports Centre will be opened 8:00 am – 7:00 pm (camps, gymnasium, squash courts, indoor track)​

​We appreciate your understanding and patience, and we look forward to welcoming you back once the work is complete.​

Thank you,

Athletics and Recreation Department Management

The Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development (OCEPD) is offering an exciting lineup of Certificates and courses this Fall to help you build skills, advance your career, and make an impact in your workplace.

UPEI Staff, Faculty, and Alumni save 15% on tuition!

Fall 2025 Offerings:

• “Indigenous Cultural Awareness” – September 24, 2025
• Certificate in Case Management – Specialization in Health Care – Starting October 1, 2025
• New Managers Certificate (in-person) – Starting October 7, 2025
• New Managers Certificate (online) – Starting October 14, 2025
• Certificate in Project Management – Starting October 20, 2025
• Certificate in Professional Office Administration – Starting October 28, 2025
• Certificate in Case Management – Advanced Collaboration in Care – Starting November 12, 2025
• Certificate in Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being – Starting November 12, 2025
• Certificate in Conflict Resolution – Starting November 27, 2025

Learn more and register: upei.ca/professional-development Email: pdp@upei.ca

Join us on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 at Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Room 142 for the Indigenous Cultural Awareness course, led by prolific Mi’kmaq storyteller, author, and Knowledge Keeper Julie Pellissier-Lush.

In this interactive in-person course, you will:

• Learn about Mi’kmaq history, traditions, and culture from an authentic voice.
• Explore the impacts of colonization and the path toward truth, reconciliation, and restitution.
• Engage in storytelling, discussion, and reflection in a safe, respectful space.
• Gain insights to strengthen intercultural understanding in your workplace and community

Julie Pellissier-Lush, former Poet Laureate of PEI, is a celebrated Mi’kmaq storyteller, actor, singer, dancer, and writer. Her work shares the traditions, challenges, and resilience of the Mi’kmaq people, offering participants an unforgettable learning experience.

More information: https://www.upei.ca/professional-development/certificates/indigenous-cultural-awareness

This is more than a course—it’s an opportunity to connect, listen, and learn from an authentic Indigenous voice.

Spaces are limited, so secure your seat today and take a meaningful step on the journey toward reconciliation.

UPEI's current round of the Student Program for Research Engagement & Excellence (SPREE) is swiftly drawing to a close, with the culminating research poster and presentation competition on the horizon.

This year's competition will be held the afternoon of Wednesday, August 27 and we are seeking UPEI faculty and staff members as judges! Are you interested and available to join us as a judge?

 The commitment options are:

• Wed. Aug 27 from 12:30 pm - approx. 2:30 pm; or
• Wed. Aug 27 from 12:30 pm - approx. 3:30 pm.

We will have both a graduate student category and undergraduate student category of the competition, and the role of our judges will be to select the top 3 entries in each category (winning cash prizes). Taking feedback from last year into account this year: the 3 top selected entries will all receive equal prizes, plus we have a fully revised judging criteria rubric.

We are seeking judges representing the broad range of programs/disciplines the competitors draw from including: Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Psychology, Climate Change, Biotechnology, Foods and Nutrition, Island Studies, and Education.  

The student researchers have been challenged to create their posters and accompanying (up to 5 minute) presentation about their research for a non-specialist audience.

To volunteer as a judge, or for questions/additional details about judging or the poster competition, please contact: Kendra Mellish, Graduate Programs Officer at kmellish@upei.ca.

Please "save the date" for our next town hall on August 20:

August Check-In and Update

• Wednesday, August 20, 2025
• 2:30–3:30 pm
• Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Don and Marion McDougall Hall (MCDH 242)

This event will be similar to past events where brief updates will be given with an opportunity to ask questions. You will be able to attend in person (always preferable) or online. If you are unable to participate in person, you are welcome to join us virtually at this Teams Town Hall link.

We look forward to seeing you!

Members of the UPEI campus community,

It has recently come to the attention of IT Systems and Services (ITSS) that there is a fake website impersonating the real myUPEI login page. This site looks very convincing—it even links to genuine UPEI web pages—but it is designed to steal your login info.

Please DO NOT visit: myupei.org. This fake website address is being shared so that you know to avoid it—please DO NOT open it or provide any information through the site. 

What to do if you have visited the site:

1. Change your UPEI password immediately.
2. Let ITSS know by submitting a help request at go.upei.ca/itrequest.

Please know these scams are tricky and can fool anyone. Reporting it helps us protect others.

ITSS is working on having the fake site taken down, if possible, but that can take time.

If you have questions, concerns, or spot other suspicious sites, please reach out at go.upei.ca/itrequest.

Thank you!

IT Systems and Services Team

The UPEI Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is seeking a volunteer graduate student member to join the IBC for a two year term! The IBC meets monthly to review Biosafety Permit applications and discuss other issues related to biosafety on campus. Time commitment is approximately 3 hours per month.

• Are you a current UPEI graduate student?
• Do you work with biohazardous material as part of your research?
• Do you want to contribute to the research community and biosafety at UPEI?
• Would you like to gain valuable experience (looks great on a CV!) and be the student voice on a committee composed of UPEI Faculty and staff?

To express your interest in this exciting opportunity, please complete THIS FORM by Monday, August 18.

For more information please contact Stephanie Palmer, Research Compliance Coordinator scpalmer@upei.ca.

Thanks for passing this information along to anyone who might be interested!