The UPEI Men’s Hockey Panthers will be looking for redemption when they take on the Acadia Axemen on Friday, December 2 at MacLauchlan Arena. The Panthers are heading into the final game of the first half of the season with a 5-9-2 record, having lost 5-2 to the Acadia Axemen (10-5-1) last Saturday night in Wolfville.

With the Thursday night game versus Saint Mary’s postponed due to weather, UPEI hopes to take advantage of the break and turnaround their losing streak by ending Acadia’s winning ways of late. The Axemen have picked up nine of their last ten possible points.

Cheering on the Panthers at the match-up will be members of Canada’s national sledge hockey team who are set to play in the 2016 World Sledge Hockey Challenge, December 4-10, also at MacLauchlan Arena. Team Canada members will participate in a ceremonial puck drop and a sledge hockey demonstration during the first intermission. There will also be extra 50-50 draws for complimentary tickets to the sledge hockey event, where Team Canada, including PEI's own Billy Bridges, will battle against teams from the United States, Korea, and Norway. 

Donations are being accepted throughout the game for the UPEI Campus Food Bank. Puck drop is 7:00 pm.

The Honourable Richard Brown, Minister of Workforce and Advanced Learning delivered a House statement in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island on December 2, 2016 that acknowledged and paid tribute to the many recent achievements of UPEI and of its President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz:

Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to rise in the House today to recognize the great work and collaboration by the University of Prince Edward Island and its Faculty Association in coming together to reach a four-year collective agreement. This agreement covers faculty members, librarians, sessional instructors, and clinical nursing instructors through to June 2020. The agreement contains year-over-year salary increases, workload considerations, as well as cost-sharing on retirement benefits. By coming to a consensus for a four-year period, UPEI has taken great steps towards a sustainable future for its faculty, staff, and students.

The University also reached a pension agreement which has been ratified with all unions and approved by the Board of Governors this month. And Mr. Speaker, this is not the only good news coming out of UPEI…

In August, the University opened its School of Sustainable Design Engineering. The first class of this new school will graduate in May of 2017. The Province was pleased to attend the official opening and show its support in providing $16 million toward creation of this incredible facility.

Recently, the Association of Atlantic Universities released a report that showed UPEI’s enrolment increased by 3 per cent. This is even more remarkable considering that enrolment across the Maritimes was actually down for full-time students by 0.8 per cent. Mr. Speaker, UPEI’s enrolment growth exceeded that of every other Atlantic school—this is driven by UPEI’s international student recruitment efforts, which saw an estimated increase of 20 per cent this year.

These outstanding accomplishments occurred under the leadership of Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, who was recently honoured by the Canadian Bureau for International Education with a 2016 Excellence Award. In addition, Alaa also assumed the role of Chair of the Association of Atlantic Universities.

It’s hard to believe that with all of this recent success at UPEI, the University still managed to retain one of the lowest tuition rates in the Maritimes.

With all that being said, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to congratulate UPEI on its recent achievements and efforts, and wish them all the best as they gear up for the 2017 academic semester.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The UPEI Climate Research Lab will launch its third PEI weather trivia calendar, Some Weather We’re Having!, December 5, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building.

Co-authored by Don Jardine and Dr. Adam Fenech, and published by the Climate Research Lab at UPEI, this third edition of the weather trivia calendar is filled with 365 new stories about real local weather events from across the Island over the past 250 years and their impact on Islanders’ everyday lives.

“There are so many stories in there; there are some sad ones and some funny ones,” said Don Jardine, climate station manager at the Climate Research Lab. “This year we have a focus on lightning and thunderstorms and on storm surges.”

“Because of the nature of the Island, the way that we live, we’re very affected by it; sometimes it keeps us at home or away from school and sometimes it drags us to the beaches because it’s so nice,” said Dr. Adam Fenech, director of the Climate Research Lab. “But the weather really controls a lot of what we do and who we are. We say in our calendar: ‘our weather is our story.’ It’s the stories around the weather that are so intriguing.”

This calendar brings stories from North Cape to East Point, West Point to Murray Head—and all points in-between over the past 250 years.

Featuring:

• All new 365 stories of PEI weather trivia for every day of the year
• Twelve beautiful full-colour PEI weather photographs
• Stories of Prince Edward Island as told by our weather
• Information about lightning storms on Prince Edward Island: their frequency, location and seasonality
• And much, much more!

Some examples of the stories in the calendar

• Bubba, an 18-year-old cat from St. Felix, spent more than six weeks trapped in a snow bank under the house of owners Howard Hogan and Lucina Costain during the severe winter of 2015. While digging through the snow, Howard heard something crying and out popped a paw and a head. The rescue was complete and Bubba headed for her food dish where she had warm milk and small portions of cat food.
• After getting stuck on the highway just off the Confederation Bridge after returning from a rugby tournament in Truro, Nova Scotia, Kyle LeGresley of Charlottetown spent the night sleeping at the Tim Horton’s coffee shop at Borden-Carleton during a bad snow storm in 2015.
• Tragedy struck the Lennox Island community when Raymond Peters, a boy about 11-years-old out skating on the ice, died from fatigue and exposure in 1920 after winds sent him clear across the bay landing at Beach Point. The following morning, Michael Thomas, his brother-in-law found him dead.
• At Georgetown Royalty, Mrs. Captain Hugh MacPhee was milking a cow in early August 1897 when the animal was struck by lightning and killed instantly. Newspapers reported that Mrs. MacPhee suffered  (not surprisingly) a severe shock from the lightning bolt.

The PEI Weather Trivia Calendar 2017 is now available for purchase at pharmacies and bookstores across the Island.

The December Island Studies Lecture features the research of Dr. Sharon Myers, on “The Murderous Mother and Meanings of Minnie McGee.” The lecture takes place Tuesday, December 6 at 7 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building.

In July 1912, 36-year-old Minnie McGee (nee Mary Cassidy, 1875-1953) of St. Mary’s Road, was tried and sentenced to hang for the murder of her son. While charged only in the death of 10-year-old John, evidence suggests she had killed all six of her children during the same week that spring.

At trial, McGee’s lawyer and family members, indeed McGee herself, would raise questions about her mental condition, but the defense declined to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury found McGee guilty and the judge sentenced McGee to hang. Over the course of the next weeks, more than 130 people in the larger Georgetown area signed a petition for clemency, requesting the federal Minister of Justice to “commute her sentence on a plea of insanity.” The commutation was awarded, and McGee would spend the rest of her life in a variety of provincial and federal institutions.

Dr. Myers’ research follows McGee’s life in and out of institutions, showing a pattern of occurrences in McGee’s “criminal” life where the state chose to discipline and punish with far lighter touch than might be expected.

Dr. Sharon Myers is a member of the Department of History and former Coordinator of the Canadian Studies Program at UPEI. She studies the relationships among the state, women, and children in the late 19^th- and early 20^th-century Maritimes, and is especially interested in histories of law and social welfare.

Watch for details for another lecture about islands—near and far—January 17! 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.

December 6 is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in Canada. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. They died because they were women.

These are their names: Geneviève Bergeron, Helene Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte.

As well as commemorating the young women whose lives ended twenty-seven years ago in an act of gender-based violence, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women represents an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society. It is also a time to consider the women and girls for whom violence is a daily reality, and to remember those who have died as a result of it.

While December 6 is a day is about remembering, it is also a day for communities to come together to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls and to challenge the culture that allows it to thrive. UPEI reminds everyone that we can work for change and that your #ActionsMatter.

In 1854, British travel writer Isabella Lucy Bird visited Prince Edward Island for six weeks and published an account of her stay that was both scathing and charming. Paris may be the gayest city in the world, she wrote, and London the richest, but Charlottetown was “the most gossiping.”

“I never saw a community,” she continued,” in which people appear to hate each other so cordially.”

Contemporary Island poet Jane Ledwell was both fascinated and exasperated by Bird’s haughty, privileged judgement and decided to “write back”—160 years later. The result is Bird Calls, the latest title published by Island Studies Press at UPEI.

Bird Calls weaves the travel prose of Isabella Lucy Bird with Ledwell’s poems written in response, and delivers an intriguing conversation for the reader, which contrasts PEI then and now, and showcases the talents of two accomplished writers, from very different generations.

Bird Calls is being launched Wednesday evening, December 14 at Upstreet Craft Brewery on Allen St., Charlottetown, at 7 pm.

The book will also be available in local bookstores and the UPEI bookstore. For more information contact Joan Sinclair at Island Studies Press: ispstaff@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.

Former UPEI Director of Athletics Barb Mullaly, 70, passed away Saturday in Charlottetown after a brief illness.

Her four-decade career as a classroom instructor, coach, and nationally decorated athletic administrator began in 1967 at Prince of Wales College. When UPEI was formed in 1969, she moved on to begin a long career at the University, initially as the first women's basketball and field hockey coach, eventually serving 13 years as Director of Athletics, and then retiring as the first Director of Wellness and Fair Treatment Advocate in 2006.

Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, UPEI’s President and Vice-Chancellor said, “The entire University community is saddened by the passing of UPEI Founder Barb Mullaly. I remember meeting her shortly after arriving at UPEI and it was easy to see her passion for the University and its people. That dedication extended to many other community organizations as well.”

“And while respected among her peers in sport, she was equally admired by her UPEI family. Our University has lost a great friend who continued to support UPEI in retirement,” added Abd-El-Aziz.  “On behalf of UPEI faculty, staff, students, alumni, and retirees, I pass on my most sincere sympathies to Mary Lou, and her family, friends, and colleagues across the country.”

Mullaly served as President of Atlantic University Sport (AUS), and chaired numerous committees and sports. Upon retirement, she was awarded an honorary lifetime membership in the AUS.

She was the long-time chair of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) finance committee and a member of the CIS executive committee. She was awarded the CIS Austin-Matthews Award in 2007 for outstanding service to university sport in Canada over her career.

Mullaly was named a Founder of UPEI in 2010.

She was also the 2013 winner of the Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty’s Mentor Award which salutes a Prince Edward Islander for mentorship and leadership on the local, regional, and national level.

At the time of her death, Mullaly was president of Seniors College PEI, past-president of Recreation PEI, secretary of the UPEI Retirees’ Association, and a member of the Go PEI advisory committee.

Mullaly is survived by her partner Mary Lou Turner, brothers Sean (Susan) of Halifax and Gregory (Anita) of North Vancouver, and a number of nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements will be announced later this week. Flags at UPEI will be lowered to half mast in Mullaly’s memory.
 

The Government of Canada recently announced more than 200 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 48 postsecondary institutions across the country. Among the honourees was Dr. Sophie St-Hilaire, who begins her second, five-year term as UPEI’s Canada Research Chair in Integrated Health Research for Sustainable Aquaculture.

Dr. St-Hilaire is a professor in the Department of Health Management at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College. Her research aims to improve the sustainability of aquaculture to provide healthier fish for human consumption and reduce the environmental impact of fish farming.

Infectious disease outbreaks in aquaculture settings create a risk to the industry and the environment. Dr. St-Hilaire is trying to minimize the impacts of these outbreaks on wild and farmed fish populations through innovative prevention and control strategies. Her research is answering critical questions concerning pathogen transmission on fish farms. She is also addressing infectious disease treatment efficacy in fish and shellfish aquaculture.

“We are delighted that Dr. St-Hilaire's outstanding research has been recognized by a renewal of her Canada Research Chair, and we look forward to her future contributions to the prevention and control of diseases in fish,” said Dr. Robert Gilmour, Vice-President Research and Academic at the University of Prince Edward Island.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the new and renewed Canada Research Chairs,” said the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science. “The Government of Canada is proud to support talented researchers whose hard work will improve our scientific understanding and strengthen Canada's reputation for research excellence. The Chairs’ efforts will also provide us with the evidence needed to inform decisions that help us build a vibrant society and a strong middle class.”

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.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11. The reception begins at 11:00 am in the UPEI Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Lunch is served at 11:30 am.

The University of Prince Edward Island announced today that four hockey icons, Jack Kane Sr., his son Jack Kane Jr., Billy MacMillan, and Vince Mulligan, will be inducted into the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, February 9, 2017.

Jack Kane Sr., who will be inducted posthumously, was revered as a head coach in the forties and fifties for UPEI’s founding institution, Saint Dunstan’s University. The younger inductees started playing with the Saint Dunstan Saints and then each went on to coach after their playing careers. Jack Kane Jr. coached the Saints from 1965-69, and counted Mulligan and MacMillan on his roster, while Mulligan and MacMillan also both coached, but by then, they led the UPEI Panthers.

The induction will be part of the daylong 2017 UPEI Sports Legacy Celebration that includes a breakfast at 7:30 am in McMillan Hall at the W. A. Murphy Student Centre that honours the 2015-2016 U Sports (formerly CIS) Academic All-Canadians.

The four inductees will then formally take their place in Panther history later at the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame Gala Reception and Dinner, which will be held in the UPEI Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre The reception begins at 6:45 pm with dinner at 7:30 pm.

UPEI Director of Athletics Chris Huggan said, “This is a great opportunity for all Panthers and Panther fans to recognize and celebrate the achievements of current and past Panthers, show our appreciation to those who support our student-athletes, and showcase many of our varsity teams.”

Tickets for the U Sports Academic All-Canadians Breakfast are $10 each, while tickets for the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame Gala are $50 each. Tickets to both events can be purchased in person at Panther Central at the Sports Centre or by calling 902-566-0368.

The UPEI Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 2001 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the athletic programs at the University of Prince Edward Island, Saint Dunstan's University, or Prince of Wales College. Each year, individual athletes, teams, and builders are inducted to honour their contributions towards the University's athletic success or community leadership.

The UPEI Sports Legacy Celebration is a lead-up for the final regular-season home game for the UPEI Men’s Hockey team on February 10 at 7:00 pm at MacLauchlan Arena.

About the inductees

John “Jack” Hurry Kane is remembered with great affection for his coaching style. He would always offer advice, never embarrass anyone, and was always the gentleman. After a storied playing career in the Ontario Hockey Association and the Maritime Big Four League with the Charlottetown Abegweits, Kane Sr. was invited to coach Saint Dunstan’s College. In 1947, he led the Saints to the Maritime Intercollegiate League title for the first time, defeating a strong St. Francis Xavier team in the final. The next year, Saint Dunstan’s won the City League title, and was a finalist for the Maritime Intercollegiate crown. Kane Sr. gave a tremendous amount of time to minor hockey and baseball and was surely missed as a coach, official, and administrator when he passed away after a brief illness at the age of 52 in 1959.

Jack Kane Jr.’s name is, as is his father’s, synonymous with several sports, all of which he played at a high level: hockey, football, track and field, basketball, and baseball. He excelled in both hockey and football at Saint Dunstan’s University and later went on to coach the SDU Men’s Hockey team. Eighteen years after his father coached the team to its first Maritime conference title, Kane Jr. took the Saints on a journey that included a 10-1 season record, the Maritime championship, and runner-up status at the national championship. The only loss in league play for the 1965 squad was to St. Thomas University on the final weekend of the regular season. Hockey PEI recognized him with a life membership in 2007 for his contributions to hockey in the province. He has also been involved in the sport of golf as an administrator.

William “Billy” MacMillan has achieved a level of sport success that few other Islanders have. He was a player on several provincial, regional, and national championship hockey teams, and is the owner of the coveted Olympic scroll and Stanley Cup ring. After being recruited to play at St. Michael’s College and enjoying a highly successful junior “A” career, MacMillan returned to Charlottetown to pursue his academic studies, leading the Saint Dunstan’s Saints to the conference title and winning the scoring crown and the MVP award. After participating in four World Hockey Championships and winning bronze at the 1968 Olympic Winter Games, he was signed to the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 22 goals in his rookie season. He later was on the coaching staff of several NHL teams and then returned home to coach the UPEI Panthers, guiding UPEI to its last conference title in 1990-91.

Vince Mulligan was a standout performer in hockey from his earliest years at Queen Square School and throughout his University years at Saint Dunstan’s, where he was both a stalwart and a dependable defenceman and forward. In his five years at SDU, Mulligan was an all-star four times, and captain for three of those years. He led the team to a Maritime championship and a national silver medal in the 1964-65 season. Mulligan really made a name for himself as a coach and builder of new programs at UPEI where, in addition to coaching, he served as intramural director, director of recruiting, and intercollegiate coordinator. As head coach, he led the UPEI Men’s Hockey team to three AUAA conference titles, in 1985-86, 1987-88, and 1988-89. To this day, he continues to serve as coach to the Charlottetown Hockey Mommas, a women’s recreational team that has raised thousands of dollars for breast cancer research.

A team from UPEI’s School of Business took first place at a recent competition that put their stock-trading skills to the test. The seventh annual Interuniversity Stock Market Simulation at Université de Moncton brought together eight teams from universities across Quebec and Atlantic Canada. It was UPEI’s first ever entry at the competition.

Students were given two fictitious companies with balance sheets and income statements. Each team of four was made up of two traders and two analysts. Teams had ten million fictional dollars to trade with and a limit on the number of shares they could buy and sell. UPEI’s team was made up of students Geoffrey Gaudet, Nick Czinder, Jordan Rose, and Silei Peng.

Professor Yousef Hashmi noted the competition simulated the intense pressure of a real exchange floor—including screaming and yelling! Students saw first hand the role psychology plays in the trading and business worlds.

“Our students had the opportunity to see how financial markets work in the real world as opposed to the classroom,” said Hashmi. “It was an invaluable experience for them, and they rose to the occasion.”

Teams from UPEI’s School of Business have enjoyed great success in recent years in regional, national, and international case competitions. As the Globe and Mail recently reported, the successes have helped raise the profile of the school in the world of academia and with potential international students.

“It gives us some international flair and also gives us confirmation of the quality of education,” said Dr. Juergen Krause, Dean of the School of Business.

Congratulations!

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.