The annual UPEI Global Village Multicultural Festival takes place on Saturday, November 17 at 6:00 pm in McMillan Hall of the W.A. Murphy Student Centre at UPEI. The Global Village Organizing Committee is excited to invite to the community to celebrate the diversity and friendship of our beautiful island by attending this free event. The festival brings together various ethno-cultural groups and community organizations in an effort to build a more comprehensive working model of the area’s cultural mosaic. To celebrate this rich heritage, UPEI students host an annual multicultural festival to gather cultural representation from the university and PEI. The Global Village is an exciting opportunity to bring domestic and international students and community members together to collaborate, promote, explore and learn about each other’s cultural background in an interactive and engaging way. “Not everyone has the opportunity to go out and see the world, so it’s nice to be able to bring a little bit of the world here for everyone to enjoy,” said Russell Kleinveldt, one of the members of the Global Village Organizing Committee and an international student from South Africa in the Master of Education program. This September, the number of international students enrolled at UPEI is the highest in its history, amounting to just over 25 per cent of the student population. There are more than 70 countries represented in the international student body at the university. For more information on the UPEI Global Village, please contact Nouhad Mourad at the International Student Office at nmourad@upei.ca or (902) 566-6092.

Suicide impacts campuses and communities everywhere, and UPEI is no exception. ‘Make It Public’ aims to raise awareness and encourage conversation through personal stories. The event will be led by student speakers, and will feature live music by students from the Holland College School of Performing Arts. Free food. All are welcome. 

For the second time, the pinnacle of motorsport, the Sustainable Alternative Novel Design Intramural (SANDI) Race of First Year, will be held at the Mount Academy on Monday, November 19 at 12:30 p.m. (weather permitting). This year's contest includes a speed race, slalom, and Concours competition.  Come join us and cheer for your favorite team! We are counting on your support!

The Faculty of Education formally announces the upcoming PhD defence by Olive Bryanton.  Olive will be defending her dissertation titled "Pioneers in Aging: Voices of women 85 years and older aging in place in rural communities".  All are welcome to attend Olive's public presentation, taking place on Friday November 23, 2018 from 2:30 to 3:00 pm in Duffy Research Centre room 212 building #28- the building beside AVC building (not the Duffy Science Centre).

Singers and actors alike will reflect on challenges like reconciliation, sustainability and taking action, with a particular focus on PEI. Sirens will be joined by the Mi’kmaq Heritage Actors in the PEI premiere of “Sorrow Song for Whales,” a work by Canadian composer Jeff Enns, with lyrics by PEI’s Poet Laureate Deirdre Kessler. Kessler based her lyrics on a Mi’kmaq legend as told by Elder Matilda Knockwood Snache. The song tells a parallel story to the original legend, and contemplates the plight of whales and our shared responsibility to the earth. This work was created with the support of the Government of Prince Edward Island’s Arts Grant programs. The concert will also feature the world premiere of “Thee,” a new work by Island composer E.K.R. Hammell, based on a text by L.M. Montgomery. “Thee” is a reflection on heartbreak and the value of shared personal experiences.

Third event in our fourth year - Roasted Rep Pepper and Potato Soup plus Chicken Noodle Soup. Of course, rolls (with butter!) and rumours are in the wind of a tasty dessert treat or two!  This event is co-hosted by three groups - UPEI Women in Business, Engineers Without Borders, and UPEI Retirees Association.  Warm soup makes a cold day so much better!  

All are welcome to attend this week's FSDE Graduate research seminar on Wednesday, November 21 at 12:00pm in FSDE 212. This week's presenters are: Holly Wilts - MSc Student with her title, "The Effect of Salix Buffers on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agricultural-Riparian Transition Zones in Potato Cropping Systems" AND Melanie Bos - MSc Student with her title, "Evaluating the environmental impacts of potato production on PEI."

The Saint Dunstan’s University Institute for Christianity and Culture’s fifth annual Faith And Knowledge Lecture presents Jesuit Fr. Thomas J. Reese with an examination of the direction of Pope Francis. The event is Thursday, November 29 at 7:00 pm in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, room 242 of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall. All are welcome. Jesuit Fr. Thomas J. Reese’s column for Religion News Service, Signs of the Times, appears regularly in the National Catholic Reporter. Father Reese entered the Jesuits in 1962 and was ordained in 1974. He was educated at St. Louis University, the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and at the University of California Berkeley, where he received a Ph.D. in political science. He was an associate editor of America magazine, where he wrote on politics, economics and the Catholic Church, from 1978 to 1985 and editor-in-chief from 1998 to 2005. He was a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center from 1985 to 1998 and 2006 to 2013. While at Woodstock, he wrote the trilogy on the organization and politics of the church: Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church (1989), A Flock of Shepherds: The National Conference of Catholic Bishops (1992), and Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church (1996). He also edited The Universal Catechism Reader (1990), an analysis of the first draft of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Episcopal Conferences: Historical, Canonical and Theological Studies (1989). He is also author of a NCR e-book, Caring for Our Common Home: A Readers’ Guide and Commentary on Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment (2015). In 2014, Father Reese was appointed by President Obama to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission that reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. He was reappointed to another two-year term in May 2016. 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 join students in HIST1160 this lunch time as they display the research posters they have developed on aspects of the history of the devil.

The UPEI Health & Wellness Centre welcomes Health Canada's Know More campaign to the W.A. Murphy Centre on Wednesday, November 21 & Thursday, November 22 from 11-3. This interactive experiential tour is open to everyone to raise awareness of Canada's opiod crisis. Participants will learn how to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose. We look forward to seeing you there!