Aspers donate $3M to theatre centre

The University of Winnipeg’s Department of Theatre and Film has been renamed the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film as a result of the Asper family’s $3 million donation to the Centre. The $5.5 million centre has helped the university improve their theatre and film education and training to provide students with higher level performance and production skills.

First two recruits for the U of W wrestling program announced

Caroline Tess and Jessica Brenton are the first recruits to the University of Winnipeg’s Wesmen Wrestling program, the university announced last week. Tess joins the team with three years of experience during which time she was a two-time Provincial Champion and winner of the Outstanding Contribution Athletics Award. In 2011, Tess finished fifth at the National Championships and was named the most valuable female wrestler. Brenton came from Wyoming with 13 years of experience during which she won Women’s State Championship four times. Recently she won the 2011 Governor’s Award as the top female wrestler in the state. Brenton was also named Outstanding Athlete in her freshman year and is the women’s representative on the Wyoming Amateur Wrestling Association Board of Directors.

U of W leaders join fight against homelessness

On Sept. 29, the University of Winnipeg’s vice-president Dr. John Corlett and Diversity Foods executive chef Ben Kramer will be sleeping in the Canwest Courtyard (201 Portage Ave.) as part of the Downtown BIZ’s CEO Sleepout event. The event aims to raise awareness by bringing community members together to talk about homelessness, poverty, employment and social issues. Lana Hastings, vice-president student services with the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association, will also be attending the event on behalf of U of W students. While some donate their time, others are encouraged to donate money to help reach their $100K goal to kick off the Change for the Better campaign.

A look into the lives of ‘Horse and Buggy’ Mennonites

Anti-Modern Pathways: ‘Horse and Buggy’ Mennonites in Canada, Belize and Latin America is a free academic conference that will be held in Convocation Hall at the University of Winnipeg from Oct. 21 to Oct. 22, 2011.  The conference will examine the history of both the Old Order Mennonites of Southern Ontario and the Old Colony Mennonites of the Americas. The conference will examine their perspectives, relationships, religion and how they have survived in the modern world. Twelve scholars will share their fieldwork experiences from around the world.

University of Winnipeg, community groups set to buy out Merchants Hotel

The University of Winnipeg Urban and Inner City Studies program, along with various community and aboriginal led organizations, are set to acquire the infamous Merchants Hotel, located at the corner of Selkirk Avenue and Andrews Street. The hotel, which has been plagued by crime, contains a 200-seat beverage room, a beer vendor and 20 hotel rooms, 13 of which are occupied by permanent residents. The U of W says that it will find housing for those 13 residents before it moves into the building in April 2012. The Winnipeg Foundation, along with the University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corporation, are conducting a feasibility study of the site before any formal plans for the building are made public.

Published in Volume 66, Number 4 of The Uniter (September 22, 2011)