REDress Project: combining art and education

The University of Winnipeg will be hosting the REDress Project, a campus-wide art installation presented by the U of W Institute for Women and Gender Studies and local Métis artist Jaime Black. The exhibition runs until March 12 and is part of an education program to raise awareness for the hundreds of murdered and missing aboriginal women across Canada. There will also be a number of free events during the week, including daily tours of the exhibition.

Donations help Diversity feed the community

The University of Winnipeg announced that thanks to a generous donation of $36,000 from Jennifer Roblin and the Burns Family Fund, Diversity Foods is able to provide food for the University of Winnipeg’s after school Let’s Talk Science and Homework Club at the Wii Chiiwaaakanak Learning Centre. Many of the young students show up hungry to the community centre, which provides aboriginal families with access to educational resources. Proper nutrition plays an important role in one’s ability to learn, so Diversity Foods prepares nutritious snacks made from local ingredients.

U of W helps bring Festival of India to life

The University of Winnipeg has announced its partnership with the India Association of Manitoba in presenting the Festival of India 2011. The festival will feature various events in Winnipeg throughout the year to expose Canadians to Indian art and culture, as well as build a stronger relationship with the Indo-Canadian community. The festival’s inaugural event is a production of the dance drama Shakunthalam, a love story based on the work of the poet Kalidasa from the fifth century. It will be performed by the Natyalakshana Academy ballet troupe on March 11 at 7 p.m. at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre.

Wesmen basketball star Stephanie Kleysen named Rookie of the Year

The University of Winnipeg and the Canada West Universities Athletic Association have named Stephanie Kleysen, a guard for the University of Winnipeg’s women’s basketball team, the Canada West Conference Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year. Only in her first year at the U of W, the Vincent Massey Collegiate graduate was named University of Winnipeg Female Player of the Week three times in the 2010-2011 season and University of Winnipeg Female Athlete of the Month in December 2010. She was instrumental in the Wesmen’s second place finish in the Canada West Women’s Basketball Conference, leading in rebounds and third on the team for scoring average.

Two Wesmen named to all-star team

Two University of Winnipeg Wesmen athletes have been named Canada West All-Stars. Fifth-year guard Catie Gooch, who finished the Canada West Conference in the top 10 for scoring, minutes played, free throw percentage and steals among others, and broke the Canada West record for three-pointers in a single game, was named to the Canada West First All-Star Team. Fourth-year guard and 2007-08 Canada West Rookie of the Year, Amy Ogidan, was named to the Canada West Second All-Star Team. Ogidan finished second on the team in scoring average at 11.4 points per game with a high of 24 points.

Published in Volume 65, Number 22 of The Uniter (March 10, 2011)