Location: St John’s College Quad (between the Robert Schultz Theatre and St John’s Residence)
Time: 4:00 – 6:00 PM

Jumpstart provides an opportunity for students to connect with new and old faces, meet College Fellows and staff, and have fun while doing it! Guests will be treated to hamburgers from the Daily Bread Café, along with cotton candy and popcorn machines! The celebration will also feature carnival-style activities, including Jumbo Jenga, Jumbo Connect 4, Bean Bag Toss, Ladder Ball, Ring Toss, and a basketball arcade game.

Not a member yet? You can become a St John’s College member at any time before the event. Simply show your membership confirmation email at the check-in to be able to join in on the fun.

We look forward to seeing you all and celebrating our community together!  

“It’s a gathering place and whether you’re a student, an employee, an academic or anyone, they’re all coming here for a common purpose,” says Julia Panchyshyn, a Manager of the Human Resources Service Centre at UM.

For over 20 years, Panchyshyn has also been a group fitness instructor for Recreation Services. She says she’s seen firsthand how the facility enabled a “very special” community to grow on campus.

“It’s a really tight-knit community, and I think working on campus, you run across people that have been in your classes or at the gym, and you make these connections,” she says.

“A renaissance fitness cathedral.”

Julia Panchyshyn

The facility, designed by Cibinel Architecture in collaboration with Batteríid Architects, replaced the “gritty” grotto, the former basement-level workout facility. In addition to the updated fitness facilities, the building also houses the High Performance Training Centre, the heart of strength and conditioning for Bisons student-athletes and the Applied Research Centre, a hub for faculty research advancing our understanding of kinesiology.

When it opened, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management Dean Douglas Brown said the new facility, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, was a “renaissance fitness cathedral.”

“I love that in almost every corner of this space, you’re looking out at the sunshine and the green,” said Kaylee Green, a program coordinator with Mini U. “We’re really lucky here with how accessible it is, how safe it is and the opportunity to play and be a part of this community.”

“It’s great to see that sometimes their passion starts here, at an almost grassroots level.”

Green says the space creates the chance for Mini U to expose campers to new experiences they weren’t previously able to accommodate, like more climbing programs on the 32-foot wall. She says many of the climbing leaders today were once kids in the climbing camps years ago.

Kaylee Green

“It’s been nice that [ kids who’ve gone through Mini U programs] want to stay here and they want to share that passion with the kids,” she says. “It’s great to see that sometimes their passion starts here, at an almost grassroots level.”

When the building opened, Brown says the goal was to create a space that would help draw people into the campus and community. Green says it’s done more than just that; it has become a safe and comfortable place for many young campers.

“I love working out with all the students because it gives me the energy to push myself.”

Green says many of the campers look up to the people in the community, like instructors they meet and older athletes they see working out. Getting to engage in the same facilities as them gives them a “goal” for their future.

Prema Bursa says she shares a similar enthusiasm for the community in the ALC.

“It’s the people, the members, the staff, the fitness attendants, the reception desk, everybody.”

Prema Bursa

“I love working out with all the students because it gives me the energy to push myself,” the longtime member says. “I see what they’re doing and I want to do the same.”

Bursa, a senior in the community who has been a member for over 30 years, says it’s the people that keep her coming six days a week (Fridays are her rest day).

“It’s the people, the members, the staff, the fitness attendants, the reception desk, everybody. They’re all so helpful, so wonderful and such passionate people,” she says.

Panchyshyn says the welcoming feeling the community has in the space is really its defining feature. She says the anxiousness of going to the gym lightens when you see the familiar faces of the attendants and members.

“It just makes it that much easier and takes that scariness away,” she says. “Then you’ll recognize someone another time, or see them elsewhere on campus, and you now have this connection which just makes things a little easier each time.”

Programming engaging recreation and outreach in the Active Living Center, whether it be through Recreation Services, Mini U or Bisons Sports is part of the faculty’s strategic plan centered around building health communities.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Active Living Centre’s and its role in building health and wellness in the community, a number of events will take place from June 7-17.

The celebration kicks off on June 7 with the Get Active open house and wraps up with Sneaker Day, a staff and faculty event on June 17. Throughout the week, people who attend events at the ALC can be entered to win prizes from Recreation Services, including daily 4-month memberships, and one 12-month membership grand prize.

Celebration events

June 7: Get Active open house

• Get Active opens the doors to the ALC with free access to the fitness facilities on the Fort Garry campus.
• • •  Get Active showcases membership benefits, provides access to fitness facilities and builds community both on and off campus.
    •  The facilities will be open to the public for free from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    •  Visit the event listing for a full schedule

June 9-13: Staff appreciation week

• All faculty and staff at UM will have free gym access throughout the work week.
• Workout on the fitness floor, try a group fitness class or sign up for drop-in climbing. Take advantage of all the benefits of the Rec Services membership for free this week.
• UM staff can stop by the customer service desk in the ALC and Joe Doupe Recreation Centre with their staff card to fill out a waiver to take advantage of free gym access for the week.

June 17: Sneaker Day

• A special lunch-hour event for staff and faculty from across the university to connect, enjoy some fresh air and embrace an active lifestyle with a 3 km walk at both the Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses, sponsored by the Office of the Vice-President (Administration).
• Staff and faculty are invited to socialize after the walk and enjoy cookies and ice cream (from the UM Dairy Club). Registration has closed but UM staff are welcome to join us on the walk.

“Listening to them talk about what they’re wrestling with and what their hopes and dreams are for the future is super inspiring because that wasn’t around when I was coming up,” she says.

The professor from the University of British Columbia presented her work, which combines history and sociology to explore the relationship between sport and culture from Indigenous perspectives. She was joined by other presenters, including Dr. Jon McGavock from the Children’s Hospital Research Institution of Manitoba, Dr. Moneca Sinclaire of Our Data Indigenous, and Sonny Albert, the Director of Parks and Recreation for Norway House Cree Nation, to discuss the year’s theme of Indigenous health and wellness.

“To see a space for that kind of particular interest in Indigenous health and well-being from the point of view of life and culture and nationhood makes my heart sing,” says Forsyth.

Dr. Leisha Strachan, professor and associate dean of research and graduate studies for the faculty, says the theme was chosen to “increase our understanding of Indigenous health and wellness from a research and applied perspective.”

“It was really great to bring these conversations front and centre for Research Day,” said Strachan. “The conversations and connections were fruitful and made more special by the presence of the SPARC and Verna J. Kirkness students.”

The Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation in the Community Certificate (SPARC) program through the faculty helps equip educational leaders to deliver quality physical education and recreation programming throughout communities in Manitoba. Other community members who participated in Research Day included students from the Verna J. Kirkness Education Foundation (VJKF), which brings high school students to campus to learn about research and the supports available on campus

“It’s always exciting to share the same space as young minds and new learners because they often ask the simplest but hardest to answer questions,” she says. “Because at the end of the day, the knowledge isn’t valuable if it isn’t accessible to our communities.”

To tie into the theme of Indigenous health and wellness with learning, Research Day participated had the opportunity to take part in a dreamcatcher workshop led by Penny Folster of Prairie Beadwork Designs. She says dreamcatchers are believed to bless the “sleeping one” with beautiful dreams, harmony and good luck throughout their lives.

Students presented their research during the poster competition which featured undergraduate, master’s and PhD students displaying and discussing their research with judges and community members. Forsyth says smaller knowledge-sharing opportunities, like Research Day and the poster competition, can be even more meaningful than larger conferences.

“I think it’s important, more than ever, for people to come together in real time and in real spaces to talk and actually have those connections face to face,” she says. “This is where people learn to express themselves and share their ideas, and that’s how the world moves forward.”

Poster competition award winners

PhD Poster Winners

1. Jason Mergler
2. Saba Mohammadalinezhad Kolahdouz
3. Dean Cordingley 

Master’s

1. Amy Abegglen
2. Vianney Vega
3. Emma Heath

UG

1. Nickolas Klassen

What’s on Sale?

Browse a stunning array of:

• Handcrafted ceramics
• Unique prints and stickers
• Merch
• And more surprises!

Four days and two locations – Mark Your Calendars:

March 18 & 19

• Print Sale: University Centre | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
• Ceramics Sale: ARTlab, 180 Dafoe Road | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

March 20 & 21

• Print Sale: ARTlab, 180 Dafoe Road | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
• Ceramics Sale: University Centre | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Don’t miss out!

“This event is a chance to gather to recognize Métis people, history and culture as well as acknowledge the life, accomplishments and sacrifices of Louis Riel and the importance of his leadership, vision and contributions to the creation of Manitoba,” says Vanessa Lillie, Director of Cultural Integration. “It’s inspiring to see future young leaders embracing and celebrating their pride in being Métis.”

Louis Riel Day is named for Métis leader Louis Riel who is recognized for his leadership during the Red River and North-West Resistances, which were pivotal in defending Métis rights and land against the Canadian government. In 2023, he was recognized by the Manitoba government as the province’s honourary first premier.

“We have a history of celebrating this day at UM and like other years, there will be delicious food, live music, a chance to play trivia and a time to continue our ongoing relationship building,” says Lillie.

“This is a great time to join the Métis community on campus and to connect with supports for Métis students. Resource tables will be in attendance where you can meet community resources like the Two-Spirit Michif Local, Bison Local, Métis University Student Association (MUSA), UM Indigenous Birding Club, student advisors from the Indigenous Student Centre and Jessica Burzuik, the Métis Inclusion Coordinator with the Manitoba Métis Federation who is hosted here at UM to provide supports to Métis students.

“If it’s your first time joining us, we are looking forward to welcoming new and returning guests.”

What: Louis Riel Day Celebrations
Where: Marshall McLuhan Hall – Room 204, UMSU University Centre
When: Friday, February 14, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Please register in advance for the lunch order.

Every Freeze Is Different will provide an opportunity to experience music in new ways, incorporating multimedia, narration, visual art, and singing, outside the norms of traditional classical performance. This music will not only bring people together, but will stimulate the senses and the imagination. It is a highly collaborative event, with participation of the Winnipeg Chamber Winds Collective, directed by Jacquie Dawson, including local musicians, students, and faculty from both the Desautels Faculty of Music and the School Art.

The title of the inaugural concert, Every Freeze Is Different (2017) is from a composition on the program by Yellowknife-based composer, Carmen Braden. Braden was inspired to write the work as she watched snow falling and noticed ice forming on lakes, while some leaves fell from trees and others remained clinging, still green, to their branches. She realized how the repeating cycles and seasons of all parts of life have infinite variations to be explored and celebrated. Also on the program is Stone’s Throw (2018), by Manitoba-born Jocelyn Morlock, who was one of Canada’s leading composers. This piece was inspired by Ann Southam’s music, much of which refers to the repetitive nature of so-called women’s work—such as weaving and washing dishes—with a joyful, sunny nature. The Great Flood (2024) references the Cree Creation story and is part of a body of oral literary stories of the Northern Cree, shared with Metis writer and Indigenous Culture Carrier Joyce Clouston by Elder Stanley McKay. Clouston’s text was set to music by Manitoba-born composer Karen Sunabacka. This work was commissioned for the opening of the Desautels Concert Hall and is the most recent of a series of works created by the mother-daughter team of Clouston and Sunabacka. The concert will open with American composer Paul Lansky’s Threads (2005), featuring DFOM students in the UofM Percussion Ensemble, directed by Victoria Sparks, along with the UofM eXperimental Improv Ensemble (XIE), directed by Gordon Fitzell.

The Desautels Faculty of Music is deeply committed to community engagement and sharing stories and musical experiences. The Sharing Our Voices series will welcome the local community into DFOM’s state-of-the-art facilities at the UofM campus and will also bring music to more remote communities. Upcoming programs in the Sharing Our Voices series include Tales from the North, student outreach concerts that explore stories from Korea to Canada and Turtle Island. These performances will take place on campus on January 29, in St. Laurent on February 3, and in Selkirk on February 10, 2025.

Every Freeze Is Different, created as part of the ReSound Community Concerts in partnership with Winnipeg’s New Music Festival, starts at 7:30pm and will be held at Desautels Concert Hall at 150 Dafoe Road. A reception will follow. The event is free of charge but your seat must be reserved. For more information, see: https://eventscalendar.umanitoba.ca/site/music/event/re-sound–every-freeze-is-different/.

The centre offers child-inspired and culturally-diverse learning opportunities in a nurturing space with plenty of laughter and comfort for children while their parents study or work at the university.

Having access to high-quality and convenient care allows both parents and their children to achieve their fullest potential. This is especially important for UM students who are parents, juggling multiple responsibilities from studying and working to raising their families. Fifty percent of the children at the centre have parents who are UM students.

Children have an indoor gym, a sensory room and fresh homemade snacks daily.

Located at the corner of Dysart Road and University Cres., the centre has space for 138 children in eight rooms. With demand for childcare space at a premium in Winnipeg, this centre, like many others, has a 2-year long waiting list (currently with 1,000 names). Over the next few years, the facility will be expanding to accommodate up to 76 additional children. The centre also recently announced that they will be opening a satellite site at the Bannatyne Campus, tentatively opening in 2026.

Executive director, Dawn Montebruno is looking forward to having room for more children in the independent not-for-profit centre, overseen by a parent-run board of directors. She is committed to working hard in the planning process to ensure that the expansion is tailored to the needs of the children and 38 caring centre staff.

“The staff at Campus Children’s Centre take their roles and responsibilities as Early Childhood Educators very seriously. We are committed to creating a positive environment where the children will develop to their fullest potential,” says Montebruno.

UM student Razia and her daughter Sara

Razia Bakhtiary has been a UM student since 2019 and is working toward her degree in nursing. Her four-year old daughter, Sara, started at the UM Children’s Centre in 2021. As a single mother, with no family to help her in Canada, Razia says the centre has been essential for her and allows her to find the time she needs to succeed and focus on school.

“I love the staff,” shares Bakhtiary. “They are amazing people and it is a safe and trusted place I can leave my child.”

The Campus Children’s Centre is celebrating 50 years on campus in 2024. Staff are looking forward to welcoming the UM community, parents and centre alumni to a celebration in September.

For more information about childcare centres and waitlists in Manitoba, visit the Manitoba online childcare registry. More about the Campus Children’s Centre can be found on their website. In November, UM announced a new babysitting directory to help match parents with UM students for casual childcare.

This lunch hour event allows staff and faculty from across the university to reconnect, enjoy some fresh air, and embrace an active lifestyle. The Office of the Vice-President (Administration) and the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management co-sponsor the event.

Event schedule

11:45 a.m. – Check-in
12:10 p.m. – Welcoming remarks
12:15 p.m. – Campus walk
12:40 p.m. – Post-walk snack

Please RSVP by June 6.

So, find your snazziest sneakers, mark your calendars for June 20 and join us for a lunch hour filled with activity, camaraderie and fun. We can’t wait to see you there!

Check out sneakers from last year’s sneaker photo booth

UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Heather Gainforth, this year’s keynote speaker, says events like Research Day were one of her favourite things about her graduate experience.

“It’s a special moment where you go across disciplines and share what everybody’s been working on,” Gainforth says. “It’s nice to have these moments that milestone your degree.”

Research Days hosts the annual poster competition, in which undergraduate and graduate students prepare posters summarizing their work. They also give a three—to five-minute talk about their research and answer questions from a judging panel.

According to Gainforth, the opportunity to learn about research outside of your own can build meaningful connections in the community.

“Events like today help you understand why the person in the lab next to you is spending their time doing what they do. It creates a respect for each other.”

Guests started their morning outdoors on an Indigenous history, culture and nature walk led by Dr. Brian Rice. The first session of the day had Dr. Christine Van Winkle, joined by PhD students Kiri Shafto and Lesley Gaudry, on stage to discuss her ongoing international project about community resilience and recovery following disasters. They spoke about lessons they have learned during community data collection research.

Five PhD students also participated in the Three-Minute Thesis competition (3MT), in which each student had three minutes to present their research in plain language with a single slide to illustrate their topic.

Gainforth keynote presentation shared her work on meaningful engagement in research. She summarized evidence on research partners and discussed different considerations for supporting, fostering and maintaining research partnerships.

“The people and the relationships in science are so important,” says Gainforth. “Someone might do their science a little differently because of today or think differently because of something they heard today.”

Gainforth said she sees something very special happening within the faculty, with the entire community not just stating they care about their values but putting them into action, with all of Research Day representing a “deep care for engagement, inclusion and creating belonging and connection.”

Award Winners

Undergraduate Poster Competition winner / GSKARMA People’s Choice Award winner:

• Mauricio Ramos Gutierrez

Masters Poster Competition winners:

• First place – Sasha Kullman
• Second place – Faith Olarinde
• Third place – Yoon-Suk Park

PhD Poster Competition winners:

• First place – Nicole Brunton
• Second place – Jefferson Lima del Santana
• Third place – Emily Hyde

3MT Competition winners:

• First place – Daniel Schwade Araujo
• Second place – Elena Broeckelmann
• Third place – Jacqueline Hay

“It was very surreal and I was crying,” says Olarinde about finding out she received the award in November 2023. “It means so much that Ruth believed in my work enough to support it.”

For Olarinde, Asper’s belief in her work goes a long way in reassuring her she is on the right path. Olarinde says she often suffers from bouts of imposter syndrome, feeling like there is more she should be doing.

“I try to approach it by giving myself grace,” says Olarinde. “I just remind myself that I’m doing the best I can at the time.”

Time is something Olarinde is certainly making the most of. As her first year of graduate studies winds down, she prepares to continue her research and data collection in Dr. Rodrigo Villar’s Cardiorespiratory and Physiology of Exercise Research Lab. She also continues her work as a teacher’s assistant and recently started volunteering with Siloam Mission.

“It’s been so fun doing something different,” says Olarinde. “I just always feel like I can do more.”

During Research Day’s poster competition, Olarinde will also present her work, Differences in physiological responses to orthostatic stress challenges between long-covid and non-long-covid individuals. Olarinde says the event is an excellent opportunity for students and staff to connect and broaden their understanding of the work happening across different labs.

“Kinesiology and recreation are very broad, and there are so many different aspects of them,” says Olarinde. “It’s a great way to find people and see what others are doing.”

Research Day will include several events, including an Indigenous history walk, speaker panels, a poster and Three-Minute Thesis competitions and a keynote talk by Dr. Heather Gainforth, an associate professor at UBC Okanagan.

Olarinde will deliver the land acknowledgement at the start of the event in addition to competing and receiving an award.

“I am looking forward to that,” says Olarinde. “I think it will be fun to see everyone again.”

Research Day is an all-day event on May 14, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding at 4:00 p.m. with an awards ceremony and reception. All members of the UM community are welcome to join FKRM at the free event throughout the day.