17吃瓜

Our EFAP provider, Green Shield, is hosting orientation webinars for all employees, faculty members, and their dependents who would like to learn more about how their 17吃瓜 EFAP benefits work. 

2026 dates offered: February 5, March 5, April 2, May 7, June 4, July 2, August 6, September 3, October 1, November 5 and December 3.

To register:

1. Click this to register
2. Please select the best date (note that the time zone is listed in EST).
3. Complete the Webinar Registration.
4. You will receive an email confirmation that has the log-in and call-in details.

This comprehensive, confidential, and accessible program offers a wide range of services to support your mental health and overall well-being, including:

5 hours of individual counselling (Green Shield will closely monitor usage and will provide additional hours to those who need further support, to ensure that no one is denied access to the program because of insufficient sponsored hours in any policy year) and 5 hours of couples therapy

Additional program highlights include:

• Flexible therapy options via phone, video, or in-person, with 30, 60, or 90-minute sessions
• Personalized therapist matching that considers DEI preferences
• Unlimited 15-minute consultations to help members find their ideal therapist
• Innovative, value-added services in areas such as children鈥檚 mental health, nutrition, and overall well-being
• Unlimited financial and legal consultations
• Self-guided digital CBT, well-being coaching, and personalized care navigation
• Digital pharmacy and nutrition services

Create your account to explore services, including Mental Health Support: Get convenient, personalized mental health support from a qualified therapist best suited to you, or explore our self-guided online therapy program at your own pace.

We hope you鈥檒l enjoy this integrated and convenient health experience.

ACCOUNT AS AN EMPLOYEE

Create your account to access GreenShield+ services today.

Your Organization code is: 17吃瓜

Sign Up

To access your EAP on GreenShield+:

1. Make a note of your Organization Code "17吃瓜"
2. Go to 
3. Select Through an Employer or Organization
4. Select I have an Organization Code
5. Follow the steps to register

ACCOUNT AS A DEPENDENT

Before You Begin: You should only choose through a family member if you are a dependent (e.g. partner, spouse, child) of a person with a plan member ID or organization code.

For questions, contact Human Resources at employeeservices@upei.ca

This online Lunch & Learn session with Dr. Elizabeth Wells from Mount Allison University has been postponed.  A new date later in the semester will be shared soon. 

The 17吃瓜 departments of Human Resources and Athletics and Recreation are excited to invite staff and faculty to two Panther Pride events鈥� 鈥淲hy We Walk鈥� on Thursday, February 5, and 鈥淧anther Sport Night and Employee Social鈥� on Friday, February 6, 2026.

Why We Walk, hosted by the 17吃瓜 Men鈥檚 Basketball Panthers
Thursday, February 5, 2026     11:30 am 鈥� 1:00 pm
Why We Walk is a campus-wide walk created to raise awareness and show unified support in the ongoing fight against breast cancer, bringing athletes, students, and the 17吃瓜 community together in a meaningful and visible way. This guided walk will take place around the campus beginning at a central location and ending at a final gathering point. Along the route, participants will stop at three interactive stations, each designed to encourage reflection, expression, and awareness.

Panther Sport Night and Employee Social
Friday, February 6, 2026

This high-energy night of sport will bring our campus community together to cheer on the 17吃瓜 Panthers as they near the finals鈥攚hile also supporting an important cause. 

The 17吃瓜 Women鈥檚 Basketball Panthers will host Shoot for the Cure, a fundraising initiative in support of breast cancer awareness and research. Dedicated to advancing breast cancer research and awareness, Shoot for the Cure has become a longstanding tradition in Canadian university sport, uniting athletes, coaches, and fans around a common cause.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK!

Join Ashton Dougan (Nursing) and Marissa Clapson (Chemistry) for an interactive lunch-and-learn on February 26 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the TLC, Robertson Library Annex, Room 230, where you won鈥檛 just hear about escape rooms--you鈥檒l experience one.

In this session, participants will take part in a mini educational escape room, explore the tactile and digital materials we use to design them, and learn how escape rooms can promote engagement, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving across disciplines. We will share examples from nursing and chemistry, discuss student reactions and learning outcomes, and walk you through the first steps of planning your own classroom escape room. Whether you teach in the sciences, health, or beyond, you鈥檒l leave with practical ideas, adaptable resources, and inspiration to bring playful, high-impact learning into your courses.

The Office of Research Services and the Teaching and Learning Centre are collaborating to put on a workshop about incorporating Indigenization and equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) in Research. 

Funders (especially the Tri-Agencies) are increasingly looking for Indigenization and EDIA to be included in grant applications. This session will help researchers explore their positionality and incorporate Indigenization and EDIA into their proposal and highly qualified personnel (HQP) sections. 

Event details 

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026 

Time: 10:00 am鈥�12:00 pm 

Location: FSDE 128A (in-person only)

More information and a registration link will be available shortly. Questions can be directed to Julie VanLeeuwen (jmvanleeuwen@upei.ca), Research Navigator. 

Volunteers wanted for sauna and blood sugar and sauna study

Research study at the 17吃瓜
Principal Investigator: Dr. 脡tienne Myette-C么t茅

Study Title:

The Effects of Acute Sauna Therapy on Glucose Control in Individuals at Risk for Metabolic Impairments.

What鈥檚 involved: Help us understand how a single 45-minute infrared sauna session affects blood sugar levels. Participants will complete two sessions (sauna and rest), wear a small blood sugar sensor (CGM), and attend a total of three lab visits. All meals for study days will be provided.

You may be eligible if you

• are 30鈥�49 years old
• have a body mass index of 鈮� 27 kg/m²
• have a waist size >102 cm (men) or >88 cm (women)
• have access to transportation for the last 2 visits (e.g., car, public transit, or drop-off) or live within a five-minute walk of the university.
• are cleared for participation based on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+).

You cannot participate if you

• take medications that affect blood sugar
• exercise intensely 2+ times/week
• have diabetes, heart issues, low blood sugar or pressure
• are pregnant
• regularly use saunas or other heat therapy

Location: All sessions take place at the 17吃瓜.

Interested? Contact us to learn more or see if you're eligible: researchupei@outlook.com

Upcoming Information Sessions: Reducing Administrative Burden for Low-Value, Low-Risk Fee for Service Agreements 

You spoke. We listened! 
As part of our ongoing effort to live 17吃瓜鈥檚 core value related to the Pursuit of Excellence, 17吃瓜鈥檚 Contracts and Insurance and Procurement teams 鈥� along with a cross-functional process improvement group including representation from administrative staff, Privacy, ITSS, and the Office of the VPAF鈥� have worked collaboratively to reduce administrative burden related to 17吃瓜鈥檚 Low-Value, Low-Risk Fee for Service (FFS) agreements. 

Did you know? 

• In 2025, 17吃瓜 processed 195 FFS agreements. 

• These agreements are currently subject to 28 touch points across seven 17吃瓜 departments and consume, on average, four hours of employee time each. That鈥檚 780 employee hours per year! 

• These agreements average 26 days to process from start to completion. 

• Most interestingly, 79% of the FFS agreements are valued at less than $50,000.  

• Many of these FFS engagements pose minimal risk but require significant administrative effort. 

What鈥檚 new? 

• Effective February 9, 2026, 17吃瓜鈥檚 Procurement and Contracts and Insurance teams are proposing to eliminate FFS agreements for engagements valued at $50,000 or less, provided they meet "low risk" criteria. 

• The new Low-Value, Low-Risk Process reduces administrative steps from 28 to 7 - a 75% reduction - while maintaining key safeguards, including insurance. 

• This streamlined process will result in a significant reduction in paperwork and annual hours spent on FFS engagements each year, as well as shortening the time to complete while reducing potential frustration for 17吃瓜 staff and external vendors. 

What do you need to know? 

• The Contracts and Insurance Office invites all members of the campus community to attend upcoming information sessions regarding the new Low-Value, Low-Risk FFS process.  

• These pre-launch sessions are intended to help departments prepare and ask questions ahead of implementation.  

• Sessions will include overviews of the Contracts and Insurance Office; FFS agreements; and the new Low-Value, Low-Risk FFS process; and offer an opportunity for Q&A  

Session details: February 4, 2026 | 9:00鈥�10:00 am | TBD |   

Questions: If you have questions or require additional information, please contact the Contracts and Insurance Office at contracts@upei.ca 

17吃瓜 is seeking input from community members and users of the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on whether to develop a high-performance strength and conditioning facility for 17吃瓜 and PEI athletes. A dedicated high-performance training centre would support approximately 250 varsity and 200 club student-athletes. 17吃瓜 is considering the creation of this training centre by redeploying 3,146 square feet of space in the Sports Centre from current use as squash courts and 鈥淪tudio One鈥� (a flexible exercise space). For more details, click here. Please provide input to Tim Walker, Vice-President, Administration and Finance, at vpaf@upei.ca by February 20, 2026. 

The Catherine Callbeck Centre for Entrepreneurship is hosting a workshop focused on teaching the basics about creating a business plan on Wednesday, February 3, from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. Participants will learn about the major components of a business plan and what sort of information should be included in the document. 

Attendees participating in the Harry W. MacLauchlan Entrepreneurship Program will also receive suggestions, tips, and tricks for how to make the most of their business plan for their written award submissions. The event is open to the public, but those participating in the Harry W. MacLauchlan Entrepreneurship Program Accelerate stream will have the event count towards their attendance boost for the Entrepreneurial written awards if present. 

Beginning at 9:00 am on Monday, February 2 and until further notice, anyone accessing electronic resources (e-journals, e-books, databases, etc.) subscribed to by the Robertson Library will be prompted to enter their 17吃瓜 username and password, even when connected to a 17吃瓜 computer network. Logging in with 17吃瓜 credentials is a long-standing requirement for accessing Library e-resources from off-campus, but not on 17吃瓜 computing networks. The need for a temporary  鈥渙n-campus login鈥� arrangement at this time arises from an initiative led by ITSS to consolidate 17吃瓜-owned . This has, in turn, made it necessary for the Library to reconfigure the EZProxy server that we use to manage access to our e-resources. 

During the EZproxy reconfiguration, the only way to reliably access databases and other e-resources will be through the links on the . 鈥嬧�婭f you have saved or bookmarked links that do not include the word "proxy" in the URL (web address), please note that these will not work during this time. You can fix those URLs using our .

If you encounter any difficulties accessing Library e-resources during this EZproxy reconfiguration, or have questions about it, please . For information about the broader 17吃瓜 IP initiative, please contact Graham Nixon, Manager, Infrastructure and Technology, ITSS. For updates see .

Join the Master of Cleantech Leadership and Transformation (MCLT) for a hands-on, creative student mixer on February 25, 2026, from 1:30鈥�3:30 pm in McMillan Hall.

Open to all students (undergraduate and graduate), participants can sign up in teams of three to build sustainability-themed miniatures鈥攕uch as green homes and pollinator gardens鈥攚hile learning about the MCLT program.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams, with additional door prizes, food, and a relaxed opportunity for students to connect and explore future pathways in sustainability and graduate studies.

The event is free to attend but space is limited, so sign up today:

Questions? Email fgaballa@upei.ca or cleantech@upei.ca

Bring your own lunch and join us for an engaging session 

Hosted by: The Teaching and Learning Centre 

Session Overview: 

Join us for a relaxed and informative Teaching & Learning Centre (TLC) Lunch & Learn session focused on Maintaining Motivation & Engagement in your classes. This is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues, share ideas, and gain insights into connecting learning to real鈥憌orld purpose, building an interactive learning environment, fostering a sense of belonging, providing clear structure and expectations, offering autonomy and choice, giving meaningful feedback, and integrating active learning technologies. 

RSVP:  

Contact: tlc@upei.ca 

The Office of Research Services and the Teaching and Learning Centre are collaborating to put on a workshop about incorporating Indigenization and equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) in Research. 

Funders (especially the Tri-Agencies) are increasingly looking for Indigenization and EDIA to be included in grant applications. This session will help researchers explore their positionality and incorporate Indigenization and EDIA into their proposal and highly qualified personnel (HQP) sections. 

Event details 

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026 

Time: 10:00 am鈥�12:00 pm 

Location: FSDE 128A (in-person only)

More information and a registration link will be available shortly. Questions can be directed to Julie VanLeeuwen (jmvanleeuwen@upei.ca), Research Navigator. 

Beginning at 9 am on Monday, February 2, and until further notice, anyone accessing electronic resources (e-journals, e-books, databases, etc.) subscribed to by the Robertson Library will be prompted to enter their 17吃瓜 username and password, even when connected to a 17吃瓜 computer network. Logging in with 17吃瓜 credentials is a long-standing requirement for accessing Library e-resources from off-campus but not on 17吃瓜 computing networks. The need for a temporary  鈥渙n-campus login鈥� arrangement at this time arises from an initiative led by ITSS to consolidate 17吃瓜-owned . This has, in turn, made it necessary for the Library to reconfigure the EZProxy server that we use to manage access to our e-resources. 

During the EZproxy reconfiguration, the only way to reliably access databases and other e-resources will be through the links on the . 鈥嬧�婭f you have saved or bookmarked links that do not include the word "proxy" in the URL (web address), please note that these will not work during this time. You can fix those URLs using our .

If you encounter any difficulties accessing Library e-resources during this EZproxy reconfiguration, or have questions about it, please . For information about the broader 17吃瓜 IP initiative, please contact Graham Nixon, Manager, Infrastructure & Technology, ITSS. For updates, see .

Increasingly, faculty are reporting exhaustion, overwork, and burnout as serious issues affecting their work lives.  Join Dr. Elizabeth Wells from Mount Allison University for this ONLINE session, where we will explore the landscape of burnout through the literature, and consider support and solutions for today鈥檚 overburdened academic. happening on February 3 at 12:00 noon. 

February is Black History Month, and the 17吃瓜 Student Union invites everyone to take part in a series of celebrations throughout the month. 鈦� During Black History Month, we honour and amplify the voices of Black folks while celebrating their many achievements and contributions.鈦�

We kick things off on Monday, February 2, with a Flag Raising Ceremony at 11 am in front of the Kelley Memorial Building. Later on the same day, at 12:30 pm in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre, enjoy Flavours of Black History Month featuring free food, including rice and peas, fried plantains, jerk chicken, vegetable, beef, and chicken samosas, and mandazi, prepared by Out of Africa and Boonoonoonoos. Sorrel and pineapple juice will also be available. This event will run while supplies last.

Information about other events will be posted closer to the event dates on our social media channels: @upeisu on all platforms. 

Upcoming Information Sessions: Reducing Administrative Burden for Low-Value, Low-Risk Fee-for-Service Agreements 

You spoke. We listened! 
As part of our ongoing effort to live 17吃瓜鈥檚 core value related to the Pursuit of Excellence, 17吃瓜鈥檚 Contracts and Insurance and Procurement teams鈥攁long with a cross-functional process improvement group including representation from administrative staff, Privacy, ITSS, and the Office VPAF鈥攈ave worked collaboratively to reduce administrative burden related to 17吃瓜鈥檚 Low-Value, Low-Risk Fee-for-Service (FFS) agreements. 

Did you know? 

• In 2025, 17吃瓜 processed 195 FFS agreements.

• These agreements are currently subject to 28 touch points across seven 17吃瓜 departments and consume, on average, four hours of employee time each. That鈥檚 780 employee hours per year!

• These agreements average 26 days to process from start to completion.

• Most interestingly, 79% of the FFS agreements are valued at less than $50,000. Many of these FFS engagements pose minimal risk but require significant administrative effort. 

What鈥檚 new? 

• Effective February 9, 2026, 17吃瓜鈥檚 Procurement and Contracts & Insurance teams are proposing to eliminate FFS agreements for engagements valued at $50,000 or less, provided they meet "low risk" criteria. 

• The new Low-Value, Low-Risk process reduces administrative steps from 28 to 7--a 75% reduction--while maintaining key safeguards, including insurance. 

• This streamlined process will result in a significant reduction in paperwork and annual hours spent on FFS engagements each year, as well as shortening the time to complete while reducing potential frustration for 17吃瓜 staff and external vendors. 

What do you need to know? 

• The Contracts and Insurance Office invites all members of the campus community to attend upcoming information sessions regarding the new Low-Value, Low-Risk FFS process.  

• These pre-launch sessions are intended to help departments prepare and ask questions ahead of implementation.  

• Sessions will include overviews of the Contracts and Insurance Office; FFS agreements; and the new Low-Value, Low-Risk FFS process, and offer an opportunity for Q&A  

Session details:  

• February 2, 2026 | 1:00鈥�2:00 pm | TBD |   

• February 4, 2026 | 9:00鈥�10:00 am | TBD |   

Questions:  If you have questions or require additional information, please contact the Contracts & Insurance Office at contracts@upei.ca 

The AVC Veterinary Teaching Hospital carries on-site pet food, treats and supplements. For your 24/7 convenience, we also have an online pet store at that offers a large selection of food, treats, toys, and supplies for cats, dogs, and exotic pets. For your added convenience, orders at with a minimum value of $30, before tax, qualify for free shipping directly to your home. As well, if you sign up for auto orders you will save 5% off your order, in addition to your 17吃瓜 Staff/AVC Student discount.  If you order an item that does not qualify for home delivery it will be shipped to the clinic for pickup.

How does it work?

If you don't already have an account, we invite you to sign up for one on the AVC myVETstore through the link below. Please use your 17吃瓜 email address when creating an account to ensure you receive your 17吃瓜 Staff/AVC Student discount:

Once you place an order and it is processed, you will receive an initial email confirming your order.  You will then receive a second email letting you know when your order has shipped or is available for pickup at the hospital.  

If you need assistance setting up your account, our Client Services Team is happy to help and can be reached by phone at 902-566-0950.

Yours sincerely,

AVC Veterinary Teaching Hospital

The Catherine Callbeck Centre for Entrepreneurship is hosting a workshop focused on teaching the basics about creating a business plan on Wednesday, February 3, from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. Participants will learn about the major components of a business plan and what sort of information should be included in the document. 

Attendees participating in the Harry W. MacLauchlan Entrepreneurship Program will also receive suggestions, tips, and tricks for how to make the most of their business plan for their written award submissions. The event is open to the public, but those participating in the Harry W. MacLauchlan Entrepreneurship Program Accelerate stream will have the event count towards their attendance boost for the Entrepreneurial written awards if present. 

Every year in February, we celebrate Black History Month. Members of the campus community are invited to join the 17吃瓜 Student Union, the Black Cultural Society, and the African Student Association at the raising of the Pan-African flag at the flag plaza near Kelley Memorial Building at 11:00 am. A reception with local food vendors will follow at 12:30 pm in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre. All are welcome. 

For information about other events and activities at 17吃瓜 to mark Black History Month, go to /communications/news/2026/01/upei-celebrates-black-history-month