Here Be Dragons

Back in the winter, I went to Detroit with Jhoan and our awesome friend Frances.
While we were there, we had a mission. Eat at Cass Cafe, and go to The Burton Theatre.
I wrote about it on this blog already.

What I didn’t mention was the extraordinary experience we had when I begged the ladies to let me go to Bob’s Classic Kicks. Not only do they have ridiculously gorgeous throwback and vintage shoes, they have a blog with all of their stock listed (as it comes in)! I didn’t even know where it was, but when we drove by it I quickly made my case to the girls. They gave me the okay, so I turned around and found a spot.

When we approached the building, we noticed people standing out front. They were…standing.

We all looked in the side windows of the place when we noticed something that stopped us. Immediately. We weren’t going in. We were clearly not welcome. We couldn’t even get a look at all the shoes if we did go inside.

But the owner, I assume, appeared out of nowhere. “Come on in! You wanna come in? Come on!” He reminded me of how I chase down potential customers and regulars that pass by Phog. I always see unknowing people milling out front, looking at the show posters, wondering what’s inside. He clearly saw the same thing, and wanted us to go in, regardless of what was going on inside.

The following video shows what was happening inside.

I’m very happy we chose to go in, and not just because I scored a killer grey and navy pair of Air Force Ones.

For those of you wondering what the charm is about Detroit. This is part of it.

You can plan on buying shoes on a Sunday afternoon and walk in on an impromptu rap video being shot…and the DJ behind the turntables, that you never see in this video (off to the far left) has a fro-hawk that is BRIGHT RED. So slick.

Incredible.

Tweet This

{ 0 comments }

In the last few years, my awareness of all things Windsor has spiked.
My awareness of events, shows, lectures, meetings, discussions, conferences, etc. was overwhelming. I can’t wrap my head around how much is going on in this city on any given week.

I can’t take credit for having my ear to the ground. I have a TON of great new friends and acquaintances that keep me informed about things I care about. They come into Phog and tell me, or they post things on Facebook and Twitter that I see and learn from.

One area of this city that I have limited knowledge of (ironically) is the University of Windsor and St. Clair College campus activities. No idea. Almost zero. I know SOME stuff at the U of W, because I’ve been asked to speak to a few classes in the last 18 months, and I co-hosted a show on CJAM (U of W’s campus radio station). St. Clair College…it might as well be on the moon. I know absolutely NOTHING about what they’re doing…aside from the MediaPlex. And the only reason I know that is because Veronique Mandal was one of my earliest contacts and mentors in media when I was in school for journalism.

The thing is, I SHOULD know. My antenna is up. I care about the student population and what they think about Windsor. So why isn’t anything being caught in my collective net with regard to post secondary students?

This fact is appalling. If there is a “nut graph” in this whole piece, it’s that Windsor’s post secondary institutions have done an awful job at communicating with (influencing) the community around them. They are insular, self-aware, myopic institutions that COULD make this city a sought-after location.

I’d like to use the Humanities Research Group as an example. Diana Lind of Next American City Magazine was a speaker as part of the HRG program in 2009. There was a speaking engagement one evening, followed by a luncheon where you could attend and pick the speaker’s mind. Amazing. Such a great opportunity. I attended, but only because I saw something one day before the talk. I posted it on Twitter and Facebook, where I learned that Chris Edwards from the DWBIA saw the first mention of it. He was super-excited. He attended, as he is a HUGE fan of Next American City Magazine. But why didn’t he know earlier? Why didn’t several local blogs that deal with civic matters know about this in time to promote the HELL out of it to people who CARE?

As someone who receives press releases ( I subscribed to their e-mails) from the University of Windsor, looking at the last six I’ve gotten, they’re all just messages telling news outlets that “UWindsor has informed academics for commentary in April” which means that if The Windsor Star needs a quote about Earth Day, they have JUST the person. Or they’re telling newspapers what their gifted researchers have uncovered. The last event notice I got was on March 23rd for a VERY intriguing event described in the release as, “A Multidisciplinary International Conference in Music Therapy and Supportive Cancer Care. To bring together experts in oncology treatment, research and education to learn about and discuss how music advances and supports quality care for cancer survivors and their caregivers.”

The invite came on the 23rd. The event ran from the 26th to the 28th. How is this supposed to be outreach to the community at large? I saw/heard NOTHING about this until I got this release. And I know how busy most of my friends and acquaintances are…so this is NOWHERE NEAR enough lead-time to attend this event. And I think it’s safe to say that I deal with a LOT of musicians.

I’m obviously not doing my job (I guess) if the University of Windsor School of Music didn’t think that this posting should have been at Phog, Milk, and other music venues in the city. What chemical am I not giving off (are WE not giving off) to suggest that we want to be INVOLVED?

But this is par for the course. I shudder at the thought of how many events I’ve missed in my last ten years of Windsor life. It’s not just sad, but frustrating to think about how this information/opportunity is being held close to the chest, like a poker hand. Why?! Why is there a line drawn somewhere around Cameron Avenue keeping everything west of that line completely secret until press is needed?

I know I’m not the only person in Windsor who feels as though Windsor, at times, doesn’t even have a university or college. The communities I’m most engaged in (business, arts, music, design, journalism, and promotions) scratch their heads wondering where the students in these fields are…it’s as if they don’t exist. When I’ve been lucky enough to address these students, I tell them, “We’re not supposed to be looking for YOU! You should be looking for US! We can tell you some stuff you might like to know! Where the hell ARE YOU?! We want to connect.”

If students don’t take the initiative, as it’s clear the institution and majority of professors are not taking the initiative (online or offline…geez, get a Facebook group maybe to start), students might as well take online courses from the basements of their homes in whatever city they’re from. They’re getting the same connection to the greater Windsor community in their basement in Ajax as they are on the self-contained, shut-off University of Windsor campus. Don’t even get me started about how disconnected they are from Detroit! Oh, the opportunity! Oh, the potential!

Am I crazy? Does something NEED TO HAPPEN in order to GIVE students a reason to remember Windsor for something more than keg parties in the west end or the taste of Tim Horton’s coffee in the CAW Student Centre (U of W) or Windsor Crossing outlet mall and Griff’s Tavern (St. Clair College)?

Where does this initiative need to come from? Do businesses and community groups need to go and fetch these students to get them involved in our city? Is getting them to care the only way to stop the brain drain of departing students?

This flurry of disdain comes from my ongoing experience of noticing the almost complete disconnection from the University of Windsor, St. Clair College, their students, their professionals, and the rest of the city (the people I know ) from my perspective. Maybe I’m the odd duck. I doubt it, but it may be a possibility….so if that IS the case, tell me how YOU connect to these institutions, who initiated, and how I can do better.

How can we all do better?

Tweet This

{ 14 comments }

Tweet This

{ 2 comments }