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Daily Bulletin, Thursday, October 18

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Chris Redmond

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Oct 18, 2007, 9:03:24 AM10/18/07

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Daily Bulletin

Thursday, October 18, 2007

* [3]Yesterday o [4]Archive
* [5]About the Daily Bulletin
* [6]Search
* [7]RSS image RSS version
* [8]UW Opinion

* _Progress toward an Emirates campus_
* _Wellness Fair gets started Monday_
* _United Way gifts come in, and more_

* Editor:
* Chris Redmond
* Communications and Public Affairs
* bull...@uwaterloo.ca

Link of the day

_[9]Persons Day _

When and where

_Hurt Penguin Sale_ outside UW bookstore, South Campus Hall, final
day.

_Professional and Post-Degree Days_ with information about some 100
education, health, pharmacy, social work, law, MBA and other programs
as well as graduate studies, organized by [10]Career Services, last
day, 11:00 to 2:00, Student Life Centre.

_International spouses group_ walk at the Millrace Trail, St. Jacobs,
meet 12:45 at Columbia Lake Village community centre; children welcome
(must have car seats); RSVP e-mail lighth...@gmail.com.

_RefWorks_ [11]bibliographic software workshop 1:30, Flex Lab, Dana
Porter Library; also November 15 at 10:00.

_'Building Farms_ on University Campuses' seminar by Martha Gay
Scroggins, Canadian Organic Growers, 2 p.m., Environmental Studies I
room 221.

_Career workshop:_ "Successfully Negotiating Job Offers" 4:30, Tatham
Centre room 1208, registration [12]online.

_History speakers series:_ Katharine McGowan, UW graduate student,
"Rethinking the Boer War", 7 p.m., 232 King Street North, Wilfrid
Laurier University.

_K-W Symphony_ concert: "The Story of the Saxophone", soloist Wallace
Halladay, 7:30, Humanities Theatre, tickets 519-578-1570.

_'Bhopal: The Search_ for Justice' 7:30, CEIT room 1015, film
sponsored by [13]Waterloo Public Interest Research Group.

_'City/Campus'_ fall conference of Association of Collegiate Schools
of Architecture, Friday-Saturday, Architecture building, 7 Melville
Street South, Cambridge, details [14]online.

_'Go Fly a Kite'_ with Amos Latteier, visiting professor at Render (UW
[15]art gallery), Friday 2:00 to 4:00, Columbia Fields.

_Beehive Design Collective_ demonstration sponsored by Waterloo Public
Interest Research Group, Friday 2:30 to 4:30, Student Life Centre.

_Ian Campbell,_ principal emeritus of Renison College, funeral service
Friday 3 p.m., Erb & Good funeral home.

_'Art laboratory and science fair'_ or "Creativity at the Intersection
of Art and Science", sponsored by Render (UW art gallery) and Waterloo
Unlimited, Friday 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., East Campus Hall, details
[16]online.

_Faculty of Science_ presents Chris Barnes, University of Victoria,
former chair of UW earth sciences department, "The [17]Neptune
Project: Understanding Earth and Ocean on an Ailing Planet", Friday 7
p.m., Humanities Theatre, admission free.

_St. Jerome's University_ presents John Bentley Mays, "The Creative
City: The Future of Christian Urbanism" Friday 7:30 p.m., Siegfried
Hall, admission free; same lecture to be given tonight 7:30 at Newman
Centre, University of Toronto.

_Warrior Weekend_ activities in Student Life Centre Friday and
Saturday evenings, including movies, pumpkin carving, drag queen show
and manhunt, details [18]online.

_Bioinformatics: From Quaternary to Binary_ symposium hosted by
Bioinformatics Club, Saturday, Arts Lecture Hall room 116, details
[19]online.

_UW weather station tour_ for faculty, staff and retirees, sponsored
by [20]UW Recreation Committee, Saturday 9:30 a.m., register by e-mail
uwrc@admmail.

_Fall Convocation_ Saturday: AHS and arts 10 a.m., other faculties
2:30 p.m., details [21]online.

_GeoTime Trail_ opening of installation by earth sciences professor
Alan Morgan, Sunday 1 p.m., Westside Trails beside Munich Circle, west
of Erbsville Road.

_UW Energy Days_ October 23-25, two public talks and open house,
details [22]online.

_'Thinking about Optometry'_ briefing on [23]application and interview
process Wednesday 5:30, Tatham Centre room 2218.

_Intelligent Waterloo Conference_ on use of broadband technology,
October 25, details [24]online.

_Keystone Run for Excellence_ walk or run around the ring road Friday,
October 26, start time 12:15, entry fee $10, registration [25]online.

_Trick-or-Eat_ Hallowe'en canvassing on behalf of Food Bank, October
31, volunteers sign up now [26]online.

One click away

o [27]First-year student competes in Japan next month
o [28]Renovation of SLC variety store: not any time soon
o [29]Biography by UW history prof shortlisted for G-G literary award
o [30]'Ontario students urge new government to move forward'
o [31]WLU opens office in China
o [32]Queen's homecoming gets out of hand (again)
o [33]Perimeter announces its latest 'associate' physicist
o [34]'Canadian universities are mired in debt'
o [35]'The 100 best places to work in Canada'
o [36]U of Toronto employee satisfaction survey

[Crane against the blue]

_The crane heralds_ the rising of UW's school of pharmacy and health
sciences campus in downtown Kitchener. Passer-by Geoff May caught the
King Street scene on his cellphone camera a few days ago.
"Construction is progressing," says Laura Manning, director of
advancement for the health sciences campus, "and we expect that the
concrete work will be complete by the end of the month."

[37]Back to top

Progress toward an Emirates campus

Faculty members with "a spirit of adventure" will be wanted if UW's
first international campus goes ahead, in the United Arab Emirates
half a world away, president David Johnston told UW's senate Monday
night.

"This is where the rubber hits the road on our international
ambitions," said Johnston as it was announced that UW has signed an
agreement with the [38]Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and
Training, a private education corporation with strong ties to the
UAE's ruling family. The goal is a Waterloo campus that would start by
offering programs in chemical engineering, civil engineering,
financial analysis and management, and IT management.

Provost Amit Chakma and dean of engineering Adel Sedra presented
details of the agreement, which would see CERT provide facilities and
local administrative support while UW was responsible for program
delivery. Students would spend four academic terms in the UAE, then
come to Canada to complete their degrees. The goal is to produce 200
graduates a year, with enrolment starting in 2009.

In [39]the Emirates -- a cluster of seven quasi-independent states on
the Arabian peninsula, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi -- both private
and public sectors are involved. CERT is a private company but has
significant support from the Minister of Higher Education, who chairs
its board, and is linked to the ruling family.

Chakma said the greatest benefit for UW is establishing a presence in
a major strategic location that has the potential to allow UW to reach
out to the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. It will also
substantially increase UW's international student population, he said,
and would increase the institution's revenue by more than $20 million
a year while creating more than thirty new faculty positions.

Benefits are not confined to UW, he went on, as the establishment of a
satellite campus in the UAE would be Canada's first major overseas
campus, which could reinforce Canada's leadership role in IT and
engineering. The Emirates benefits from the agreement as well, as it
is in line with their goals of building a centre for knowledge and
research.

It's by no means a done deal, however, Chakma warned. The next step is
for UW to get government licences and go through what he called an
"onerous" accreditation process. UW also needs to square its academic
mission against the UAE's requirement for general education -- which
includes mandatory studies on Islamic history.

From UW's point of view, the context for the agreement is the
[40]Sixth Decade Plan, which calls for significant
internationalization to ensure that UW graduates can become "global
citizens." That means sending more students abroad, bringing more
international students to Waterloo, and expanding the university's
presence beyond Canada's boundaries.

Chakma told senate that the project would involve 32 new faculty
positions and 8 new lecturer positions, plus capital expansion in the
engineering and math faculties. The additional faculty members are
expected to supervise at least 160 graduate students and generate more
than $5 million in annual research revenue.

There are risks, he said, starting with "onerous" paperwork and the
possibility of not getting licensing and accreditation in a timely
manner. Among other dangers: not meeting the admission target
(potential students are certainly there, he said, but are willing to
pay $25,000 in tuition fees?) or not finding enough co-op jobs. Then
come problems of marketing, recruitment and logistics.

Right now the UAE is a welcoming environment, he went on -- just this
week, [41]New York University announced that it will open a campus
there as well -- but there's always the possibility of political
instability or a change in official attitudes. "I am optimistic," said
Chakma, adding: "I cannot predict we'll have a campus, but at least
we'll lay the foundation for further dialogue. It will be a hard
slog."

Senate members asked how open a society the Emirates provide
("friendly to women, western clothes, sort of like Singapore," said
Sedra) and how the requirement for Islamic studies fits with UW's
academic values. "We have to investigate more," said Chakma. "It's not
necessarily religious, but cultural and historical."

[42]Back to top

Wellness Fair gets started Monday

The annual Employee Wellness Fair, sponsored by the Employee
Assistance Program, will be starting Monday, and it's not any too soon
to be sending in registrations for the events that require them:
* [Leaf graphic from brochure] "Healthy Dining" is available at the
University Club, Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. (Registration deadline is
today.)
* The speaker on Monday, 9:00 to 12 noon, is Dick O'Brien, a
motivational speaker and human relations consultant specializing
in "Stress Management, Personal Resiliency and Realistic
Optimism".
* Wednesday's speaker, 11:30 to 12:30, is Mike Greulich, a UW plant
operations staff member. "He will tell us," says Linda Brogden of
EAP, "how he was able to overcome personal tragedy and move
forward with his life. This moving story will be an inspiration
for many who face similar difficulties."
* A "core stability" raining session led by Lori Kraemer of the
applied health sciences fitness unit, Monday at 3:30 in the
Physical Activities Complex.

Registration is not required for the Monday noon Wellness Walk (meet
at noon on the ring road outside the Davis Centre) or for the drop-in
"Passport to Health" venue on Tuesday (10:00 to 2:00) in the Davis
Centre fishbowl lounge. "Drop by our booths," says the Fair brochure,
"for a free, quick health check . . . enter the draw for door prizes
. . . pick up any of the many handouts available."

There will be an "encore" Passport event Tuesday evening, 8 to 10
p.m., in the General Services Complex, aimed at night shift plant
operations staff.

The Employee Wellness Fair is aimed at all staff, faculty and CUPE
members, says Brogden. Registrations should go to her at her office in
health services, phone ext. 36264.

She adds: "The Employee Assistance Program committee welcomes feedback
on all programs offered to the UW employees." Comments can go to her,
or to Glenda Rutledge in the human resources department.

[43]Back to top

United Way gifts come in, and more

Bidding is under way in the silent auction organized by UW's civil
engineering department -- just one of the many [44]special events
(including a chili cook-off yesterday in distance and continuing
education) that are being held across campus _to support the United
Way_. Why donate to the cause, either through special events or
through cheque and payroll deduction? "Just $2 a week can provide a
day of shelter and support for a woman having to leave an abusive
situation . . . $5 a week helps distribute, annually, over 2,000
pounds of perishable and non-perishable food . . . $20 a week provides
bullying prevention training for 35 students in an area school." A
total of 42 agencies draw support from the United Way, which this year
is seeking to raise $5.3 million [45]across Kitchener-Waterloo. UW's
proposed share is $170,000, and as of yesterday, $98,256 had been
raised, organizers say. This week's [46]"volunteer profile" on the UW
United Way website is Barbara Zupko of the Centre for Behavioural
Research and Program Evaluation, who serves on the board of Woolwich
Community services.

[Two women in such a tidy room] The demure young ladies in the photo
at left, showing off a Village I room _as it appeared in 1966_, come
to us via the [47]50th anniversary photo gallery that was mounted
recently on the UW residences web site. o Joe Manchin III, governor
of the American state of _West Virginia_, visited UW yesterday,
meeting at the Architecture building with local government and
industry representatives. o The popular [48]Craig Cardiff _will play
the Bombshelter pub_ tonight (tickets at the Federation of Students
office).

Third-year architecture students working under the supervision of
faculty member Andrew Levitt will be showing off five "full-scale
installations" in and around the Architecture building in Cambridge
today. Each of the five projects, says architecture director Rick
Haldenby, attempts to introduce an aspect of "the wild" _into an urban
space_: "Each installation has been inspired by the imagination of an
animal inhabiting the space in question. The projects include a
monumental web of string and sticks on the north face of the building,
an enormous inflatable structure that will inhabit the courtyard off
Melville Street, and a multi-media labyrinth on the terrace
overlooking the Grand River. The presentation of the projects begins
at 3:30 with the elephant in the courtyard and proceeds through the
snake in the atrium at 4:30, the tiger on the terrace at 5:30, the
spider on the north side of the building at 6:30 and the crow on the
terrace at 7:30. The public is welcome."

The Waterloo fire department sent its trucks to campus 116 times
during 2006, and found actual "fire, fumes, smoke" 9 times, says an
annual summary issued by the UW safety office. Just one of those 9
incidents was a deliberately set fire, down from 7 "willful" fires in
the previous year. The number of deliberate false alarms was also
down, from 38 in 2005 to 34 in 2006. As always, _the largest number of
fire alarms_ came from Village I (26 this year), with Ron Eydt Village
in second place and the Davis Centre in third. Deliberate false
alarms, however, were concentrated in UW Place, the Student Life
Centre and Math and Computer. The largest cluster of fire calls were
the result of detectors being set off by steam, paint fumes, chemical
vapours, humidity and cooking fumes. Other alarms are blamed on
circumstances as varied as water leaks, thunderstorms, construction
dust, people bumping into alarm equipment, and small children. A total
of 124 fire calls, including 8 which didn't bring fire trucks, is down
from 134 last year.

And . . . we're almost at the middle of the fall term already (that's
what "midterm" means, I do believe). To be precise, this coming Monday
will mark the halfway point in the term's 61 teaching days. And the
end will come before we know it: the registrar's office has just
announced that the _December examination schedule_ is now [49]online.

CAR

[50]Back to top

[51]Yesterday's Daily Bulletin
[52]Campaign Waterloo

[53]Communications and Public Affairs
[54]University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
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[55]Contact us | [56]http://www.bulletin.uwaterloo.ca | [57]Š 2007
University of Waterloo

References

Ray Butterworth

unread,

Oct 18, 2007, 9:12:37 AM10/18/07

On Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:03:24 +0000 (UTC),
cred...@admmail.uwaterloo.ca (Chris Redmond) wrote:
...
>When and where
...

> _'Go Fly a Kite'_ with Amos Latteier, visiting professor at Render

> (UW art gallery), Friday 2:00 to 4:00, Columbia Fields.

http://text.weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?on-82&b_templatePrint=true

Friday:
Showers at times heavy or a few thunderstorms ending late in the
morning then cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Wind
southwest 40 km/h gusting to 60. High 18.

At least there won't be any shortage of wind.

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