The Best of Waterloo: We asked, you answered

Beginning in July, the campus community was polled twice weekly about what they liked best about the University of Waterloo. A series of questions were posed, and those who wished to participate could send in their answers by tweeting them with the #uWaterlooBEST hashtag.

The campaign's organizers received more than 400 responses on Twitter and Facebook over the course of the campaign. Winning entries were compiled from responses from each question over a 4-day period following the question’s publication in the Daily Bulletin and on the university’s social media channels.

The final results are being released today.

Aaron Miller, Manager, Social Media and Community Engagement says: “This shows the power of social media, we had responses from students, alumni, faculty and staff all coming together to tell us what they love about uWaterloo!"

And now, the envelope, please:

What is the best classroom/lecture theatre on campus?

The winning entry was M3 1006 (pictured at right).

The lecture hall is located in Mathematics 3, which opened in 2011.

Runners-up included St. Paul's and the J.R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall.

What is the best outdoor space on campus?

The Peter Russell Rock Garden (left) received the most votes. A representative tweet from @davidha02: “The Peter Russell Rock Garden. Great spot for lunch!”

The rock garden, named for the longtime curator of the Earth Sciences museum, was established in 1982 as part of the university's 25th anniversary celebrations.

Other picturesque outdoor spaces that got the nod included Columbia Lake and Renison’s garden.

Where is the best bathroom on campus?

A bit of a personal question, perhaps. Again, the facilities in Mathematics 3 took the winning spot, with bathrooms in Environment 3 and the Tatham Centre occupying the number 2 (snicker) and 3 spots.

What is the best place on campus to meet new people?

The Student Life Centre was selected by a majority of respondents, like @Hansbeek who tweeted “easily the S to the L to the C. Where it’s at!”

Other places to meet new folks receiving large votes included fitness classes and Renison’s lounge.

What is the best off campus hangout for waterloo students?

The Sweet Dreams Tea Shop (pictured at left), founded by students in 1999 and located in the University Shops Plaza, took the most votes, with nearby William’s and Kickoff coming in second and third.

What is the best event that takes place on campus?

This was a timely one, with Single & Sexy, the annual play performed during Orientation that introduces first-year students to many situations they may encounter on campus in an exciting, entertaining way, receiving the most votes.

Welcome Week (going on this week) and Toga were also top answers.

Which building is the coolest one on campus?

“The Quantum Nano Building, hands down,” tweeted @LemonadebyLaura, and most of the respondents agreed: The Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre (right) was the winning entry, followed by Environment 3 and EIT.

The quantum-nano centre features two world-class institutes in one heck of a building: a 285,000 square foot, $160 million research facility designed by KPMB Architects that is considered, from a mechanical and electrical services point of view, to be the most complex building in North America. It opened with great fanfare

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Where can you find the best customer service on campus?

The venerable Turnkey Desk received the most votes. The Turnkey Desk, staffed by the eponymous Turnkeys (pictured at left), famously never closes.

Coffee shops were a popular choice as well. William’s in Environment 3 and the Tim Hortons in Modern Languages received honorable mentions.

What is the coolest piece of art on campus?

With so many options to choose from around campus, this must have been a tough one. “If the Great Lakes Fountain counts, a vote for that as well!” wrote Anum Syeda. The fountain (pictured above), located in the Centre for Environmental and Information Technology (EIT), received the most votes. Other top selections included Triad, the sculpture by Ron Baird located outside the Biology buildings, and the Christie Digital MicroTile Wall located at the Waterloo Stratford campus.

What is Waterloo's most distinguishable landmark?

The Dana Porter Library (pictured at right) was the overall winner. Its central location and distinctive architectural style no doubt contributed to its victory.

Originally called the Arts Library, the building was constructed in 1965 and at the time was seven storeys high. Three extra storeys were later added. The building was renamed in honour of Dana Porter, the university's first chancellor, in 1967.

The ever-present Canada geese on campus and the Davis Centre also received several votes.

So there you have it folks, a crowdsourced guide to the Best of Waterloo.

“We had great support from the Student Success Office, Faculty and Service area social media accounts to get the word out,” says Miller.

But don’t take our word for it – why not check out these locales and see for yourself?

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We are the ones who knock

Beginning today, volunteers from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University will be taking part in the annual Door-Knocker Program organized by Waterloo Regional Police Services.

The program sends teams of volunteers along with police officers, bylaw officers, and firefighters door-to-door in the neighbourhoods around both universities, to emphasize the support available to students living in the community, to promote safety and positive interaction in the community.

Students who live off-campus will be made aware of the support services delivered by both institutions to help them navigate their off-campus experience, and for permanent residents, the hope is to instill the message of students and the universities are both good neighbours and active community members.

Members of the local enforcement agencies send a message of proactive conflict resolution and the promotion of public safety while taking a strict enforcement approach to municipal noise bylaws, the criminal code, and the Highway Traffic Act.

It is estimated that the combined student population in the area is 45,000, making up about 30 per cent of the City of Waterloo's population during the academic year. The University of Waterloo's Off-Campus Housing programs are designed to foment student success while living off-campus, and their services include a housing listing service, free lease reviews, education programs and the new Off-Campus Advisory Board.

The door knocker program was established in 2004. Each year, 1,500 door hangers and introduction letters are delivered to addresses near campus neighbourhoods.

For more information about the university's Off-Campus Housing program please visit the Off-Campus Housing website.

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VeloCity marks a milestone and other notes

VeloCity marked its fifth anniversary yesterday. Located in the 45 year-old Minota Hagey residence, the "innovative and entrepreneurial environment" was established in 2008 as a student startup incubator and currently provides 70 resident students and two dozen start up teams with resources and tools that connect to a vast network of entrepreneurs each semester. VeloCity's residence program has been joined by the VeloCity Garage, launched in 2010 at the Tannery on Charles Street in Kitchener to provide space for students and alumni to build their startups, and VeloCity Campus, launched in 2012, which provides all Waterloo students with access to workshops and resources associated with launching a business idea. The official anniversary celebration event will be held during Reunion.

Welcome Week continues today with "Find Your Feminism" organized by the Women's Centre from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., The Glow Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity's "Show Your Glow", also from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm., both in the Student Life Centre Great Hall, a free Bubble Tea giveaway from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (while supplies last), and Colour Me Waterloo at 6:30 p.m. on the BMH Green.

Shell Canada's Campus Ambassador Program team will be on campus next Tuesday, September 17 for a networking event and a discussion of potential career pathways open to Waterloo Engineering students. More information about the variety of student activities recently invested in at Waterloo by Shell Canada, including the Student Activity Fund, the Design Symposium Awards in Chemical and Mechanical Engineering and the Women in Engineering conference scheduled for October 5. The networking event will be held in the Student Design Centre in Engineering 5 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

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