Daily Bulletin, Friday, October 7, 1994

ON ANOTHER jimdowney of a summer day in October, with a long weekend
coming up, there isn't a lot that's new apart from Thanksgiving arrangements.
Monday (October 10) is indeed Thanksgiving Day and a holiday; UW classes
will be cancelled, and offices and most services will be closed.  The
libraries are among the things that will be closed, but they're open
Saturday and Sunday as usual.

The UW police will be on duty 24 hours a day as always, and can be
reached at 888-4911.  Maintenance emergencies can be reported to ext. 3793.
The Campus Centre, constrained and littered with construction, nevertheless
is always open.

Kitchener-Waterloo's Oktoberfest starts this weekend, and an important
event is the Monday morning parade down King Street (leaving King and Erb
at 8:45 en route to Kitchener).  Watch for a number of UW faces on the
"education" float jointly sponsored by UW, Wilfrid Laurier University and
Conestoga College.  Wouldn't be surprised to hear the Warriors Band too.

SPORTS EVENTS:  The hockey Warriors will be busy throughout the weekend
with the Oktoberfest Tournament, hosted by Waterloo, with games at both
the Columbia Icefield and the downtown Waterloo Arena.  That's the only
home sports action this weekend.  The field hockey Athenas play at Guelph
today and Western tomorrow; the rugby Warriors are at Brock; the rowers
of both sexes are at the Western Open in London; and the football Warriors
play at Guelph on Saturday afternoon.

SERIOUS STUFF;  The arcane issue of how university education is financed
may yet be the subject of a national debate.  There was something like
half an hour of it on the CBC late news last night, including lively
comment from students and university leaders.  The two presidents on hand
to talk with Pamela Wallin -- Rob Prichard of the University of Toronto
and Marsha Hanen of the University of Winnipeg -- were both more or less
in favour of the "income-contingent repayable" loan program proposed this
week by the federal government, as part of the "social program reform"
package.  As Prichard pointed out, though, whether such a scheme is fair,
or will even work, depends on the technical details of interest rates,
repayment formulas and so on, none of which have been worked out yet.

Meanwhile, the Ontario Council on University Affairs continues to move
through the province holding hearings about possible changes to the funding
formula for universities.  It's due in Waterloo the middle of next week.
The president's office said this morning that there's still no definite
time and place for the hearing at which OCUA will hear UW's delegation, but
a message from Toronto said it would "probably" be on Thursday morning at 
a local hotel.

AND SO there's plenty to worry about in the university world.  But there
is also plenty to be thankful for -- education of high quality in a free
land, a good place to work amid autumnal trees and breezes, the people
beside whom we work and learn.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
888-4567 ext. 3004      credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca