Daily Bulletin, Wednesday, June 8, 1994

SUMMER TIME:  Maybe it's not "a jimdowney of a day", to borrow a well-turned
phrase from Doug Payne of computing services, but it's pleasant weather for
the annual library staff picnic, set for 5:30 in Waterloo Park.  Jane
Forgay of the Dana Porter reference department is the chief organizer on
behalf of the Staff Advisory Council.

THE BOARD of governors met last night, and approved UW's 1994-95 budget --
the budget that reduces the number of "unpaid days" to one for staff (it
was to have been three) and six for faculty (it was to have been eight).
Provost Jim Kalbfleisch reminded the board that there are still some 
$3.6 million in "temporary reductions" in this budget, which will disappear
by 1997 and must be replaced by some kind of permanent cuts.

Several board members expressed concern over what was thought to be a minor
provision in the budget: temporary replacements for staff or faculty who
go on maternity leave are now to be funded from department funds rather
than from a central pot.  The objection to this change, the board was told,
is that departments might try to avoid hiring or promoting young women,
because of the potential cost if they have children.  Kalbfleisch agreed
to "review" the arrangement.

On another matter, the board was told that UW has put in a proposal, with
support from municipal governments, to provide the new home of the Institute
for Advanced Manufacturing Technology.  That's a branch of the National 
Research Council, which is looking to move from Ottawa to somewhere in 
southern Ontario.  The institute would be offered a 25-year lease on a 
custom-built building on UW's north campus.  It would bring some 150 
professional staff to Waterloo, with the potential for many joint research 
projects with scientists and engineers at UW.  Seven other cities are also 
bidding for the institute.

HEALTH INSURANCE:  Ontario universities have adopted a private insurance
plan for international students and temporary workers who are being cut off
from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan through a recent government decision.
Ontario Blue Cross will provide the coverage, which will cost $496 a year
for an individual, $1,013 for a couple, $1,570 for a family.  David
Dietrich of UW's human resources department is a member of a nine-person
"working group" arranging the details; a brochure explaining the plan is
to be ready late this month.

HAPPENING TODAY:  The Waterloo Centre for Groundwater Research and the
UW-based Water Network present a one-day symposium on groundwater studies,
in cooperation with the Waterloo regional government, today at the
Waterloo Inn.

The next video in the "Computer Revolution" series will be shown at 11:30
today in Davis Centre room 1302.  This one is "Growing Power, Shrinking
Size", and you'll understand what that means if you compare an IBM 1620 
(UW still had one in storage somewhere, the last I heard) with your desktop 
machine, 

I'LL BE AWAY for the next few days.  Among other things, I'll be giving a
talk to the annual convention of the Canadian Council for the Advancement 
of Education, telling people from other universities about this Daily 
Bulletin, which as far as we know is unique on Canadian campuses.  In my 
absence, the Bulletin will be put out each day by one of my colleagues.

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