Daily Bulletin, Wednesday, February 8, 1995

TOWARDS A PLAN:  The Commission on Institutional Planning has issued a
preliminary report saying how it intends to proceed towards writing UW's
"new plan for institutional development".  The text of the report is in
this morning's Gazette, and can also be found on UWinfo.  If you're using
the UWinfo gopher, look under "Office of the Provost" or else under
"Documents of Current Interest".  If you're on the World Wide Web, look
on UWinfo under "departments", for Institutional Planning.

FEES APPROVED:  The board of governors gave approval last night to the
1995-96 levels of tuition fees -- again, see this morning's Gazette.  But
one part of the proposal wasn't approved without a fight.  The board
debated fee levels for foreign graduate students for nearly an hour, then
voted approval of the proposed increase by the narrowest of margins, 14-13.
The hike takes the one-term tuition fee for a new "visa" grad student
up from the present $4,575 to $5,584.  Visa student already at UW face 
a smaller increase (to $5,076).  The corresponding fee for Canadians, and
for the many foreign students with exemptions and waivers: $1,164.  Some
board members argued that exorbitant fees will simply drive foreign grad
students away, noting that numbers have already been dropping.

In other matters, the board was told that XDG Limited is going to build
the new wing on the Optometry building (for a price of $1,963,022), and
agreed to raise the budget for the addition to Burt Matthews Hall.
Southside Construction Ltd. will do the job on BMH, for a price of
$2,267,000.  

And it approved an amendment to the UW pension plan that will allow the
maximum UW pension to rise as the government increases the so-called
"DNR cap", a limit on the level of pension that can be collected by
people at the top end of the salary scale.  "By this change," said provost
Jim Kalbfleisch, "nearly all the members of the UW pension plan will be
able to receive the full value of their pensions." A memo with a full
explanation is to be sent across campus later this week.

OLEANNA OPENS:  The garish portable sign in front of the Modern Languages
building tells the story: the drama department's studio production of
"Oleanna" opens tonight, starring Joel Greenberg as the professor and
Stephanie McCarthy as the student who says he's harassing her.  Political
correctness?  Cheap shots?  Justice delayed?  I've arranged for a thoughtful
review in next week's Gazette.

WATERLUGE, the concrete toboggan built by a team of UW engineering students
that outraced all its rivals in Montreal last month, will be on display
at noontime today.  You can also meet the team who raced it, and see a
video of their achievement, from 12 to 1 p.m. in the South Campus Hall
concourse.

ROSES AND LOLLIPOPS -- no, make that roses and carnations -- will be the
order of the day on Tuesday, which is Valentine's.  The Math Grad 
Committee, as a way of raising a little money, is taking orders for
flower delivery anywhere in the Davis Centre or Math and Computer building
next Tuesday.  Price: $1.50 a bloom.  Orders will be accepted on the
third floor of MC today through Friday (check into room 3029 in MC for
more information).

THE WATER will be shut off at 156 Columbia Street, UW's "Annex 2" and 
home of the correspondence office and archives, from 5 to 10 p.m. tonight
for replacement of valves and a meter, the plant operations department warns.

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