Daily Bulletin, Monday, February 20, 1995

TODAY'S THE DAY that UW was originally supposed to be closed, a
campus-wide "Rae Day" on which staff and faculty would lose a day's pay
to help with the provincial Social Contract.  The closing day was cancelled
when UW's 1994-95 budget was adjusted to eliminate most of the unpaid
days that employees would have to suffer.  Rather than have a general
closing, individuals can take their days at their own convenience (and that
of their departments, of course).

So here we all are, more or less, although many faculty won't be putting
in an appearance today.  It's the first day of the February study break
(two days in mathematics and engineering, a full week in the other faculties)
and that provides an opportunity for travel, study and concentrated work.

A couple of faculty members (that I know of) are in the United States
today, where it's the Presidents' Day holiday.  Jan Narveson of philosophy 
is in the wilds of northern New Jersey with his laptop, getting some 
thinking and writing done.  Chris Dufournaud of geography is at Harvard, 
working with colleagues there on a Vietnam research project.  And I'd be 
pleased to mention other trips and projects of interest, if I hear about 
them, in Bulletins later this week.

Larry Richards of the architecture school will be in Toronto tonight, for
the opening of an exhibition at the downtown Design Exchange.  It's a preview
of a show that will open in Venice in June: work by 16 teams of young
Canadian architects and designers, "an idea for a Canadian architecture
pavilion in Venice".  Five of the 16 winners, Richards reports, are
graduates of UW's school.  The exhibition at the Design Exchange runs
through the end of March.

PROSPECTS:  Federal finance minister Paul Martin dropped a pretty broad
hint the other day that the long-awaited budget will come on February 28,
Tuesday of next week.  He also told a gathering of provincial treasurers
that they can breathe a trifle easier, that there won't be any cuts to
transfer payments for education and health in this budget.  However, Martin
also warned that there will be major cuts to the transfers next year.

Ottawa has been expressing keen interest in slicing the transfers, which
take billions of dollars from taxes collected by Ottawa and turn them over
to provincial governments.  The bulk of spending on university and college
budgets comes from that source, and the tuition-fee protests of the past
few weeks have been based on the expectation that if transfers are cut,
fees will go up sharply.

"New developments are happening at a phenomenal speed," says a briefing from
the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, sent out a few
days ago.  "The proposed changes to the transfer payments could mean a 
total withdrawal of federal support for core university operations and
could force the postsecondary sector in each province into more direct
competition with the health and social assistance sectors for a share of a
considerably smaller pot of money.  Some universities or some provinces may 
be able to overcome this hurdle.  Others will encounter more difficulties."

MARDI GRAS on Friday night was a reasonable success, with more than 400
people attending, says Pat Cunningham of the development office.  She says
gross revenue from the party was more than $16,000, and after expenses,
there should be a comfortable sum left to help support Community Campaign
projects.  The raffle prize winners?  She's still trying to get in touch
with one of them this morning; names should be along soon.

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