Daily Bulletin, Wednesday, January 25, 1995

NICE DAY for a noon-hour rally in the arts quadrangle!  If the snow and
wind don't have mercy before then, maybe the organizers (the Anti-Cuts
Action Committee) will move it indoors someplace.

Yes, today's the day for protests, demonstrations and discussions
Canada-wide -- even a student "strike" on some campuses -- over proposed
changes to federal funding of universities, changes that would lead to
sharply higher tuition fees.  There's much background on the subject
starting on page 5 of this morning's Gazette.

The Federation of Students isn't endorsing the 12:00 rally, and certainly
isn't calling for the national student strike called by the Canadian 
Federation of Students.  A strike is "futile, with little hope of providing 
any positive outcome", the Feds say.  Also: "Petitions which students see 
being passed around campus have not been put out by the Federation, but rather 
by a group of students, operating out of the WPIRG, who call themselves the 
UW Anti-Cuts Action Committee.  They are supported neither by the University 
Administration nor by the Federation of Students."

The ACAC, which will be delivering those petitions today to the local
member of Parliament, Andrew Telegdi, calls the government's financing
plans "unfair and unnecessary".  Announced speakers for the noon-hour rally 
include Gord Wilson, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour; Sharon 
Adams, past president of UW's staff association; and figures from other 
labour groups, the UW faculty association and the Global Community Centre.

What the Federation of Students is sponsoring is a 4:30 p.m. forum in 
the Theatre of the Arts.  Expected there are UW's president, James Downey;
Jamie McKay of the Ontario ministry of education; Nigel Chippindale 
of Human Resources Development Canada; and student and faculty leaders.
"The goal of the forum is to educate members of the community on the
Federal proposals dealing with post-secondary education, the alternatives
which have been presented, and where the process will move from here."

The Feds are also asking professors who have classes today "to volunteer
5-15 minutes of class time to raise awareness of the funding cuts and to
publicize the forum in the afternoon".

ALSO TODAY:  The Egyptian Student Association opens its first-ever
"Egyptian Exhibition" in Davis Centre room 1301.  It'll run from 9 a.m.
to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow, and all are invited to stop by for an
eyeful and a mouthful.

It's Mexican Night in the Village cafeterias from 4 to 7 p.m., with a
menu that includes pepper-pot soup, fajitas, cheese risotto with smoked
turkey sausage, acapulco chicken wings, mixed bean salsa and other
good stuff.  (If a volunteer steps forward by e-mail, tomorrow's Bulletin
could include a brief review of the cafe. Ole!)

Oh, and today's payday for faculty and most staff members.  Next payday:
back to the usual routine, on Friday, February 24.

LASER SURGERY:  If you have had refractive laser surgery on one or both
eyes, a research team at the Centre for Contact Lens Research would like
to hear from you.  There's a one-day commitment as a research subject,
and you get a $100 honorarium plus lunch.  Interested?  Phone ext. 4742,
or e-mail dcleasby@sciborg.

TOBOGGAN RESULTS:  Waterluge, one of the two concrete toboggans built by
teams of UW engineering students, took first place in the Great Northern
Concrete Toboggan Race in Montreal on the weekend.  The other UW entry,
Toolrunnings, came 13th among 33 entries.  "The snow was slushy at best,"
reports Caroline Brabrook, a member of the Waterluge team, after the
race down a 150-metre ski run at Terrebonne.  Waterluge took the prizes
for top speed (37 kilometres per hour), and best technical report; tied
for best display; and was ranked second for best brake design and team
spirit.  Toolrunnings took the award for "most spectacular descent" after
making part of the downhill trip backwards.

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