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Wednesday, September 6, 1995

And the gang's all here

Orientation events continue, with the emphasis today on "faculty" events, the English Language Proficiency Examination, and several chances to meet professors. Conrad Grebel College holds its college-wide Convocatin at 4:30.

It's registration day for arts undergraduates (in the morning) and environmental studies and independent studies undergrads (in the afternoon). Photographers are still snapping away and issuing WatCards in the Student Life Centre and Village I.

A good healthy enrolment

The total of 3,849 preregistered first-year students is big, but not a record, says Ken Lavigne, associate registrar (admissions), who can remember when there were incoming classes in excess of 4,000. This year's figure is certainly bigger, though, than the September 1 target of 3,577 and the November 1 target of 3,606.

"While they may look bigger than what we want, nobody's complaining," Lavigne said yesterday. Engineering will end up with 780 to 790 first-year students, compared to a target of 740. In science, where the official goal is 600, "the dean really wanted around 660", to help make up for a shortfall in 1994, and he's at least getting his wish. The arts faculty, similarly, is healthily ahead of target.

The drumbeat went on

That was quite the pep rally, in the PAC main gym at noontime yesterday, what with the cheerleaders, the swooping spotlights and the pounding of the big bass drum from the Warriors Band. I have no idea what Jane Pak, the president of the Federation of Students, said in greeting the more than 3,000 first-year students who crowded into the gym; I doubt that they knew what she was saying either, but they certainly did cheer her.

James Downey, UW's president, also spoke, and got relative quiet from the crowd for some of his remarks. He greeted Waterloo's new students as the next crop of "leaders of tomorrow", and gave them some advice on university life. "Don't be too anxious," said Downey, "to throw out the things that have succeeded in your life so far." He also warned of "competitiveness" that can make university life more stressful than it has to be.

Once again: welcome to newcomers

Let me repeat yesterday's offer to brand-new first-year students who may have already discovered this Daily Bulletin. The Federation of Students has kindly agreed to provide a couple of prizes, which I'll forward to the first two bona-fide first-year students I hear from by electronic mail at credmond@watserv1. This offer will be repeated in the Daily Bulletin each morning until it's claimed.

Thanks (I guess) to the smart aleck who noticed my typographical error yesterday -- "bona fine" and translated it as "nicest butt".

In this morning's Gazette

First of all, today's Gazette issue is a little late (machine trouble at the printer's), but it should be arriving later in the morning. Then, there's an error. The Notices column says the university senate will be meeting on "Monday, September 15". There's no such day; the meeting is Monday, September 18.

And finally, the Positions Available list doesn't appear, because of the Labour Day holiday. It should be available on UWinfo and from the human resources department. Two jobs are listed today:

For more information: ext. 2524.

Technology for the classroom

Faculty Development Days are being held tomorrow and Friday, sponsored by the teaching resource office, the faculty association and the library. The program has been circulated across campus, and there's a summary in today's Gazette: half a dozen workshops about teaching issues and classroom techniques. Last-minute information is available from TRACE at ext. 3132.

Along with Faculty Development Days goes a two-day Instructional Multimedia Fair. This explanation comes from Bruce MacNeil of the library, one of the organizers:

The purpose of the Fair is simply to inform faculty members of instructional multi-media applications that can be used to make class presentations more effective. On Thursday, eleven major vendors will demonstrate multimedia applications and on Friday, approximately 20 faculty members will demo how some of these applications have been used in class presentations. In addition, staff members from 6 University departments will demonstrate services that support the use of multimedia in teaching and learning (A/V, DCS, Graphic Services, Distance and Continuing Education, Computer Store and the Library).

Library staff members will be demonstrating the Electronic Library (discipline pages, electronic data services, CD-ROM access, etc).

The event is being held in Davis Centre room 1301 from 10:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow and Friday.

Ad astra per aspera

Well, it's not all that difficult. To see stars, all you have to do is show up at 9 tonight for the astronomy research group's monthly open house. A slide show (Physics building room 308) will be followed at 9:30 by a visit to the rooftop observatory and a chance to look through the telescope. It's free; all are welcome.

Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
(519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca

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