Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Thursday, April 25, 1996

Gone but not forgotten

The campus says its goodbyes this afternoon to the 338 people who are leaving this spring, summer and fall through the special early retirement program. About 800 guests of honour, family members, friends and co-workers are expected for the reception at Federation Hall, says Pauline Valin in the president's office (who's one of the early retirees herself, in fact). The reception (light refreshments, cash bar, a few short remarks) runs from 4 to 6 p.m. in Federation Hall.

And speaking of retirement, Linda Bluhm of the human resources department sends this note:

We have become aware of a website for Retirement Planning -- address is http://www.retireweb.com. I have been advised that it can provide some good unbiased information for those years away from retirement, those near retirement and those already retired. One nice feature is that it provides Canadian information and as well it provides easy access to several other websites, such as Ottawa's Income Security website. The website is being developed by an actuary who previously worked for William M. Mercer.

Parking fees will go up

A boost in the price of parking on campus is one feature of the 1996-97 budget, which got approval -- though not enthusiasm -- yesterday from the senate finance committee. For the first time, the parking department will be expected to make a profit and turn some money over to UW's operating budget: $350,000 in the coming year.

Provost Jim Kalbfleisch said parking fees would have to go up anyway, as they aren't raising enough money to keep the parking lots in good repair. Such a boost was recommended by a committee that studied the whole parking situation a few months ago, he said, promising to make its report public in a few days. He said coin-entry parking will soon cost $2, up from the present $1, and monthly parking (now $14) will rise to $20 next year, then $24 and then $28.

Among other budget changes presented to the committee yesterday: the proposed Reinvestment Fund is now history. The fund was to be some $3 million to be divided among faculties and departments for new projects, and as a way of counteracting the university-wide budget cut in particularly valuable areas. Alas, Kalbfleisch told the committee, the money just isn't there. His latest estimates are that only about three-quarters of a million dollars is available for "reinvestment and contingencies".

A few sums have been handed out for special purposes, though. There's a little extra money in the Academic Development Fund. There's more money in the Special Projects Fund (which pays for the Financial Systems Project and the Student Information Systems Project). The co-op department has been exempted from the campus-wide 7 per cent budget cut ("because of the importance of providing suitable co-op job placements for our students and the difficulties created by cutbacks in the public sector").

Still not in the 1996-97 budget is any money for salary increases, and it's not clear when salary talks with staff and faculty will be finished -- or, in the case of faculty, even when they'll get started. The new fiscal year officially begins next Wednesday.

End of the 1995-96 year

For practical reasons, UW's bookkeepers cut off transactions for each fiscal year on a Friday, which means that tomorrow, April 26, at 4:30 p.m., is the real end of the 1995-96 year. "Only goods and services received/performed as of cut-off date will be recorded as charges against the 1995-96 fiscal year," says a memo from Dorothy Battae, associate provost (finance).

A number of departments have to take inventory on the last day of the fiscal year. For that reason, the bookstore and UW Shop will be closed tomorrow. Graphics Express will be closed starting at noon, and reopening around 4 p.m.

ML cafeteria will reopen

The cafeteria in the Modern Languages building closed a few days ago for renovations, but no renovation work is in sight. "We have had a bit of a snag," says Mark Murdoch, director of food services. The work, which was to have started this week, is being rescheduled for July and August. Result: the ML cafeteria will reopen May 1 and stay in business through May and June.

Happening on this damp day

"Reducing Low Back Problems for the Seated Worker" is a brown-bag seminar by Stuart McGill of UW's kinesiology department, sponsored by health services, the safety office and human resources; it starts at 12 noon in Davis Centre room 1351, and anyone interested is welcome.
The teaching resource office presents a workshop on teaching introductory statistics, starting at 1:15 in Math and Computer room 5136. R. J. Mackay and R. W. Oldford of the statistics department will talk about Stats 231.
The distance education office is providing a satellite downlink site for a teleconference on "Quality Distance Education", starting at 2 p.m. in Davis Centre room 1302.

And that's the news on Anzac Day (it's also Take Our Daughters to Work Day in some places). I'm back from my brief trip, grateful to Martin Van Nierop for looking after the Daily Bulletin in my absence, and feeling as though I'd never been away for a moment.

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

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