Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Tuesday, October 29, 1996

The mane event today

The ennui-busters continue to organize special events to support the United Way campaign on campus. Today it's the second annual Chili Luncheon and 50-50 Draw sponsored by the faculty of arts. The party starts at 12 noon in Humanities room 373. Tickets can be purchased from departmental United Way representatives, or from Maureen Cairney in the arts undergraduate office -- lunch is $3, draw tickets are $2.

Cairney adds: "Also around 12:30 p.m. in HH 334 you will have the opportunity to participate in cutting Richard Crispin's hair." Crispin, who's pictured here, is sacrificing his ample locks as a fund-raiser, and Cairney maintains that the result "is going to be a buzz!"

Board of governors meets

UW's board of governors holds its fall meeting (Needles Hall room 3001, starting at 2:30 this afternoon), with the 1996-97 budget high on the agenda.

Provost Jim Kalbfleisch says in a report for the board that "Projected income is up by $0.6 million, and projected expenses are up by about $1.7 million owing primarily to salary increases." (Staff salary scales were increased by 1 per cent as of May 1.)

The provost continues: "The previous estimated operating surplus of $0.8 million has been replaced by an estimated operating deficit of $0.3 million. . . . There are still two major uncertainties in the 1996-97 budget: faculty salary increases (negotiations are still under way), and tuition income (to be revised after the November 1st count date). A further budget reduction in 1996-97 cannot yet be ruled out."

Also on the agenda for this afternoon's meeting:

A report from the building and properties committee about progress on developing some of the north campus for a "research park" or at least a home for spinoff high-tech companies. UW officials are now talking to land developers about "third-party" involvement in opening up some of the land, the report says.
A discussion of department and program "reviews" in response to demands for greater accountability from universities.
A briefing about UW's response to the Ontario advisory panel on post-secondary education.

Talking about the benefit plan

The pension and benefits committee is also meeting today -- Needles Hall room 3004, from 9 a.m. to noon -- and a major agenda item is a possible "review" of the staff and faculty dental insurance plan.

At its September meeting the committee talked about whether the plan ought to be reviewed this fall, with input from across campus, and tentatively concluded that there's no need to do that. A final decision is likely at today's meeting. The plan "is operating well", says David Dietrich of the human resources department. The issue about it that's raised most often is the formula for payment -- calculations use a two-year lag from the current Ontario Dental Association fee schedule, and there are people on campus who'd very much like to see that brought up to date. There has also been a suggestion that the plan should pay for dental checkups only every nine months; at present a five-month interval is allowed.

Also on the agenda today: the committee continues to look at the long-term disability and sick leave plans.

And on Jesse Barfield's birthday

Also today: the biology and health of Laurel Creek are explored in a workshop sponsored by WatGreen and the Heritage Resources Centre.

And at 3:30, in Math and Computer room 5158, the Courseware Studio sponsored by the teaching resource office has a session about "The Digital Field Trip to the Wetlands", a multimedia CD.

CAR

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca -- (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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Copyright 1996 University of Waterloo