Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Wednesday, April 16, 1997

UW meets the new vice-president

Ian Lithgow, who will become UW's vice-president (university relations) on August 1, is expected on campus this morning. He'll meet with members of executive council -- the deans, associate provosts and other top brass -- and then with the people who will be reporting to him when he arrives, in the offices of information and public affairs and development and alumni affairs.

Lithgow is currently a vice-president at York University. He's taking over a position at UW that has been vacant since Roger Downer took early retirement last summer.

President meets the viceroy

UW president James Downey is in Ottawa today for his formal investiture as an Officer of the Order of Canada. The award was announced in the new year's honours list, and will be presented amid spit and polish by the governor-general of Canada, Roméo LeBlanc. Downey will still be in Ottawa on Thursday and is expected to be "recognized" in the House of Commons along with other new wearers of the snowflake lapel pin.

For those returning to university

Know someone who's been away from the books for years and now wants a degree? UW has just the course for that person, and it starts tonight.

The "Preparing for University" non-credit course is a regular offering of UW's mature student services office -- the shoestring operation that helps people (a majority of them women) come back to formal education after years in the workforce or raising families.

This term the course runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday nights from now until May 21. The cost is $50, including materials. Bursaries are available to cover the course fee.

The course, which consists of six weekly workshops, is an informal introduction to what's expected and required of students enrolled in arts programs and courses. "It is an ideal starter course for anyone thinking of returning to their studies after being away for a number of years," says Isobel Mackay, mature students advisor in the faculty of arts.

"Participants learn how to listen to a lecture and take notes, how to write an essay, how to carry out research in the library, how to study for an exam and how to use UW's computing facilities." Also discussed are topics such as juggling other responsibilities with academic work, finding the ideal course load and choosing the right program.

Mackay says a couple of bursaries are still available for mature individuals who wish to test their ability at the university level. The awards are reserved for students currently enrolled in or who have completed an upgrading program and who are in financial need. She can provide more information about the bursaries, the course, and mature student services in general, at ext. 2429.

Teaching isn't his only strength

Howard Armitage, director of the school of accountancy, and one of this year's Distinguished Teacher Award winners at UW, is the Ontario Masters (50-and-over) squash champion -- For the second year in a row. He competed in the Ontario Squash Masters Championships in Toronto last weekend, I've just learned, and won the final on Sunday 3-0.

28,846,761 people in Canada

Remember the 1996 census? The first results from it were released yesterday by Statistics Canada, showing that the country's population had risen 5.7 per cent since the previous census in 1991. The Kitchener metropolitan area -- the name Stats Canada gives to the area including Waterloo -- has been growing faster than the national average. Its population went up by 7.4 per cent in the same period, and it's now listed as Canada's 11th largest city, up from 12th in 1991, with 382,940 people. (Thanks to Susan Moskal, in the library's reference department, for letting me know about the release of the census. She points out that Stats Canada information, including everything released about the 1996 census, can be found through the Electronic Library web pages: look under "Government Information", obviously.)

Some events today and tomorrow

The psychology department has a visitor today, Christine Purdon, who's giving a technical talk with a lovely title: "Nasty, unwanted thoughts and how not to get rid of them -- Thought suppression, appraisal and the persistence of obsession-like thoughts". She'll speak at 11 a.m. in the psych conference room.

The computer store is bringing in Mike Sonosky of IBM Marketing to present some new hardware and software today. A brief note on the subject mentions the RS/6000 (a new IBM workstation that runs the Aix operating system), SP2 technology, SSA disk technology, Java and visualization -- you can see what it all adds up to, from 1:30 to 3:00 in Davis Centre room 1302.

Tonight at Kitchener City Hall, starting at 7:30, there's a public forum on "provincial downloading", the current policy of shifting programs (and tax burden) from the Ontario government to municipal governments. Star of the show is John Sewell, former mayor of Toronto and outspoken opponent of premier Mike Harris' policies on municipal affairs.

The senate finance committee will meet tomorrow morning at 8:30, in Needles Hall room 3001, to discuss the university's proposed 1997-98 budget. The meeting is open to anyone interested. (Take a look at this morning's Gazette and you'll see a somewhat different story about the budget than what was noted in yesterday's Daily Bulletin; things change fast around here!)

St. Paul's sets auction date

St. Paul's United College has set Saturday, May 3, for its seventh annual fund-raising dinner and auction. "Ron Turner, our chef, is once again preparing a very special meal," says a letter from college principal Helga Mills. The theme is "A Salute to Entertainment", and items available in the auction will include several show packages, as well as Blue Jays tickets, works by local artists, "and goodies from several local speciality shops". There will be music before dinner, and "David MacKenzie, contributor and member of the Trivial Pursuit board game team, has again agreed to be our host and master of ceremonies during dinner." Tickets for the evening are $60, with a tax receipt issued for part of the amount. More information: 885-1460.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY April 16, 1970: Tenders are due for UW's next building, Chemistry II.

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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