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Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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Wednesday, April 30, 1997

That was the year that was

Today is the last day of UW's 1996-97 budget year. The official cut-off time is 4:30 p.m., says Jane Manson, director of finance: "Only goods and services received/performed as of cut-off date will be recorded as charges against the 1996-97 Fiscal Year."

It's estimated that the university will have spent $176,922,000 in the 365 days that end at 4:30 this afternoon, and received $685,000 less than that in income -- a deficit that has to be dealt with in the 1997-98 budget.

Because of the fiscal year end, some places on campus that handle goods and cash will be closed for some or all of today as the staff take inventory:

Seems I was wrong yesterday in saying that Brubakers was closed altogether this week. It's open until 3:30 each day, as is Pastry Plus, except on year-end inventory day. Also open for food and drink this week are Double U's in South Campus Hall, and the Tim Horton's outlet in the Davis Centre. Other food services cash outlets -- most of them -- reopen next week for the spring term.

Teens here for French contest

The department of French studies is holding its 24th annual French contest today, with about 200 students visiting from 60 high schools across 14 counties. They'll spend about three hours taking the competition test -- an oral interview, a dictation, reading and listening comprehension and a grammar test. Each participant spends 3 hours in the test pattern. Volunteer students, faculty and staff from the French department, along with numerous teachers from participating high schools, will conduct and mark the test.

The overall winner will enjoy a two-week home stay in France (valued at $900) donated by The Language Workshop of Toronto. A $1,000 donation from Meloche-Monnex Insurance Brokers will provide the round-trip airfare. Second prize is a cash award of $500. Third prize is $250. Other commercial and non-commercial sponsors have donated $100 or more each to fund these prizes as well as prizes for individual county winners, individual winners in the top one third of the participants and top schools in each county. Says Pat Aplevich, chair of the contest this year: "We are grateful to numerous high school teachers, Canadian Parents for French and other companies who have also donated to the Contest to provide approximately $5,000 worth of prizes."

Staff jobs open this week

There's no issue of the Gazette today -- look for it again next Wednesday -- so the human resources department will be circulating its weekly "Positions Available" listing in other ways. (It's available on the Web -- look in UWinfo for "Human Resources".)

Titles of the jobs that are listed today:

More information: ext. 2524.

The birthday of the electron


J. J. Thomson
It was 100 years ago today that J. J. Thomson of Cambridge University announced that he had observed tiny particles, smaller than atoms. He called them "corpuscles"; science now calls them "electrons". Says a Web site marking the centenary: "Thomson's careful experiments and adventurous hypotheses were followed by crucial experimental and theoretical work by many others in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and elsewhere. These physicists opened for us a new perspective -- a view from inside the atom." Thomson (later Sir Joseph Thomson) received the 1906 Nobel prize for his work.

Tong Leung of the chemistry department ("I do electrons for a living") notes that George Thomson, son of the discoverer, received a Nobel in 1937 for work on "another property of the electron (the wave property), which led to electron diffraction and microscopy. J.J. showed that the electron is a particle."

Robert Mann of the physics department will speak on electrons at 4:30 this afternoon in Physics room 145. Afterwards, those interested will adjourn to the Graduate House to hoist a few in memory of Thomson -- who spent the last years of his life as Master of his old college, Trinity, Cambridge. He died in 1940.

And on the day Ellen comes out

The UW Shop now has The Waterloo Adventure, UW's 40th anniversary souvenir booklet, on sale at $3 a copy.

York University is postponing its spring convocation ceremonies until fall, as the faculty strike drags on. Exception: Osgoode Hall Law School, where professors aren't members of the York faculty association.

A tree will be planted at noon today, on the Dana Porter Library lawn facing Needles Hall, in memory of Gary Buckley, who died last fall.

St. Jerome's College will sponsor "50 Tips for 50 Plus", a seminar on estate and financial planning, Tuesday evening. It promises a panel with "some new, innovative, and practical ideas on life planning for individuals and couples". Information: Dave Augustyn, the college's director of university relations, 884-8111 ext. 230.

Reminder: income tax returns are due at midnight.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
April 30, 1977: The staff association holds its spring dance in South Campus Hall, with music by "Sound Vibrations".

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 © 1997 University of Waterloo