Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Tuesday, February 11, 1997

More on the draft 'plan'

Here's a reminder of the open meeting this afternoon, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., to talk about the "draft plan for the University of Waterloo's Fifth Decade". The full text of the draft, Building on Accomplishment, was published in last week's Gazette and is available on UWinfo under "Documents".

Today's meeting will take place in Needles Hall room 3001, as will a similar meeting that's set for Thursday from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Everybody is welcome.

Here's another excerpt from the report:

To strengthen the foundations of the UW community, the following actions should be taken.
29. Develop clear, practical, formal and informal dispute resolution policies and procedures; provide appropriate training for those who are involved in dispute resolution; and communicate effectively to make people aware of the available dispute resolution services.
30. Affirm the commitment to the principles of employment equity and diversity and inclusivity in the workplace and the classroom. To recognize the value of diversity to the university as a whole, and to improve the work and study environment for women and men from different backgrounds, the following actions should be taken. . . .
30.3 Promote inclusivity in teaching, including the use of inclusive language and course content, and the recognition of diverse viewpoints.
30.4 Provide equity and outreach programs for underrepresented groups, including mentoring and helping isolated individuals make connections to the broader community.
31. Promote participation in relevant decision making for all constituent groups, recognizing that open decision making is central to the development and maintenance of high morale, a climate of trust, and a sense of community. Examples include involving people in decisions that affect them and providing opportunities for feedback, consultation, and reverse evaluation; including staff representatives and members of the Board of Governors on the Senate Finance and Senate Long Range Planning Committees; and involving students on promotion and tenure committees. It is important to promote openness and debate, so that people are willing to voice, and listen to, diverse viewpoints.

Purchasing department moves

The purchasing department is on the move today, as preparations continue for renovations in East Campus Hall. "We hope to return to our normal location sometime in April," says Steve Cook, but for the time being purchasing will be housed in the space at the back of ECH that was formerly used by the department of dance.

Today is moving day. "We are doing our best to make the move transparent to the requisitioning community," says Cook, coining a wonderful phrase -- "requisitioning community"? "We will experience some down time as phones and computers are moved," he warns. If you can't get through to the person you want, call ext. 4501 and somebody will take a message.

The finance department (that's the new name, it seems, for what was formerly "financial services" and the budgets office) will also be affected by the renovations; details will follow.

Engineers' concrete achievement

Official results aren't in yet, but I have it on good authority that Waterloo engineering students triumphed over teams from two dozen other universities at the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race in Ottawa on the weekend. "Snow Fear", an entry representing Engineering Society B, finished first in the race, and "Snow Warrior", from EngSoc A, came in third.

"Both our toboggans performed well," says Ed Papazian, who as a co-op coordinator based in Kanata was out to watch Saturday's race. He reports the speed as "about 50 km/hour over the approximately 15-second downhill run. The brakes brought the teams to a screeching halt well before the barriers (snow and hay) at the end of the run."

Some other teams' toboggans didn't do as well: one "fell apart half way down", another "went right over the barriers", and a third collapsed at the starting line.

Talking about research ethics

Three sessions on "integrity in research" with Catherine Armour of the national research granting councils will be held at UW later this month.

Armour, who is secretary to the Tri-Council Ad Hoc Committee on Integrity Policies, will be at UW as part of a visit by a "monitoring panel" representing the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The panel is making a regular visit to Waterloo to do "checks on a pre-selected group of SSHRC and NSERC grants", says Susan Sykes, UW's director of research ethics. "The panel wishes to know how institutions are administering grants and to ensure that the Tri-Council guidelines are being appropriately applied and followed."

The panel visitors will be at UW for several days, and will be working with research office staff rather than with the actual researchers, Sykes said. As part of the visit, Armour will be at UW February 24 and 25 "and has agreed to do a couple of presentations", Sykes said.

"Using case studies as illustrations," she said, the visitor "will provide a general overview of the area of integrity in research as well as a discussion of the Tri-Council's guidelines; roles and responsibilities of the Councils, university officials and researchers in the administration and use of public funds; and some of the ethical issues of concern associated with the conduct of research."

Two of the sessions are aimed at faculty members: Monday, February 24, and Tuesday, February 25, both from 1 to 3 p.m. in Needles Hall room 3001. A third session is for graduate students: Tuesday, February 25, at 9 a.m. That session is tentatively scheduled for Davis Centre room 1302, but Sykes said she would appreciate hearing from students who plan to attend, so that she can move it to a more suitable room if possible. She can be reached at ssykes@mc1adm.

New members on UW senate

Nominations closed February 5 for faculty and graduate student seats on the university senate, and nearly everybody who was nominated has been acclaimed to office. The university secretariat says, in an announcement now available on UWinfo and to be published in tomorrow's Gazette, that there will be only one election. Faculty members in engineering will choose between Metin Renksizbulut of mechanical engineering and Raymond Legge of chemical engineering for a seat representing that faculty.

Acclaimed to the senate are Stephen Smith (recreation and leisure studies), Richard Holmes (philosophy), Mieke Delfgaauw (urban and regional planning), John Hepburn (chemistry), Peter Hoffman (pure mathematics), Harriet Lyons (anthropology and classical studies), Phil Merikle (psychology), Frank Reynolds (statistics and actuarial science), Pino Tenti (applied mathematics), Barry Wills (systems design engineering), Swani Vethemany-Globus (biology), David Seljak (St. Jerome's College), Peter Frick (St. Paul's United College), Ian Macdonald (chemical engineering), and Stephen Astels (graduate student, pure mathematics). Four faculty seats and two graduate student seats on senate remain vacant. The elections and acclamations are for terms that begin May 1. Other senate members continue in office, as most seats are held for three-year terms.

I like mine with applesauce

Lots of people are eating pancakes today -- those who aren't drinking their breakfast instead, in the final frenzy of Mardi Gras. Pancakes are a tradition for what's also called Fat Tuesday ("mardi gras") and Shrove Tuesday, the day before the Christian season of Lent begins. I see there are potato pancakes on the supper menu at Ron Eydt Village.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
February 11, 1982: The campus centre board is "suspended" amid personality clashes, politics and disruption; student and university leaders discuss how a new, more effective board might be organized.

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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