Daily Bulletin

Thursday, November 27, 1997

Campaign Waterloo ends in triumph

"Campaign Waterloo has been a gratifying success," says the university's president, James Downey. He'll be presenting highlights of the campaign, and thanks to the donors, at this evening's "Celebration of Achievement", which starts at 7:00 in the Columbia Recreation Complex.

The original goal of the campaign was $89 million, a sum that was meant to include the $39 million cost of the proposed Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering. The Ontario government promised, but then withdrew, $25 million of that money, and the campaign goal was revised to $75 million, so the final figure is 16 per cent over target. Governments and granting agencies still provided $11.7 million towards the $86-million-plus total. (I said in the Bulletin the other day that the goal had been $85 million; don't know where that number came from, and also don't know why nobody corrected me on it.)

Private-sector fund-raising in the campaign was way over target: $74,974,119 as of November 1, compared to a goal of $67 million. Alumni were expected to give $10 million and gave $11 million; local givers were asked for $7 million and gave $9.9 million; faculty and staff were asked for $3 million and gave $3.5 million.

And students have given $12.7 million to the campaign, far exceeding the goal of $5 million. That money has largely gone to endowment funds in several faculties and to construction of the Student Life Centre and the building where tonight's party is being held, the north campus recreation complex. The student involvement "sets a new standard for Canadian universities", says the president.

The one area where fund-raising fell short was the corporate sector, where the target was $27 million. During tough times for Canadian business, campaign volunteers did manage to get contributions of $22.3 million from corporations.

"To have exceeded our private-sector goal by such a wide margin during a campaign that was launched into the gale-force winds of a recession is a tribute above all to exceptional volunteer leadership," says Downey. The chair of Campaign Waterloo was Matthew Barrett, chief executive of the Bank of Montreal.

The campaign has provided more than $14 million for teaching and research positions, $11 million for scholarships and other student awards, $8 million for equipment, $9 million for buildings (including the Matthews Hall addition), and millions for other projects across campus.

Survey on learning disabilities

"I would like to encourage you to please take the time to complete this survey," says a memo that's going to faculty members today from UW president James Downey. He adds that UW's disabilities office "would be very interested in receiving a copy" of completed surveys.

It's available on the Web and can be returned by e-mail or fax. Alternatively, paper copies are available through deans' offices and can be sent to the president's office at UW, to be forwarded to Toronto in one batch. "The completed survey is to be sent by December 5, 1997."

For those who want to drink

From time to time, students, staff,or faculty apply for special occasion permits from the LLBO for off campus functions associated with the University. The LLBO has been advised, by the University, to issue permits in the name of the University of Waterloo only when signed by the Director of University Business Operations. If off campus events, where alcohol is served, are not handled this way organizers will not be covered by the University's insurance policy. Likewise, liability coverage, usually requested by the owner of the venue in question, will not be provided by the University.

In order to obtain approval for a special occasion permit for an off campus event individual should contact the Director of University Business Operations a minimum of three weeks in advance of the event in question.

On campus events are covered by the provisions of Policy 21.

These other events and notes

Today is the last day of formal job postings for "continuous phase" placement in the co-op department. The department now starts to turn full attention to one-on-one help for students who need winter term jobs and still don't have them. Tomorrow, "all students are welcome to attend a workshop on job search strategies. Take a look at creative and traditional methods of finding a job, with emphasis on the hidden market." The workshop starts at 12:30 in Engineering Lecture room 101.

Personally, I prefer mince The United States celebrates Thanksgiving today, which explains all those references in the funny-papers to turkeys and pumpkins. Speaking of pumpkins . . . Cornell University has introduced a Web site on which you can watch, live and in colour, the disintegration of a pumpkin, weighing an estimated 60 pounds (25 kilograms), that has been perched atop the 173-foot-tall McGraw Tower since mid-October. Nobody knows who put it there -- a pre-Hallowe'en prank, presumably, but how was it managed? Anyway, the world is now watching for the pumpkin to go, well, squash.

The staff association's annual craft sale runs today and tomorrow in the Davis Centre lounge. There will be about 30 staff members and retirees selling their merchandise, says Sue Fraser of the association's social committee. Ten per cent of the proceeds will be donated to the UW senate scholarship fund and staff association bursary fund (last year, that totalled more than $1,100). Along with the craft sale comes a raffle of items donated by some talented staff, retirees, UW departments and outside organizations, "and all monies from this will go directly to the above funds." The sale runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

Carl Straga, well known on campus as the resident Bell Canada technician since 1984, is taking retirement after some 34 years with Bell. To bid him a fond farewell, information systems and technology -- that's the department now responsible for UW's telephones -- is hosting a party from 4 to 6 this afternoon at the University Club, with cash bar. Ginny Polai at ext. 6000 should have last-minute information and is accepting contributions towards a retirement gift.

The student Economics Society will hold its end-of-term wine and cheese party this afternoon (4:30 p.m., courtyard of the Environmental Studies building). "At the wine and cheese," says president Tara Mulder, "we will announce the Prof of the Year winner. Ballots will be brought to the core classes (micro and macro)."

And these events are just around the corner:

• A "campus-wide coffee break" next Tuesday morning -- 9:30 to 11, Davis Centre foyer -- with the launch of WatNext, UW's electronic time capsule.
• A Christmas concert by the Conrad Grebel Quartet, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the great hall of the Student Life Centre (admission free).
• The music department's annual noon-hour concert in the Davis Centre great hall, set for Thursday, December 4.
• A ceremony next Friday, December 5, remembering the victims of the 1989 "massacre" at Ecole Polytechnique in Montréal. "We will remember the fourteen women killed," says Heather Calder of the Federation of Students. "We will light candles in memory of the women, and hear reflections on the Massacre from members of the UW community." The ceremony will take place in Siegfried Hall, St. Jerome's College.

CAR

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