Daily Bulletin

Friday, September 12, 1997

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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The new face of Waterloo

You can see it at the top of this Bulletin, you can see it on the UWinfo home page this morning, and soon you'll be seeing it on posters, brochures, trucks, T-shirts, business cards and letterhead: the new UW logo. It's being introduced today just in time to be official as the university's new student recruitment publications get a big workout over the weekend.

The old face of Waterloo
The new logo keeps Waterloo's lions-and-chevrons shield, of course, but changes the drawing style just a little, replaces gold with yellow, and gives new prominence to the words "University of Waterloo" (in a new typeface, ITC Cheltenham). It was designed by consultant Doug Geddie, working with a three-member steering committee at UW, and was reviewed during the summer by executive council.

"From time to time, styles change, and you need to refurbish," says UW president James Downey -- who admits that there will never be unanimity on any question of taste or aesthetics, but adds, "Personally, I like it better!" He adds: "It holds onto what is essential. We've made it more attractive and appealing for contemporary tastes."

In any case, the president says, the change to the logo is almost a side issue. He wants to emphasize the overhaul of Waterloo's student recruitment publications, which "have not been particularly eye-catching -- many other universities have been more progressive in their design." Says Downey: "Recruitment will become a more competitive business . . . we've seen a softening of the application rate." New brochures and posters that are being printed this week are meant to be "attractive not just to ourselves, but to a different generation of students".

Future students give us the eye

A new recruitment brochure, with the new UW logo, new photographs and other enhancements, will start hitting its audience tomorrow at the big Universities Fair in Toronto. Some 30,000 visitors are expected at the event, being held in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

It was organized by the Ontario University Registrars' Association to show off all 19 of the province's universities to potential students and their parents in the Toronto area. It replaces a two-week grind of visits to individual schools around Toronto, carried out by university ambassadors each fall for many years past. (Visits to schools in other parts of the province are still on the program.) The Fair will be in operations from 10 to 9 tomorrow, and 9:30 to 6 on Sunday.

"It is hoped that the Fair will encourage these students to come see what the universities have to offer, all in one place on one weekend," says Barb Trotter of the UW registrar's office, who will be staffing UW's booth at the Fair on Saturday and Sunday along with dozens of colleagues. "This is a whole new adventure for everyone.We have tried to predict what might happen, but nobody really knows for sure how many people will come, or how the arrangements will work out."

UW's booth is some 40 feet long, with boards that show campus pictures and list all UW's programs. "There will also be six panels with cutouts of students," says Trotter. "Each panel has one student with a quote about the strengths of the University of Waterloo. At the top and bottom of each panel are appropriate photos relating to the student's quote."

And staff will be encouraging visitors to take home the new admissions brochure ("search piece" is the jargon phrase). Just off the press, it has basic information about UW and includes a card that can be sent in to request more information. Five times on Saturday and four times on Sunday, UW staff will give 45-minute presentations in a nearby room, and special sessions on financial aid, sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada, are also planned.

About using the new logo

Graphics guidelines for the use of the new logo are to be distributed on campus shortly, says a memo from Downey that's going out today to department heads and other key people. He writes: "Consistent use of this graphic identity in our print and electronic materials is very important as we attempt to quicken the image we present to our varied audiences and clienteles."

Dozens of Web pages across the university are displaying the new logo this morning. The change was made instantly, just by changing the graphic that's called up by the URL https://uwaterloo.ca/images/UWlogo.GIF. (That's the one recommended for Web page headings.) The new logo in a number of sizes is available on the Web at http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca:80/infograp/logotest/. Seen here: the logo as it appears 150 pixels wide.

The rest of the news today

The Graduate Student Association has announced the appointment of a new president: Stephen Astels, previously vice-president (internal). Astels, a grad student in pure mathematics, takes over from Burton Empey, who resigned as GSA president earlier this week. Peter Wood, corporate secretary of the GSA, takes on the duties of VP (internal) as well. The appointments run through next April 30.

Co-op students are advised that today is the last day for return-to-campus interviews. Students who will be taking part in interviews later this term, for January-to-April co-op jobs, should plan to pick up their "master co-op record" on Tuesday, which is also the day most work reports from the spring term are due.

St. Jerome's College has two special events this weekend. Today from 2 to 7 p.m. and tomorrow from 8 to 4, it plays host for -- and beneficiary of -- a garage and yard sale sponsored by the local Knights of Columbus. And the graduates' association wine tour -- heading for three Niagara area wineries, plus "the shops of Jordan Village" -- takes place Saturday.

The football Warriors, ranked first in Canada again this week, will host the University of Windsor Lancers at University Stadium at 2 p.m. Saturday. Several other Warrior and Athena teams are also in action -- the baseball Warriors play Friday and Sunday at Bechtel Park, the cross-country season is starting with an invitational at Guelph, and there's action in field hockey, rugby and soccer.

A memorial service for Blair Daciw, a music student who died in a bicycle crash on Columbia Street in August, will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Siegfried Hall, St. Jerome's College.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY September 12, 1975: Classes are cancelled for first-year students taking a set of experimental achievement tests designed to find out the relationship between high school marks and readiness for university study.

September 13, 1994: The morning after the Québec election returns the Parti Québecois to power, the Daily Bulletin comes out in French.

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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