Daily Bulletin

Salary increase for staff

• A 1 per cent increase in salary scales, effective May 1, 1998.
• The usual merit program, which means that individuals' pay increases won't necessarily be 1 per cent, but may be higher or lower depending on their performance appraisals and on where they are in the salary range. An increase could be as low as zero for a poorly-performing staff member, or as high as 6 per cent for someone with excellent performance who's still at a low point in the range for his or her job. The average pay increase for individuals is expected to be about 2.5 per cent.
• Extra increases from a fund totalling another 1 per cent of the staff salary budget, distributed "to recognize meritorious performance and the major contributions of staff during the post-SERP transition". The information in the board agenda doesn't explain just how those extra increases would be handed out.

"A major factor in the Committee's deliberations," it says, "was equitability with the two-year agreements reached last year with the Faculty Association and CUPE Local 793."

Both faculty and non-union staff had a 1 per cent scale increase on May 1, 1997. The faculty association is getting another 1 per cent as of May 1 this year, as well as the usual "progress through the ranks" increases. CUPE members had a 2 per cent pay increase last year and will get a one-time cash payment, but no general increase, this May 1.

Macintosh statement is final

That's a more conciliatory way of putting it than was seen in the first version of the statement, circulated last fall, which offered a schedule for ending support of the Apple Macintosh computer and getting most Macs off campus. Mac users responded with passion, and UCIST is now saying that there may continue to be a role for Macs even though there are things they won't be able to do.

A compressed version of the final statement:

UW is moving towards a more integrated student computing environment, and towards a more functional and integrated administrative environment, both based on Windows 95 and its successors. Therefore, UCIST believes that MacOS is not a strategic platform for these areas today. Nevertheless, the strategic direction of the UW computing infrastructure emphasizes web-based systems and services that are accessible from multiple platforms. While single-platform solutions are never solutions of choice, they cannot be precluded in some instances.

The University recognizes that professors and staff need to choose the most appropriate platform on which to prepare and maintain teaching material. Making material available in web-based electronic formats helps ensure that it is accessible from multiple platforms.

Waterloo Polaris is an important component of UW's current student computing infrastructure. It provides most students with campus-wide access to their own file storage from any workstation, but it does not support MacOS clients. In response to student and instructor demand, Macintosh labs in Mathematics will be replaced with PC-based labs over the medium term. In other Faculties, PC-based labs are expected to be dominant, although Macintosh clients will remain the platform of choice in some specialized areas. Given these realities, and UCIST's belief in a more integrated student-computing environment, MacOS is not a strategic platform in the general student computing environment.

The University recognizes that professors and staff need to choose the most appropriate platform to use for research and for their individual electronic workplaces.

While most of the administrative information systems will incorporate web access eventually, it seems clear that fully functional client software will not be available on the web for all of them in a timely manner. No native MacOS clients are expected to be available for any of them. (These systems include the TRELLIS integrated library system, Oracle Government Financials, PeopleSoft Student Administration System, PeopleSoft Human Resources/Payroll system, and Cognos decision-support tools. In all these cases, the set of clients provided by the vendor is outside our direct control, in spite of our best efforts over time to have Macintoshes included.) Thus, most administrative areas should plan to migrate to Windows in the medium term.

For faculty and staff in academic departments, convenient access to some of these information systems may well suggest that these individuals seriously consider using Windows for their electronic workplaces.

Macintoshes will be supported by IST as long as there is a substantial user community on campus. IST will include Macintoshes in its negotiations for campus-wide software licenses. The Macintosh software depot will be maintained for software supported by UW. Macintoshes will be connected to the campus network. Network printing from Macintoshes will be supported. Backups of networked Macintosh systems will be supported. Hardware repair service will be provided. Macintosh consulting will be provided. MacTUG (Macintosh Technical Users Group) and UWMAC (Mac Advocates on Campus) will facilitate communication and coordination within the Macintosh users' community. Transitional services will be provided to assist individuals in converting from Macintoshes to PCs. (e.g., UWMAC, MacTUG).

Talking about Lake Erie

The event was originally planned for January 9 but had to be postponed because of the ice storm, which prevented participants from Eastern Ontario from attending, says Ken Van Osch in the HRC. It's co-sponsored by Parks Canada, Ontario Parks, and the Federation of Conservation Authorities of Lake Erie (FOCALerie).

Says Van Osch:

The 1998 Lake Erie Forum builds on previous fora which dealt with Marine Conservation and Protection Areas (1997); Assessing Lake Erie Protected Areas (1996); The Role of Parks and Protected Areas (1994); and Lake Erie Biodiversity (1993). These meetings bring together people with diverse interests in Lake Erie from universities, government agencies, and the private sector.

The focus of interest this year is Marine Heritage Conservation with special reference to the establishment of marine conservation areas. The presentations and discussions at this workshop will focus on the different types of federal, provincial and local marine heritage conservation areas that can be established on the basis of existing legislation and policy and public and private initiatives. We are also interested in the permit, regulatory and other procedures that are available in addition to conservation areas.

Papers and reports will be presented on various programs and related activities for marine heritage conservation for Lake Erie. An HRC report will be presented on various marine conservation area approaches. This report builds on a previous HRC report presented at the 1997 Forum which primarily dealt with Parks Canada's National Marine Conservation Areas.

The rest of the story

Mary Lou Klopp is retiring after some twenty years as secretary to the secretary of the university; a farewell wine and cheese party for her starts at 4:30 at the University Club.

The last Arriscraft Lecture of the term will be given tonight (7:00, "green room" of Environmental Studies II) by Toronto artist Jane Ash Poitras. She'll talk on "Transphenomenal Reality", or, a poster explains, "how Native American medicine people (shaman) have awakened in her another level of knowledge and experience bordering on altered states of consciousness that have influenced her development as an artist".

The Outers Club presents a "mountain slide show" by Fred Beckey at 7:00 tonight in Davis Centre room 1351. Tickets are $5.

A tentative settlement was reached last night in the week-long strike by faculty at Dalhousie University. The faculty association was to meet early this morning to ratify the agreement, with classes to resume in mid-morning today if the agreement was approved. Details of the settlement haven't been made public.

"More than 12,000 students and staff from across Australia's higher education system united yesterday in national protest against the Federal Government's funding cuts to the sector," The Australian reports. "The rallies in all capital cities and regional centres united students and academics . . . in the first volley of a national campaign leading up to the federal election."

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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