Daily Bulletin

Bar manager expands musical offerings

As the new manager of bar operations and programming for the Federation of Students, he brings his many years of experience in the restaurant industry --from a hand in the "dish pit" to assistant manager/head bartender -- a BA in sociology from York University, where he was orientation coordinator for three years, plus a keen sense of curiosity and adventure.

"University programming should give people an opportunity to experience a different type of entertainment than they normally would," he maintains, and hopes to find a balance between giving students what they want, and fostering an appreciation of musical diversity.

While he"s "playing it safe to start with, booking acts already on tour that I know will have a decent draw" -- like Spirit of the West at Fed Hall near the end of September -- Hadwin sees the potential for non-traditional programming, especially at the Bombshelter. "I'm working on a Thursday night concert series at the Bomber with local and independent acts who are dying for a chance to play." Having a more varied program at the pub could even mean opening it up to drama.

At Fed Hall, renovations are underway "to divide and warm up the space while still maintaining its integrity as both a concert venue and a dance club." Details are hush-hush. "We're trying to create a buzz about them; we don't want to take away from that first impulse reaction of people to the new space."

Starting this fall, Restoration Fridays at Fed Hall will feature "a very diverse club night atmosphere" with a DJ. "I'd like to see students utilize their bars, staying on campus in a safer environment." And with entertainment dollars shrinking, Hadwin is committed to "giving students as many breaks as possible with prices."

Hadwin has assistant managers at both the Bombshelter and Fed Hall to oversee the daily operations, and has already plunged into programming -- for Canada Day at the Bombshelter, and for Summerfest 2, where he offered a melange of retro 80s club dance sound, and rockabilly swing.

Although he finds York and Waterloo "very similar" in terms of musical tastes, and already feels at home at UW, he admits developing effective programming is very much a learning experience. "This year, I'm taking it one step at a time."

Grad House barbecue sizzles

Although undergraduates have fled campus for a break between terms, the work of grad students is never done. "They've begged us to stay open," says Grad House manager Rose Vogt.

While the kitchen is being expanded and other "minor fix-ups" underway, "we'll try to maintain some service," promises Vogt. That means the patio and upstairs will be open with pizza on the menu, as well as hamburgers, sausages, hot dogs, chicken and souvlaki hot off the grill.

On the education beat

St. Jerome's University chancellor John Sweeney came out swinging in defence of a liberal arts education at a benefit reception in Toronto earlier this summer. At the fundraiser for Sweeney Hall, a women's residence at St. Jerome's, Sweeney maintained that post-secondary education should be viewed as more than just preparation for a good job, reported the Catholic Register. "What a liberal arts education gives you is absolutely fundamental," he said, noting that without art, music and drama, "we'd be a vastly undernourished society."

Ontario's 6,500 community college teachers will go on strike on September 28 if a contract is not reached by September 17. Among key issues are wages, workload, job security, and the use of contract workers. Teachers and management will resume talks on Monday, at a meeting called by provincial mediator Alan Heritage. A strike would affect some 125,000 students at 25 colleges across the province.

UW web site of the day

For UW students whose home is Taiwan -- still sometimes known as the Republic of China -- the Web can be a lifeline, carrying news and information about what's going on at home. And so the Taiwanese Student Association provides this page, with links to a dozen news outlets in Taiwan, several entertainment links (got to keep up on the singers, actors, movies, CDs and concerts at home), and pointers to universities in Taiwan and general information about the distant land.

Some of the Taiwan media carry their information in Chinese, rather than English, and so the TWSA page also offers a "Chinese Big5" text reader for downloading.

The single page of "Taiwan Links" needs to be seen as part of the TWSA site as a whole, says Eric Leu, who helps maintain it. "This page was originally designed to provide information to members of the Taiwanese Students Association (TWSA) regarding future TWSA events, contact information, and news of interest to members."

Barbara Elve
bmelve@nh4.adm.uwaterloo.ca

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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