Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo | Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Wednesday, December 23, 1998

with information for the Christmas and New Year's holiday break

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Coming to the end of 1998

On this cold, cold winter morning, we're hours away from the long Christmas and New Year's break that will close UW until the first Monday of 1999. Fall term exams are over now, and today is the last day of work for staff this year. Then most people are away until the winter term begins on January 4, 1999.

Full services are being provided today, pretty much, although central stores says the last mail for 1998 will go out about 1 p.m. Custodians will be working an early shift today, 4 p.m. to midnight, and then will be off until their usual Monday shift on January 4.

The bookstore and UW Shop and the computer store and Techworx are open today as usual, then closed until January 4. Graphics retail copy centres will close at 12:30 today. The central graphics operation in the General Services Complex will stay open until 4:30. Then all graphics centres will be closed December 24 through January 3. Most food services outlets are closed by now -- today you can eat only at Tim Horton's in the Davis Centre (until 1:30), Brubaker's in the Student Life Centre (until 1:30), and Pastry Plus in Needles Hall (until 11:30). And then there's no food service at all on campus until outlets resume for their normal hours on Monday, January 4.

The libraries are open today: Dana Porter and the Davis Centre until 6 p.m., with information and circulation services until 5 p.m.; the University Map and Design Library until 4:30. Then the libraries are closed until January 4.

Faculty members may still be busy with marking over the next few days. Fall term marks are to be submitted to the registrar's office Monday, January 4. The week of January 18, marks will be sent to fall term students -- all marks are going out by mail this time, in a change from previous procedure, the registrar's office says.

UW closes for eleven days

And so we leave the campus to the few people who live here 365 days a year, and to the essential staff who will be on duty over the break:

UW police will be in operation 24 hours a day throughout the Christmas and New Year's period. The emergency phone number is 888-4911 (on campus, that's ext. 4911).
During the break, staff will be on duty in the central plant, and emergency maintenance requests can be called in to ext. 3793. Snow removal from December 24 through January 3 will be minimal, and limited to priority areas such as the ring road.
The Student Life Centre (phone ext. 3867) will be open 24 hours a day as usual throughout the holiday.

Other notes on services over the next two weeks:

All parking lots, except lot D under Needles Hall and the ECEC lot at the PAS building, will be open and free throughout the holiday period. Gates to service roads will be kept closed during the holiday break.
The Computing Help and Information Place, or CHIP, will be closed as of 4 p.m. December 23 and won't reopen until January 4 at 8:00.
If you notice an outage of the campus network or any major IST-maintained computing facility, you can leave a voice message with the Information Systems and Technology Helpdesk at 888-4357 or send e-mail to request@ist.uwaterloo.ca. Both will be checked daily.
The Columbia Icefield will be open for recreational skating (free to all comers) December 28 through 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., January 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and January 3 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Otherwise, all recreational facilities will be closed December 24 through January 3.
The switchboard will close at 6:00 tonight and reopen on January 4. While it's closed, it's possible to direct-dial to UW extensions through the "automated attendant" at 888-4567.

Scheduled construction projects on campus during the break include minor work on the first floor of the Math and Computer building, roof work on Modern Languages, and construction in the Optometry building laser laboratory.

A few holiday activities

Women's basketball is the big sports news on campus during the break, with the New Year's Shoot-Out hosted by the Warriors January 1, 2 and 3. Eight teams are taking part; the first Warrior game is at 7 p.m. on New Year's Day, against Winnipeg. Tickets are $7 per two-game session (students $4), with a tournament pass available at $15 (students $8).

Federation Hall will host a New Year's Eve party on December 31, with Kenny Groove as DJ. Tickets are $22 at the door, if any are left. The University Club has a New Year's Eve party with five-course meal and DJ; at last report, tickets were almost sold out. Otherwise, the Club will be closed after lunch today and not reopen until January 11.

Roman Catholic worship services at St. Jerome's University are scheduled for Christmas Eve, 7 p.m. and midnight; Christmas Day, 10 a.m.; Sunday, December 27, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.; December 31, 5 p.m.; Saturday, January 2, at 5 p.m.; Sunday, January 3, at 9:30 and 11:30. Weekday Masses (12 noon) resume on January 4.

Anglican worship at Renison College is scheduled Christmas Eve at 11 p.m. (Holy Communion). There will be no Sunday service December 27. Regular worship resumes Sunday, January 3, at 10:30 a.m.

Registration for the new year

For undergraduate students: The cashier's office in Needles Hall is open to receive winter term registrations. A drop box is available at the registrar's office in Needles Hall. The cashier's office and registrar's office will close at the end of the day today; when it reopens in January, late fees starting at $50 for full-time students will be in effect for those who have not registered. Registration January 4-6 will be in the Upper Blue North area of the Physical Activities Complex, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. That's the place to pick up schedules, WatCard validation stickers, and Ontario Student Assistance Program documents.

Graduate students who have not yet registered for the winter term 1999 may register by mail or in person at the cashier's office, 1st floor, Needles Hall, up to 4 p.m. today. Late fees begin January 4. Graduate students may also drop off their registration documents (with payment by cheque) at the graduate studies office on the third floor of Needles Hall by the end of today.

Wise words as we scatter

Some parting advice from the plant operations department:

Heat and ventilation will be kept at night settings from December 24 through January 3. Anyone coming to campus during that time can expect to find cool buildings. It will save additional energy expense if coffee-makers, computers, office equipment and unused fumehoods are turned off during the break. And please make very sure all windows are closed before you leave.

And from the UW police:

Do not leave any personal valuables or smaller "attractive" items, such as laptop computers, radios and cameras, in the office or workplaces. These items should be secured in a cabinet or removed to home for safekeeping over the holidays.
The local police services will be out in full force with the RIDE program over the holidays, so if you drink, do not drive.

And it's so long from me

The Daily Bulletin will return Monday, January 4. Any emergency announcements before that date will be made through a Flash on the UWinfo home page. The next Gazette will be published January 6.

[Candle] . . . So some of us go now to church,
and some to feast, and some to skis,
and some to bed -- and most of us
to loving friends and families --
though some must study or must work:
a dozen faiths, a thousand ways
to live in harmony with truth
through cold and dark December days.
We pause from labours, when we can,
and hear the season's whispered call
to burn the candles of our lives
for Peace on earth, good will to all.

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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