Daily Bulletin

Friday, January 30, 1998

University of Waterloo • Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Yesterday's Bulletin | Previous days | UWevents | UWinfo home page

Fed candidates do their thing

The election campaign is under way for the 1998-99 executive of UW's Federation of Students, who will be chosen in balloting by undergraduate students February 10-11. Four people (Matt Popovich, Christian Provenzano, Andre Cousineau, Jeff Gardner) are seeking to be president of the Feds, and there are a total of 14 candidates for the four vice-presidencies.

Who are they, and what do they stand for? Students can find out at a series of candidates' forums to be held over the next ten days. The Federation office provides this list:

Today at 12:30, Matthews Hall 1039.
Monday at 12 noon, Humanities undergraduate lounge.
Monday at 6 p.m., Ron Eydt Village cafeteria.
Tuesday at 12:30, Student Life Centre great hall (candidates for president and vice-president, administration and finance).
Wednesday at 12:30, SLC great hall (candidates for other vice-presidencies).
Wednesday at 6 p.m., Village I.
Wednesday at 9:15 p.m., PAS room 3005, sponsored by GLLOW.
Thursday at 12:30, Carl Pollock Hall foyer.
Thursday at 6 p.m., Renison College cafeteria.
Monday, February 9, at 12:30, Math and Computer comfy lounge.

Talking of Catholic education

A lecture that was cancelled in November, thanks to wintry weather, will take place tonight instead at St. Jerome's College. The speaker is Sister Clare Fitzgerald, an authority on Catholic education in the United States. Her topic: "Catholic Education at the Millennium: Memories, Murmurings, and the Mission".

Says a news release: "Fitzgerald will draw on her wealth of experience to help vision an educational mission in the next millennium. Part of the 1997-98 St. Jerome's Centre for Catholic Experience lecture series, this presentation will be the Annual Separate School Boards' Lecture."

Fitzgerald is a member of the Northeast Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She has served as Provincial Leader of her Province, as well as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious throughout the United States. She was appointed to the Vatican Commission on the Study of Religious Life in the United States. She holds an earned doctorate as well as two honorary degrees recognizing her work -- for nine years she was chair of the American studies department at Fairfield University, before moving on to head the School Leadership Program at Boston College.

The Separate School Boards' Lecture is part of the series offered by the Centre for Catholic Experience, based at St. Jerome's. Tonight's presentation, starting at 7:30 in Siegfried Hall, will include the lecture, a break, and a question period. Admission is free and all are welcome.

And also from St. Jerome's

St. Jerome's is a busy place, with these other events scheduled in the coming weeks:

The "first annual" Valentine's Day dance, sponsored by the University Catholic Community, February 14.
"The Musical Legends", a "Vegas-style performance", March 14.
The annual Graduates' Association Lecture, by national NDP leader Alexa McDonough, March 17.
The annual golf tournament, July 6.
An alumni wine tour of the Niagara Region, September 12.

Finally . . . Doug Letson has been president of the University of St. Jerome's College since 1989, and now it's time to find a successor, says a notice from the institution: "Applications or nominations are invited for the position of President. . . . St. Jerome's University is seeking an individual with strong academic and administrative credentials and with an understanding of the Canadian university system including the role of Catholic universities in it. The candidate should have the ability both to communicate effectively with faculty, students, staff and graduates and to maintain strong relations with the Roman Catholic constituency of the University. The appointment will be effective July 1, 1999. St. Jerome's University has a commitment to employment equity. In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, this advertisement is directed to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. . . . Applications and curriculum vitae should be received by March 31, 1998." The college's chancellor, John Sweeney, is chairing the search committee.

Gong xi fa cai!

A number of ethnic clubs will be celebrating the Chinese new year with parties this weekend, I think, but the one from which I have information is the Chinese Student and Scholar Association, which represents people whose ties are to mainland China, the People's Republic. Most of its members are graduate students, researchers and faculty; typically they speak Mandarin (rather than the other chief expression of Chinese, Cantonese). "Currently we have about 300 members," says a fact sheet from the CSSA's president, Jianshen Zhao of the biology department.

He points out that "Chinese new year" isn't a one-day event, but a spring festival of some two weeks, Chun-Jie. Traditional observations include special pocket-money for children, plenty of good food for adults (fish, chicken, jiao-zi curved in the shape of the new moon), gifts, fireworks, and visits home. "In conclusion, Chun-Jie is a season full of love, care, family value, giving, respect the seniors, friendship, blessing, enjoying of life and being optimistic. These are the Chinese values!"

CSSA is holding its spring festival party this Saturday night, greeting the Year of the Tiger. ("By the way," Zhao adds, "we should warn that the tiger is an endangered animal due to human poaching and the loss of habitat. Remember, only 5000 tigers left on the earth!") Saturday night's party will be held in the Festival Room, South Campus Hall. Zhao can be reached at ext. 6383 for ticket information.

60 places in optometry

UW's school of optometry gets approximately 350 applications each year for the 60 available places in its first-year class. If you're thinking of being one of those applicants, you'll want to be on hand for Optometry Admission Night, this Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m.

"There will be presentations by a local optometrist, an optometry student and the admissions officers, as well as a tour of the school of optometry," explains Marie Amodeo, administrative assistant in the school. "Light refreshments will follow." The event will be held in room 347 of the Optometry building, on the north side of Columbia Street.

Students looking to enter optometry in September should know, she says, that the Admission Committee reviews academic averages, optometry admission test (OAT) scores, the essay, confidential assessment forms, volunteer work, academic awards and interview (if granted) to make admission decisions. "The School of Optometry prides itself in its efforts to conduct a rigorous selection process that will identify highly qualified candidates that will be ultimately successful in the optometry profession."

Monday will be a wet day

Maybe not in the weather (although right now the extended forecast is saying "cloudy with showers") but certainly in the academic emphasis. It's World Wetlands Day, and activities at UW will represent "Canada's premier event" for the day, says Barry Warner, director of the Wetlands Research Centre.

Starting at 8:30, there will be a program for high school students, held in the Theatre of the Arts and several lecture halls. The lieutenant-governor of Ontario, Hilary Weston, will visit at 11:30 to "make brief remarks, observe student presentations on environmental projects, and participate in questions and answers" in the Theatre.

At 7 p.m., also in the Theatre of the Arts, there will be a public lecture by Edward Maltby of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, based at Royal Holloway College, London. He'll speak on "Wetlands -- Conservation Icon or Sustainable Development?"

"The celebration of World Wetlands Day," I'm told, "occurs on the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in Ramsar, Iran, which recognizes the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands."

And more, and more . . .

Today is absolutely the last day to register for winter term courses.

It's also, being the last Friday of the month, the occasion for prime rib in the University Club. Reservations: 888-4088.

The drama department production of Samuel Beckett's "Happy Days" continues in the Humanities studio theatre, tonight and tomorrow (as well as February 4-7). Tickets: 888-4908.

CTRL-A, "the Club That Really Likes Anime", will be having its first show of the term today (Friday) starting at 4:30 p.m. in Engineering Lecture room 101. The scheduled lineup includes Patlabor, Final Fantasy, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Key the Metal Idol, Irresponsible Captain Tylor, and Blue Seed. Admission is free.

A coffee house at the Graduate House on Saturday night will be a fund-raiser for "the Tex-Mex field course" in environmental studies, which will take a number of students to warmer climes February 10 through 22 to do ecological and social projects. "We have been fundraising to cover the cost of expenses for the past three months or so," writes Jin Huh, one of the students keen to head for tortilla country. Saturday night's event includes "open mike" from 9 to midnight and the King Street Bread Machine from midnight to 1 a.m. (Next fund-raiser: a garage sale, bake sale and raffle in the Environmental Studies courtyard on Tuesday.)

The next general meeting of FACCUS, the group for computing support people in the faculties, is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, from 1:30 to 3:00 in Math and Computer room 2009.

Sports this weekend: the hockey Warriors host the Royal Military College on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Queen's on Sunday at 2 p.m.; a varsity swimming meet brings both men and women from Western to compete against UW in the PAC pool, Saturday starting at 2.

CAR

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@uwaterloo.ca -- (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
Comments to the editor | About the Bulletin | Yesterday's Bulletin
Copyright © 1998 University of Waterloo