Daily Bulletin

Students offer 'green' projects -- reported by Barbara Elve

Using the university as a laboratory, Greg Michalenko's ERS students worked in groups to assess the environmental impact of activities on campus and to suggest areas in which improvements can be made. They tackled a number of waste and recycling issues involving newsprint, food, and sanding and salting practices at UW.

Patti Cook, left, and two members of the student vermiculture team

Among the recommendations generated by a waste assessment of the Ron Eydt Village cafeteria: feed leftovers to the pigs. The student team discovered a company that delivers food waste to farms for use as livestock feed. "This would prevent the food waste being generated in the cafeteria from going to a landfill," the students reported in their recommendations. "We believe considering pigs as an option for waste reduction should be looked into further."

Vermiculture offers another alternative to the disposal of food waste. With the help of such resources as Worm World, Worm Digest, and The Real Dirt, as well as UW waste management coordinator Patti Cook, students surveyed people on campus already using red wigglers to compost their banana peels to assess the success of the program and identify problems. The group suggested expanding the vermiculture program on campus, providing regular monitoring of vermicomposters to avoid problems, and offering a workshop to increase knowledge and interest in vermicomposting.

This term's ERS 285 students will examine outdoor land use and landscape history, conduct an inventory of trees and bike facilities on campus, investigate the restoration of an aquatic ecosystem, and study ways to increase environmental awareness among frosh.

If you're planning to graduate

Intention to Graduate forms must be submitted by July 31 -- to the graduate studies office in Needles Hall if you're a grad student, to the registrar's office if you're an undergrad.

"The submission of an Intention to Graduate form," I'm told, "gives convocants an opportunity to indicate exactly how they would like their names to appear on the diploma, and to specify the address to which they would like convocation information sent. Most important, however, is the fact that it ensures the inclusion of their names on the lists to be presented to Senate for approval of the degrees."

The grad office, the registrar's office and academic departmental offices should all have blank forms available.

Crime on Canada Day "Between 5 and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1," says UW police chief Al MacKenzie, "there was forced entry to about 20 offices in the Davis Centre. There was at least one CPU stolen." Anybody who saw anything "strange" or suspicious around that time is asked to call the UW police at 888-4911, or Crimestoppers at (800) 222-8477.

Staff association 'incredible value'

"Our association continues to strive for excellence and relevance in representing UW Staff's vital interests on campus," writes association president Charlene Schumm in a covering letter, "and your support is the key to our continued success." She notes that association membership is down because of the mass of early retirements from UW in 1996. "New member recruitment has been slow, not because of a lack of interest, but rather a lack of awareness of the functions of our association."

That's the reason for the new brochure, which summarizes the role of the association -- presenting a staff viewpoint when university policy is formulated, providing support when there are problems, protecting and improving staff compensation, and so on. The association also organizes special events, offers scholarships, and arranges discounts for its members at local businesses.

And then there's the discount brochure, "giving you incredible value for your membership commitment". It runs from Angie's Kitchen to Pal's Galerie, from Living Lighting to Priority Painting.

The staff association is launching "a major membership drive", says Schumm's letter. "Fabulous prizes" are being offered -- with a draw on October 8 -- for members who recruit co-workers to join the association.

The summer issue of the association's Staff News, just out, includes word on coming events and other association services, and a double page of comments received in last winter's survey on the staff compensation program. "Length of service doesn't always equal quality of service," one anonymous respondent writes, though another observes that "typically, as years increase, so do the responsibilities in the same job." And a third: "Reward a person based on how hard they would be to replace."

Semi-formal and very informal notes

The Computer Help and Information Place operated by information systems and technology will be closed from noon to 1:00 today.

Arriving this weekend at the Ron Eydt conference centre are several hundred participants in a youth gathering sponsored by the Lutheran Church of Canada.

A number of UW people will be involved in the Medieval Collegium being held tomorrow at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Kitchener -- a day of talks and demonstrations about the arts, cookery, warfare and love-making of the middle ages. Information: 884-0672.

Co-op students are reminded that job match results will be posted on Monday; and meanwhile, "continuous phase posting #1" of more jobs to consider went up yesterday and will expire on Monday evening.

The Volunteer Action Centre is looking for foster parents these days -- "consider becoming a live-in caregiver for children or youth in an agency-owned home." The VAC at 742-8610 can point you to more information from Family and Children's Services. Also in demand just now: helpers at Achievement in Motion, to work alongside "people with mental health concerns" in crafts, computers or gardening; and distress centre volunteers to answer the phone for the Canadian Mental Health Association. Again, call 742-8610 for information.

UW web site of the day

"The UW CS/Information Systems home page was created," says math student Chris Gurney, "because I wanted students who were enrolled in the CS/InfoSys Option to have a place to call home on the Web. The idea for the page came about after seeing the home pages for several Engineering classes, and feeling left out. Since no home page existed for InfoSys students in particular, the next logical step was to create one."

So there it is, a red-and-black page of small type with pointers to news about Microsoft and Java, predictions about the Year 2000 bug, and -- a little closer to home -- information about fall term fees.

"While some of the content at the site is directed towards InfoSys students," says Gurney, "the majority of it is geared towards anybody who likes their fix of tech news. Visitors should keep in mind that this site is not my page alone, it is intended for all InfoSys students, and Comp Sci students alike. Feedback about the site is always welcome, and is encouraged."

The page also offers some information about the InfoSys option itself, including "an incomplete list" of the students registered in it.

CAR

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