Daily Bulletin

Staff committee members are hailed

"The University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) wants to thank the many people who have completed their terms or continue to serve us all on a variety of committees," said Mark Walker of the biology department, who's finishing a year as chair of the association's nominating committee.

"The number of staff representatives is indicative of the role we have in the decision-making processes at Waterloo," Walker said. "Comments from staff representatives confirm that they are full participants and that fellow committee members value their contributions. The UWSA believes that decisions, both academic and non-academic, have an impact on the working conditions of our membership. With this in mind, the UWSA will continue to seek even greater representation to ensure that your ideas, solutions and insights will be heard by senior administration."

He also said: "Participation on these committees, although a rewarding experience for the volunteer, does increase their workload and can take a toll on their home department. Regular or last minute meetings and telephone calls can result in coworkers covering for the committee member during hectic times. This cooperation is seldom acknowledged publicly, but it is truly appreciated by those of us who have been the recipients of this invaluable support and assistance."

It just doesn't stop; the nominating committee is looking to fill a few more committee seats right now:

• A staff representative on the Provost's Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation. The staff association executive committee recently approved a recommendation to have one of the four positions filled by a member-at-large. This is an opportunity to work to develop and improve all aspects of the staff compensation program. This committee covers a wide variety of compensation issues and the terms of reference can be found on page 192 of the Policies, Procedures and Committees manual. The term is expected to begin after completion of the 1997-98 compensation discussions and be for one year, renewable for a second year.
• Three staff representatives on the Joint Health & Safety Committee. An advisory group of staff, management and student representatives, this committee meets 10 times a year to discuss and identify hazardous conditions and make recommendations to senior administrators on health and safety issues. Members are expected to conduct one or two workplace inspections per year.
• A staff representative on the Personal Safety Advisory Committee. This committee is advisory to the Provost and includes representatives from students, staff and faculty. The committee's purpose is to promote personal safety through the development of educational programs, recommend improvements to the physical environment and provide an open forum for groups and individuals to express ideas and concerns related to personal safety.

Looking at the new library system

Trellis is a shared library system which will provide integrated access to the holdings of three libraries: Waterloo, Guelph, and Wilfrid Laurier. More than three million bibliographic records supplemented with four million of what librarians call "authority records" make up the common database. (Some 1,300,000 of those bibliographic records represent the 3 million books, journal volumes, and other items in UW's libraries, I'm told by Linda Teather, the coordinator of systems support services in the library.)

Trellis also provides a single point of access to a variety of electronic resources and other Internet-accessible materials -- an updated Electronic Library that's an interface to the web world, you might say.

At today's open house, being held in Davis Centre room 1302, members of the Trellis project team will discuss the project's status, talk about benefits of the system, and demonstrate what you can expect to see when you access Trellis from the library or your home or office.

Notes from all over the place

From the library office: The Friends of the Library is once again celebrating the creative process that is alive and well on the UW campus. This year's celebration has a new twist, however. As part of the annual spring Authors Event, the Friends will not only honour those members of the UW community who have authored books, but, for the first time this year, also honour those who have composed musical works, been recognized for their photography or design work, or mounted art shows in 1997. If you would like your achievement to be included in the celebration, please contact Mary Stanley ext. 6019 or email mstanley@library. The Authors Event is scheduled for midday on Wednesday, May 6. More details will follow.

From the registrar's office: The last day to file Intent to Graduate forms for undergraduate students is March 6 [hey, that's today!] for spring convocation. Convocation for Applied Health Sciences, Environmental Studies and Independent Studies: 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 27; Arts, 2:00 p.m. Thursday, May 28; Science, 2:00 p.m., Friday, May 29; Mathematics, 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 30; Engineering, 2:00 p.m., Saturday, May 30.

From co-op education and career services: Wednesday, March 11, "Choose Your Own Adventure: The Entrepreneurial Advantage", Needles Hall 1020, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. "Consider the benefits of developing an enterprising approach to work, whether you will start your own venture or work for an existing organization." Speaker: Jennifer King, small business counsellor, Kitchener Business Self-Help Office.

From graphics: Speedier colour printing is coming to Graphics Express on Tuesday, March 10. Our CLC 800 colour laser printer will sport a ColorPass 4000 RIP for increased speed in processing files. The ColorPass provides rip while print, 400x400 dpi resolution on all page sizes and fully supports double-sided printing. During installation some delays may occur with file printing requests. We regret any inconvenience you may experience while we improve this service. Please call ext. 5905 if you need an update. If we cannot handle your request, we will suggest alternate solutions.

The first weekend of March

Final events for International Women's Week include a self-defence workshop today (1 to 4 p.m., multipurpose room of the Student Life Centre) and a "pad making workshop" tomorrow from 2 to 4 in SLC room 2102. The UW women's centre, which has sponsored events all week, also is involved in an IWW coffee-house tonight at the Moody Blues Cafe in uptown Waterloo, and a concert Saturday night at the Weaver's Arms pub on Phillip Street.

Optometry students, who have been conscientiously marking Vision Awareness Week with dozens of visits to local schools, will let their hair down this evening with "skit night", from 6 until the wee hours, at the Transylvania Club in Kitchener. It's followed by "casino night" tomorrow.

Most Rev. Terrence Prendergast, auxiliary bishop of Toronto, speaks tonight at St. Jerome's College, giving the annual Ignatian Lecture. His topic: "Encountering God -- Scripture and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola". The talk starts at 7:30 in Siegfried Hall, St. Jerome's; admission is free.

Students at Conrad Grebel College are holding a coffeehouse tonight, starting at 8, to benefit Anselma House.

What's not happening: Contrary to the notice in the "Cecilia" column of this week's Gazette, the Menno Singers will not have a winter concert tonight or tomorrow night. It was cancelled some time ago, in the fallout of the Singers' much-publicized troubles.

Transitions '98, a career conference for arts students and graduates, runs tomorrow; the arts special programs office at ext. 2119 might be able to provide last-minute information.

And the Carousel Dance Centre offers a performance in the Humanities Theatre on Saturday night at 8:00; UW dance alumni will perform along with their students, both young people and adults, in ballet, modern dance, and musical theatre. Tickets are available from the Humanities box office or at the door.

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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