Daily Bulletin

New system tracks inquiries

"We are now using PeopleSoft's Student Administration System to produce and track communications for prospective students who each year submit thousands of requests for information regarding our undergraduate and graduate programs," says Dave Mason of the information systems and technology department. "A pilot project commissioned last Spring culminated in this recent achievement."

Mason notes that "It has been a tremendous learning experience for those in the Registrar's Office, Graduate Studies Office, IST and other members of the SISP team who have worked hard to make this a reality."

He says in a progress report:

The larger initiative to implement PeopleSoft's Admissions, Records, Financial Aid and Student Financials modules continues to be carried forward by a core team of individuals from across the University. The newest members of the team are Laura Pfanner, Financial Aid Assistant, Student Awards Office, Wendy Grant, Supervisor of Student Accounts, Cashier's Office and Sherry Townes, Information Systems Analyst, IST.

To this point, the team has undertaken approximately 200 person days of formal PeopleSoft training, and spent considerable time learning the software, developing test scenarios, and populating the database with UW specific data. This initial data prototype has assisted the team in evaluating the "fits" and "gaps" between the software and the University business processes for admissions, student records and student financials. This "fit/gap" analysis began last winter and is nearing completion in all areas except Financial Aid. Financial Aid will begin shortly and be completed by Spring '99. So far, the fit looks good!

The project team has also played a major role in the definition of the Canadian requirements for SAS. Work conducted jointly with the University of Western Ontario, University of Alberta and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology has identified approximately 140 Canadian specific requirements, many of which will be delivered by PeopleSoft by Spring '99. These requirements include everything from the recording of postal code and the assessment of GST to how we determine academic progress on a term by term basis. In addition, the definition of "Canadian" has been sufficiently broad as to include our interactions with the Ontario University Application Centre and the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training for various admissions, financial aid and claim reporting activities.

The primary objective for the next year of the project is to evolve the initial prototype toward a full working system. This will include obtaining approval for changes to existing practices, building add-ons to SAS, converting legacy data, building interfaces to other systems and writing additional reports. Current planning by the project team has identified late 2000 as the first opportunity to implement major components of the new Student Administration System.

Lecture Thursday on native communities

In "Recognized at Last? -- Reflections on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples", historian Olive Patricia Dickason will bring the combined perspectives of her academic background and her Métis heritage. Dickason has written numerous books and articles on aboriginal affairs, including The Myth of the Savage and Canada's First Nations: A History of Founding People from Earliest Times. She is professor emeritus at the University of Alberta and an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa.

The lecture will be given at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Humanities Theatre, Hagey Hall. Tickets are free and are available at the door, or can be reserved in advance by phoning St. Paul's United College at 885-1460.

Dickason is one of two speakers coming this fall though the Stanley Knowles fund in the Canadian studies program, which is based at St. Paul's. The other is Tony Clarke, who is teaching a course this fall and who will give a public lecture November 5 on "Challenging the Corporate Security State: The Search for Democratic Alternatives".

American universities recruit here

"You will pleased to learn of the many financial 'breaks' being offered by more and more of the U.S. schools," promises Penny Bissett Consulting, which conducts the fairs. "From taking tuition at par, to offering in-state tuition, to special financial packages for Canadian students, you will definitely see positive steps being taken by the U.S. colleges and universities in an effort to assist with U.S. exchange on our dollar and the differences in the tuition levels."

Participating in the series of promotions are institutions ranging from Purdue University to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The recruitment road show stops in Kitchener on Wednesday, October 21, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute. A one-stop U.S. graduate school fair is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

The talk of the campus

The United Way campaign is clearly off to a good start. "As of this afternoon, we have surpassed 40% of our goal with donations by 258 people totaling $56,344," writes Sharon Lamont, co-chair of the campaign. United Way factoid of the day: a $5-a-week donation would provide "5 days of safe shelter for women" at Anselma House, or "10 hours of crisis counselling for 4 youths living on the streets" from ROOF, or "Internet access for 5 handicapped people for a year" from K-W Access-Ability.)

Co-op employers keep coming to campus -- interviews run through the first week of November -- and today's noon-hour "Chew on This" session for their interest features John Sykes of the civil engineering department, speaking on "Toxic Chemicals and Cancer Clusters".

Montréal painter Tom Hopkins visits UW today, as part of a Canada Council program to send artists and art historians on tour. He'll speak at 1:30 p.m. in East Campus Hall room 1219.

The "Arts Talks Back" lecture series today presents Paul Thagard of the philosophy department, who will speak on "Emotional Analogies: How People Use Analogies in Persuasion, Empathy, and Humour". His talk starts at 3:00 in Humanities room 373.

The Computer Science Club presents SIGGraph Video Night this evening, featuring "Geri's Game", an Academy Award winner for "best animated short film", and videos from SIGGraph 1997. "Shorts vary in genre and intended audience," a CSC blurb says, "from the commercial, comical or artistic to the experimental and scientific." The event is "members only", with $2 memberships on sale at the door: 7 p.m., Davis Centre room 1302.

Thanks to a backlog of paperwork, the student awards office will be closed all day tomorrow. "Any emergency cases should be directed to Charlene Shaw, ext. 6031," a memo says.

The career development seminar series continues. Tomorrow: "The Work Finding Package -- Job-Work Search Plus Networking Plus Employer Research". The session runs from 1:30 to 3:30 in Needles Hall room 1020.

An Employee Assistance Program noon-hour session on "Problem Gambling" is scheduled for tomorrow. "Could you be susceptible?" asks Darryl Upfold, director of St. Mary's Counselling. Bet you two-to-one I couldn't. Tomorrow's brown-bag session starts at 12 noon in Davis Centre room 1302.

St. Jerome's University is promising "a number of very fine writers" on hand over the coming weeks to read from their works. On stage tomorrow: the college's own Eric McCormack, whose most recent novel was shortlisted for a Governor-General's Award. He'll read at the college tomorrow (St. Jerome's room 221) at 4 p.m.

Finally, a delayed sports result. The basketball Warriors have started their exhibition season -- hey, does that mean winter is coming? -- by defeating Ryerson 74-71 in a game played in Toronto on Saturday.

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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