Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo | Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Thursday, October 29, 1998

Jake Sivak named graduate dean
The talk of the campus
About preregistering and paying fees
And what's happening today

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Jake Sivak named graduate dean

The director of the school of optometry, Jacob Sivak, will be UW's next dean of graduate studies, the president announced yesterday after the board of governors approved the appointment. He'll serve for a five-year term starting September 1, 1999. The current dean, Pat Rowe, was to end her term next June 30 but "has graciously agreed to an extension of two months, to August 31", the president said in a memo.

Said the president: "Dr. Sivak jointed the UW School of Optometry in 1972 and was made Full Professor in 1980. He is currently serving his fourth term as Director of the School. The very fine reputation which the School enjoys, in North America and beyond, is due in no small measure to his efforts."

Sivak also had much to do with introducing a graduate and research program to the optometry school, which was entirely a training school for practising optometrists when it came to UW from Toronto in 1967. "He is a highly successful scholar and teacher . . . and has an impressive variety of research grant funding and contracts," writes the president, without specifically mentioning the imagination-grabbing research Sivak's lab has done about the unusual structure of penguin eyes.

"Jake Sivak is a seasoned and successful administrator," the president writes. "He has a deep and abiding interest in graduate studies and research, a background that spans both fundamental and applied scholarship, and a good sense of the challenges UW faces."

The talk of the campus

Somebody had given David Johnston, next president of UW, a Waterloo necktie by the time he met with a few media people late yesterday morning. He put it on in place of the haberdashery he'd been wearing when he arrived for a morning marathon of getting-to-know-you meetings, and he kept saying what a great place Waterloo is and how pleased he is to be coming next summer. During the media encounter, Imprint reporters asked him about fees,university governance and other issues, including government relations. That, said Johnston, thinking back to his years as principal of McGill, is the bad part of leading a university: "almost every other part of the university president's job is a privilege, but that was not fun."

"After 11 years of wolf research in Algonquin Park, University of Waterloo biologist John Theberge has been charged by the Ministry of Natural Resources with contravening the Fish and Game Act," the Kitchener-Waterloo Record reported yesterday. "The legal action also means Theberge's research licence to study wolves on Crown land outside park boundaries will be withheld pending the court outcome. Theberge and his wife, Mary, live in New Dundee. Their recently released book, Wolf Country, heavily criticizes the ministry for not doing enough to protect wolves outside the park, where the animals follow deer to wintering grounds near Round Lake. According to their book, during the 1990-91 season, 12 of 20 wolves fitted with radio collars by the Theberges died. . . . The ministry says there is no connection between the court action and the publication of the book."

Paul Socken, chair of the French studies department and leader in the campaign to get a Jewish studies chair started at UW, reports joyfully that he received a $100,000 cheque earlier this week, and that brings the campaign to the $1.5 million level, "where we can hire" a professor. He said there is already a shortlist of candidates for the post; the first one will be visiting UW in December and will give a public lecture. Socken thinks the Jewish studies chair will be "the only full-funded, sustainable, long-term endowment" for a faculty chair anywhere on campus when it eventually reaches the $2 million goal. The $100,000 came from developer Joseph Lebovic, who had previously given some $500,000 to the project and decided to raise his contribution.

Dates of UW holidays for the years 2001 and 2002 have been approved on high and made public by the human resources department; you can check them on a web page. Dates for 1999 and 2000 have been official for some time now. In 2001, the first day of work will be Tuesday, January 2, and the last day Friday, December 21. Canada Day falls on a Sunday, so Monday, July 2, is the holiday. In 2002, the first day of work will be Wednesday, January 2, and the last day Monday, December 23. Canada Day will be Monday, July 1.

About preregistering and paying fees

The fall term is barely past the midterm point, but it's time to look ahead to the spring term (for most co-op students) or the winter term (for students who are staying on campus two terms in a row). Either way, the registrar's office has news for you.

Spring term preregistration

If you are a currently registered undergraduate co-operative student intending to enrol in an undergraduate program in May 1999, you should pre-register November 4-6, 1998. If you are considering a faculty change next term, you should contact the appropriate advisor of the faculty to which you wish to transfer. Pre-register with your department/faculty advisor. Information regarding advisors, times and places, etc., is listed in the Course Offerings List. Course Offerings List and additional information are available from the department/faculty offices. The 1998-99 Undergraduate Calendars are available from the Office of the Registrar.

Winter term fees and schedules

If you are a full-time on-campus undergraduate student returning to the University of Waterloo for winter 1999, your fee statement and schedule will be available for on-campus pickup starting Monday, November 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following locations:

Arts -- second floor, NH
Applied health sciences -- second floor, NH
Engineering 1B -- CPH 1320D
4B chemical and environmental/chemical -- DWE 2509
4B electrical -- DC 2597G
4B geological and environmental/civil -- E2 2337
4B civil engineering -- E2 2333
4B mechanical -- E2 2328B
4B systems design -- DC 2599
Environmental studies -- second floor, NH
Mathematics -- second floor, NH
Optometry -- check mailbox
Renison College -- Renison
Science (non-optometry) -- second floor, NH
St. Jerome's University -- St. Jerome's

Schedules will be mailed to home addresses, starting November 13, for part-time students, independent studies students, and co-op students who will return to campus in January after a fall work term.

How to pay fees: If you are paying by cheque, you can use the drop box located outside the cashiers' office, first floor, NH, up to December 23. By using the drop box, you can avoid lineups. You can pay by cash, cheque, money order, or debit (Interac) at the cashiers' office, first floor, NH. Cheques may be postdated to December 23, 1998, and must be received at the cashiers' office by that date. If you are a Renison or St. Jerome's student, fee payment will be accepted in the business office at your college.

Avoid paying late fees: Payment must be received at the cashiers' office by December 23. Late fees will be assessed on all payments received after December 23, and the absolute last day to pay fees for the winter term is January 29, 1999. (Reminder: the university is closed from December 24, 1998, to January 3, 1999.)

And what's happening today

Hot dog! Pledges roll in

Tomorrow will be "Hot Dog Day" on the second floor of Needles Hall, as the UW research office -- well known for United Way enthusiasm -- offers lunch for sale. Hot dogs, pop and baked goods will be available from 11:30 to 1:00 to benefit the United Way campaign on campus, says Tess Haanstra, one of the organizers.

And how's the campaign going? "We are reaching for the top!" writes Carolyn Schill from the United Way office. As of October 28, pledges have reached $102,736 (76% of target). Be part of the magic!"

Little trick-or-treaters from the early childhood education centre will be touring the Psychology building today (and more tomorrow). "The treats are selected by the teachers so there is no concern about children with allergies," parents have been assured.

The "Chew on This" series for co-op employers continues, with a noontime talk today by Bill Power of the chemistry department. His topic: "Shedding Light on the World with Spectroscopy".

Fred Smith of Northern Illinois University will speak at 11:30 this morning on "Neandertals: Krapina Remains -- A Historical and Current Assessment". He's brought to UW by the department of anthropology and classical studies; the talk will be given in PAS (that's the Psychology building) room 2030.

And looking ahead to tomorrow, the food services department has an unusual promotion:

In our concern for the environment, the Department of Food Services is offering a total of 1998 Lug-A-Mugs to be distributed among our locations. On Friday, October 30, 1998, a set number of guests, at each location, purchasing a pastry along with a hot beverage or cold fountain drink will receive a free Lug-A-Mug once they state the "winning phrase". The number of mugs to be given away at each location will be posted along with a clue for the winning phrase.

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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