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Daily Bulletin


University of Waterloo | Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Wednesday, September 9, 1998

  • One big happy carnival
  • Workshops will help people cope
  • Library offers new indexes
  • Other news on a crisp day
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* McGwire hits 62 | Sosa

One big happy carnival

Catharine Scott just couldn't stop saying good things about orientation yesterday. Scott, who as associate provost (human resources and student services) is the top UW official responsible for student life, said she was "ecstatic" at how well things had been going, from the moment first-year students started checking in at the Village residences on Monday.

The room registration process was "seamless", she said, and while students were looking around at their new homes, their parents were complimenting UW staff on how friendly and efficient the place seemed to be. Then came orientation registration at Fed Hall, and Monday night's performance by mentalist Mike Mandel was a big hit.

Single and Sexy

Performances are at 10:00 and 4:30 today, 1:30 and 4:30 Thursday, in the Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages building.
Yesterday, as students began ice-breaking activities in their faculties, everything was still going well, Scott said. Worth a special mention: "There hasn't been one chant of a racist, sexist or homophobic kind!" Getting the nasty stuff out of the chants and songs was a big emphasis of the provost's advisory committee on orientation which reported last spring.

Another big success in orientation, Scott said, is the number of students who signed up for the "off-campus dons" program. More than 500 first-year students, out of somewhere between 1,000 and 1,200 who will have off-campus addresses this fall, joined that program on Monday, she said -- a record.

The OCD orientation group are making a mass trip to Sportsworld today. On campus, it's Carnival Day at the Villages; tonight students get together with their faculties again (engineering and applied health sciences head for Fed Hall, arts for the Bombshelter).

Workshops will help people cope

How do you feel about yourself? Not that great sometimes? UW's counselling services may have just what you need:
An 8 week practical hands-on program where participants will learn strategies for enhancing self-esteem. This group involves systematic training that can help change the way you think, feel and behave. Participants must be committed to weekly homework assignments. This workshop is based on the book, Ten Days to Self-Esteem, which participants will need to purchase(approximately $20).
The self-esteem workshop is just one of nine programs being offered by counselling services this fall. The others cover anger management skills, assertive communication, exam stress management, procrastination, stress management through relaxation training, study skills, and preparing for and writing exams.

Registration starts this week at the counselling services office in Needles Hall.

Library offers new indexes

More and more information is available electronically (duh!) and libraries are constantly introducing new services to help their users find it efficiently. Here's the latest, from the "TriUniversity Group" that includes UW, the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University:
. . . the implementation of web based journal indexes effective September 1, 1998. A common interface from the TriUniversity Libraries Homepage provides access to over 80 electronic indexes and abstracts covering a broad range of disciplines. These indexes can be used to identify journal and newspaper articles, conference proceedings, Canadian government publications and technical paper literature. Some indexes also provide access to selected full text journal articles.

A number of these web indexes were purchased consortially for all three libraries. (Some are restricted to members of only one or two of the universities.) These resources are available to faculty, students and staff at UW, UG or WLU not only using computers with World Wide Web browsers in the university libraries, but also in offices and computer labs across their campuses as well as remotely from their homes. Web based indexes and abstracts greatly enhance access to scholarly literature allowing opportunities for students and faculty to do research at times and places convenient to their own schedules.

A memo from the library adds that "Anyone interested in further details relating to their particular academic interests is encouraged to contact the Liaison Librarian for their academic department."

Also from the library, this reminder that books borrowed on term loan last winter and spring are due today. Since early August, books on term loan have been stamped due January 6, 1999.

Other news on a crisp day

George Priddle, retired professor of environment and resource studies, died Sunday. He was 60. A prominent researcher in the field of national and provincial parks, Priddle is survived by his wife, Ruth Priddle, a faculty member in UW's dance program. Visitation at the Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home, 621 King Street West, Kitchener, is scheduled for Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral service will be held at First United Church in downtown Waterloo at 1 p.m. Friday.

A call for nominations has been issued for four seats on UW's senate -- three representing faculty at large, one representing faculty members in applied health sciences. Nominations are due by September 18. Full information is available on the secretariat web site and in this morning's Gazette.

English exam on Friday

In yesterday's Bulletin I managed to say that the English Language Proficiency Exam would be given on Thursday. In fact, it's Friday. Times of the exam, in the Physical Activities Complex: 9:30 a.m. for engineering; 11:30 for arts; 1:00 for science; 2:30 for applied health sciences, environmental studies, and mathematics.
In yesterday's Bulletin I did some grazing through the reports to this month's senate executive meeting, and listed several new faculty members. Not mentioned yesterday, but worth mentioning today, is Paul McDonald (PhD from UW last year), who joins the department of health studies and gerontology.

And . . . just in time for the fall textbook rush, there's something new at the UW bookstore. "The WatCard is now accepted at the bookstore and UW Shop," writes the director of retail services, May Yan. "Students can pay for textbook and other purchases with the WatCard. The bookstore and UW Shop cannot add money to the WatCard account -- this is done at the WatCard office."

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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