Daily Bulletin

Meals make an impression -- by Barbara Elve

"UW Catering, Serving You, Our Community" is the message contained in the new logo of the university's catering service, on the front page of the publication.

In the food industry, says catering supervisor Wilma Balvert, "presentation is half the battle." And the impression a meal makes on a diner is based not only on the taste of the food. Some 50 per cent is related to factors such as appearance and smell.

Similarly, projecting an appetizing corporate image encompasses "everything from how you answer the phone to how you present a plate," she adds.

The new UW Catering brochure reflects that philosophy. With a black cover, a stylish charcoal line drawing, red lettering and the new logo in one corner, the brochure promises an up-to-date service ready to handle "every detail from start to finish."

Containing a sample of menus for a variety of occasions, the brochure is designed to "tempt the reader with food first, then explain the guidelines they need to work within." Complete with testimonials from satisfied clients, both on campus and off, it offers a range of culinary options from formal table service to buffet and bar, from office coffee service, breakfast and quick lunches to receptions and "build your own barbecue" events.

For clients who require audio-visual equipment, flowers -- even a tent -- UW Catering will deliver. "Every detail."

Concern about image is not just about appearances, says Balvert. "We try to put ourselves in the client's shoes." Attention is given not only to presenting a visually enticing plate to a guest, but to providing service by a knowledgeable wait staff. Meetings with servers are held before every banquet to discuss the food ingredients, who the guests will be, and the chef's requirements for presentation. "We don't want them green going into the dining room. We want them to be comfortable with the event and able to answer questions honestly."

She says UW Catering already has a reputation within UW, but part of the reason for the spiced-up image is to attract a growing clientele in the off-campus community, where there is enormous potential for expansion. In the past year, the service grew by 20 per cent, and has raised its profile in the process.

Among the off-campus events on the schedule this summer were a barbecue for the International Inline Skating competition, the upcoming kick-off dinner for the Buskers' Festival in Waterloo, and a myriad of wedding receptions, held at venues ranging from a local bed and breakfast, the Waterloo Recreation Complex, to the Elora gorge, where guests dined al fresco.

On campus, "the switch-over of presidents has kept us on our toes big time," she laughs. In between celebrations for James Downey and David Johnston, staff handled conferences, celebrations for the 25-Year Club, and major events for Student Life 101 and Orientation Week. In addition, UW Catering is now a proud sponsor of the UW Midnight Sun solar race car team and Formula SAE team.

While the service welcomes crowds, "there is no such thing as a minimum" required for catering. From a surprise 50th birthday party to a more intimate dinner, UW Catering will deliver, with style, she says.

UW prof will head actuaries

Brown, who has been a faculty member at UW since 1971, is the author of six books and more than 30 refereed articles. He's regularly quoted in national media about pension issues such as the future solvency of the Canada Pension Plan.

He heads UW's Institute of Insurance and Pension Research, which has published half a dozen technical reports so far this year. Among them is one by Brown: "Alberta Opting out of the Canada Pension Plan -- Can It Be Done? Should It Be Done?" ("Alberta could probably opt out if it so chose, but that there are some significant consequences of such action, such as the acquisition of close to $50 billion of accrued actuarial liability. . . . While Alberta can opt out of the Canada Pension Plan, it definitely should not.")

Brown was president of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (a position now held by Harry Panjer, also of UW) before turning his attention to work for the international SOA. His election to head the SOA "really reflects the stature and respect in which he's held", says UW's dean of mathematics, Alan George -- adding that it "also reflects the academic strength that we have here, both in actuarial science and in the finance area in arts".

The SOA, currently marking its 50th anniversary and working on an "initiative to strengthen relations with colleges and universities", administers the actuarial exams and continuing education for life, health, finance, investment and pension actuaries in Canada and the United States. Actuaries are vital, it claims: "Though a small profession, just about everyone relies on the work they do."

Books from other libraries

As of September 1, the "interlibrary loan and document delivery" section of the library "will accept requests via the Web-based form only", says Faye Abrams, who heads ILL/DD. "In order to serve our clients efficiently we need to use forms that parse into our database and allow ILL/DD staff to forward these requests as quickly as possible to other libraries for fulfillment. When receiving paper requests we need to rekey all the information, and that is very time-consuming."

The request form can be found in the Electronic Library web site, she noted, along with other information related to this service.

Interlibrary loans are usually free, the web site explains: "You will not be charged for book loans or for photocopies obtained through Interlibrary Loan. However, some documents can be obtained only by purchase. In such cases you will be charged only for the purchase price of the document on a cost recovery basis. You may be required to pay for the purchase of theses, reports and patents. . . . Some items can arrive within 48 hours, and some can take months. If the item is available from a Canadian university library it usually arrives within 2 weeks."

And it notes that interlibrary loans are not for materials that are available at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Guelph, which have linked with UW in the Tri-Universities Group of libraries. "Interlibrary Loan is not necessary among TUG Libraries. Eligible students, staff, and faculty can request books from TUG locations through TRELLIS recalls and holds while articles can be requested through TUGdoc. The TUGdoc form is located on the Electronic Library under 'Services'."

As the new system comes into operation, Abrams is heading off to a new position on a two-year secondment from Waterloo. She becomes projects officer for the Ontario Council of University Libraries, a new job that "coordinates and manages the development and operation of the OCUL resource sharing initiatives. A major focus will be the investigation, negotiation and implementation of group licenses for electronic information resources."

Campus notes and events

The human resources department reports a couple of recent staff retirements. Natalina Carvalho, a custodian in plant operations since 1987, retired July 1. Darlene Weir, who worked in the finance office since 1982, most recently as coordinator of student accounts, retired August 1.

Reporting last month about the closing of the Red Room in the Math and Computer building, the Gazette said that Paul Dirksen was "the first director" of what was then UW's computing centre (the predecessor of the Information Systems and Technology department). No, in fact, I've been reminded. Dirksen became director in 1973, taking over from Wes Graham, who was director as early as 1962. "That makes Paul the second and last director," says a memo from someone who remembers those days. "He was also the only director of the Department of Computing Services, from the CC-to-DCS name change in 1978 until DCS's absorption into IST in 1996."

The plant operations department will be doing repairs to the main entrance of the Optometry building starting today. "One side of the entrance will be accessible at all times," Peter Fulcher of plant ops promises -- and adds, "Sorry for the inconvenience."

The water will be turned off in the Doug Wright Engineering Building (Engineering I), C wing, from 8:00 to noon tomorrow so a leak can be repaired, the plant operations department advises.

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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