Daily Bulletin

Needles renovations The co-operative education and career services department will hold a "grand opening" today for its renovated reception area on the first floor of Needles Hall. "The renovations to this area," an invitation says, "will improve CECS' ability to serve our valued students and employers, and will facilitate front-line staff operations." Celebrations are scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Lunch this week A Christmas lunch buffet is available this week at the Festival Room in South Campus Hall. The price is $10.95 per person, plus tax. "For reservations call ext. 4700," says a memo from UW Catering. "Private dining rooms are available for groups of 30 or more."

Co-op eyes an international role

"I'm not sure that's the policy for the year 2000 and beyond," Lumsden said last week, adding that he had mentioned the issue to employer representatives at the recent meeting of the Waterloo Advisory Council and got "a mixed reaction, not a clear consensus".

His comment confirms a brief remark in this fall's progress report on the Building on Accomplishment long-range plan for UW, which says the co-op department "has begun to discuss the possibility of expanding international co-op activity".

Lumsden said he expects to recommend "that we try some experimental activities in some small faculties -- take in six or a dozen students on visa, and see how they work out."

He said he doesn't foresee big difficulties with government rules about work permits for non-Canadians; the real problem is support from employers. Traditionally, he said, employers have argued that "we don't want to expend training dollars on students who don't want to stay in the country!" But with an increasing interest in global business, he said, "we want to partner up with some companies that are international in scope."

A second problem is tuition fees. "Whatever pay they get" in co-op jobs, Lumsden said, "is not going to equal two or three times the cost of tuition!"

An experimental program would probably happen in a field where co-op is optional rather than mandatory, he said. That rules out engineering and architecture, for example. "I know mathematics are keen to bring in more overseas students," he said, and perhaps some of them could be in a co-op stream.

To go along with the possibility of welcoming foreign students into co-op programs, Lumsden said, there's a new emphasis on putting Canadians into co-op jobs in other countries. Already there are about 400 such placements a year, half of them in the United States and half scattered around the world. "There are interesting opportunities for students," he said, describing an overseas work term as "a wonderful chance for them to expand their outlook".

New policies on tenure, promotion

The draft of Policy 77 has been approved by the faculty relations committee and now goes to faculty councils and other bodies for discussion, along with a proposed Policy 76 on faculty appointments. The two new documents, once approved by the UW senate and board of governors, would replace the existing Policy 46 on promotion and Policy 53 on tenure.

The new tenure policy defines the purpose of tenure ("to provide institutional support for academic freedom") and the standards a faculty member must meet in teaching, scholarship and service in order to qualify for tenure. "Peer assessment," it says, "forms the basis for determining the suitability of a faculty member for the granting of tenure or for promotion to full professor. Insofar as possible, tenure and promotion committees shall base their assessments on evidence that is first-hand and direct."

A new faculty member would generally have two three-year "probationary" terms as an assistant professor at UW, as at present. "Normally . . . during the second year of the second probationary term", he or she can apply for tenure. "As of January 1, 2002," the draft says, "the granting of tenure to a probationary-term Assistant Professor carries with it appointment at the rank of Associate Professor." (At present, young faculty apply for tenure and for promotion at about the same time, but the two procedures are separate.)

"In principle," says the new policy, "a tenured Associate Professor may apply in any year for promotion; however, it is unusual for such a promotion to occur prior to five years of full-time service in the rank of Associate Professor."

Policy 76 deals with types of faculty appointments -- full-time, part-time, reduced load and so on -- and with hiring procedures. It also has a brief note about dismissal: "A tenured appointment can be terminated prior to retirement only for adequate cause or for reasons of financial exigency. Dismissal of a tenured faculty member is handled in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Memorandum of Agreement between the Faculty Association and the University of Waterloo."

Union talks reach new agreement

The union, representing some 300 plant operations and food services staff, has scheduled a ratification vote for Thursday.

If accepted, the deal will end a difficult round of bargaining that saw a strike vote in September and a conciliator appointed by the province to assist with talks last month. Those discussions ended with a tentative settlement, but it was rejected by union membership at a general meeting.

Both the financial package and the duration of the contract have been areas of contention between the two sides, said CUPE 793's president, Neil Stewart.

If the union gives its approval, the contract must also be ratified on behalf of the UW board of governors.

More on the smoking decision

Mark Schaan of arts was the first to send me a note:

"While Council voted 18-4 in favor of applying for the exemption, the decision was made to comply with the by-law until the exemption has been granted. As well, Council has agreed to go smoke-free at our two establishments on the majority of nights with the potential of one smoking night to be decided on by a committee established at the meeting.

"I think this distinction is an important one as we have not simply decided to stay smoking but have moved significantly towards being a smoke free business operator. The issue was not one of smoking or not smoking but one of control -- we felt we would be better served to control our own establishments if the exemption would give us that freedom."

And then I heard from Matt Pippo of science, who had made the original motion to ban smoking altogether:

"Council voted 18-4-1 in favour of a heavily amended motion that would see the Feds apply for the no-smoking bylaw exemption, but that would see the Bombshelter and Fed Hall go smoke free 'a majority of nights and a majority of the time', or something to that effect. A large discussion was held in a 'committee of the whole' (where procedure is much more lax and conducive to a free flowing discussion) where the consensus reached was that most councillors wanted to retain control, and believed that the desires of the minority group (smokers) could be most fairly met by having a single 'smoking night' on an off night (i.e. not Bomber Wednesdays or Top 40 Saturdays, etc.) such as Monday or Tuesday.

"A committee was struck to hammer out which night to have smoking permitted, and to look at the possibility of keeping a smoking section (to complement a non-smoking section) open in the Bomber before 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, and all other pertinent smoking-related issues. It would act to implement the consensus reached by council. . . .

"Although it was admittedly a partial measure, and I was disappointed not to have won support for the complete ban, having the bars smoke free six out of seven nights, and during the most popular nights, is a start, and most certainly different from 'won't act to ban smoking in its pubs'. Also, this is all contingent on getting the exemption, which in by no means guaranteed. Obviously, if the Feds don't receive an exemption, they too will be smoke free January 1."

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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