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One reason why December 26 is a holiday


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Thursday, December 23, 1999

with information for the Christmas and New Year's holiday break

 

And a special new year

From a letter sent this week to many of UW's donors, and to students who will be graduating in the year 2000:

Welcome to the year 2000!

Every New Year gives us a special occasion to celebrate, to review the past, and to set new goals. Therefore, the beginning of not only a new century but of a whole new millennium seems like a wonderful gift -- an exhilarating and almost overwhelming opportunity.

What will be the major discoveries of the next thousand years? How will life on our planet change? What can we do to make a difference?

These are the questions that are creating a lot of excitement on our campus today. Those who worked so hard to create this University 43 years ago were free to shape it into something new, unfettered by history and tradition. As a result, Waterloo immediately became a place where things were achieved -- quickly, efficiently, and often with dazzling inventiveness. For the University of Waterloo, whose only tradition is innovation, the future is filled with promise.

David Johnston
President, University of Waterloo

Coming to the end of 1999

On this flurryish winter morning, we're hours away from the long Christmas and New Year's break that will close UW until -- well, until the years don't begin with a 1 any more. Fall term exams are over now, and today is the last day of work for staff this year. Then most people are away until the winter term begins on Tuesday, January 4, 2000.

Full services are being provided today, pretty much, although central stores says the last mail will go out about 1:30 p.m. Custodians will be working an early shift today, 4 p.m. to midnight, and then will be off until their usual Tuesday shift on January 4.

Most food services outlets are closed. Today, you can eat at Pastry Plus in Needles Hall (until 11:00), Tim Horton's in Modern Languages (until 1:30), Tim Horton's in the Davis Centre and Brubaker's in the Student Life Centre (until 2:00), or Double U's in South Campus Hall (until 4:30), and that's all. Then all food services are closed until January 4.

Retail outlets, including the bookstore, the UW Shop, and Techworx in South Campus Hall, will close at 5:00 tonight. The computer store and Techworx in the Student Life Centre have already closed until January.

Graphics centres are open today -- until 4:30 p.m. -- and will also reopen January 4. Tricia Mumby of graphics sends word for "any faculty who have yet to submit their course materials for reproduction and are concerned about having it ready for the new term". She says Courseware Solutions "will be in production between the holidays. Packages can be submitted until 4 p.m. today at the Courseware office in South Campus Hall. Alternatively, packages can be dropped at the turnkey desk in the Student Life Centre, 24 hours a day. We can't guarantee packages submitted this late will be ready, but we will certainly do our best."

The libraries are also open for their last day of the year. The Dana Porter Library and Davis Centre Library will close today at 6 p.m. The University Map and Design Library will close at 4:30. All the libraries will reopen on January 4.

Faculty members may still be busy with marking over the next few days. Fall term marks are to be submitted to the registrar's office by January 4. The week of January 17, marks will be sent to fall term students who are away in the winter. Students who return for the winter term can pick up their fall marks starting January 19.

UW closes for eleven days

And so we leave the campus to the few people who live here 365 days a year, and to the essential staff who will be on duty over the break:

All parking lots, except lot D under Needles Hall and the ECEC lot at the PAS building, will be open and free throughout the holiday period. Gates to service roads will be kept closed during the holiday break.

The Computing Help and Information Place, or CHIP, will be closed as of 4 p.m. December 23 and won't reopen until January 4 at 8:00.

If you notice an outage of the campus network or any major IST-maintained computing facility, you can leave a voice message with the Information Systems and Technology Helpdesk at 888-4357 or send e-mail to request@ist.uwaterloo.ca. Both will be checked daily.

The Columbia Icefield will be open for recreational skating December 27 through 29 from 2 to 4 p.m., December 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00, and January 2 from noon to 2 p.m. Otherwise, all recreational facilities will be closed December 24 through January 3.

The switchboard will close at 6:00 tonight and reopen on January 4. While it's closed, it's possible to direct-dial to UW extensions through the "automated attendant" at 888-4567.

Scheduled construction projects on campus during the break include renovations and recarpeting on the second and third floors of the Dana Porter Library; some renovations in the PAS (Psychology) building; recarpeting in Ron Eydt Village; and continuing work in the Math and Computer building, as the old "Red Room" is turned into classrooms and labs.

Women's basketball is the big sports news on campus during the break, with the Christmas Shoot-Out hosted by the Warriors December 28-30. Eight teams are taking part; the first Warrior game is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 28, against Manitoba. Tickets are $7 per two-game session (students $4), with a tournament pass available at $15 (students $8). More information: ext. 5869.

Registration for the winter

Students who plan to be on campus in the winter term, but haven't yet paid their tuition fees, are already racking up late fees. Payments can be left in any of the Needles Hall drop boxes.

Undergraduate class schedules can be picked up today, and both schedules and fee receipts can be picked up starting January 4, in the registrar's office on the second floor of Needles Hall. (Students at Renison and St. Jerome's should get their schedules and fee receipts from their respective colleges; part-time students will receive their documents in the mail.) OSAP funds will be released January 4-7 in Needles Hall room 3001, and beginning January 10 in the student awards office, second floor, Needles Hall.

The men's basketball Warriors will be playing at the Ryerson tournament in Toronto December 27-29.

Federation Hall will host a "Millennium Masquerade" on December 31 -- sold out, according to a sign in the Student Life Centre -- and a New Year's Bash is scheduled at the Bombshelter pub in the SLC. Tickets are also sold out (at $250 a couple) for the University Club New Year's Eve party.

Roman Catholic worship services at St. Jerome's College are scheduled for Christmas Eve, 7 p.m. and midnight; Christmas Day, 10 a.m.; Sunday, December 26, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.; December 31, 7 p.m.; Saturday, January 1, at 10 a.m.; Sunday, January 2, at 9:30 and 11:30. Weekday Masses (12 noon) resume on January 4.

Anglican worship at Renison College is scheduled for Christmas Eve at 11 p.m. (Holy Communion). There will be no Sunday service December 26 or January 2. An Epiphany service is scheduled for Thursday, January 6, at 7:15 p.m. Regular worship resumes Sunday, January 9, at 10:30 a.m.

Wise words as we scatter

Some parting advice from the plant operations department:
Heat and ventilation will be kept at night settings from December 24 through January 3. Anyone coming to campus during that time can expect to find cool buildings. It will save additional energy expense if coffee-makers, computers, office equipment and unused fumehoods are turned off during the break. And please make very sure all windows are closed before you leave.
From information systems and technology, with an eye to the alleged Year 2000 bug troubling the world's computer systems:
IST anticipates there will be no major problems over the holiday season (December 24 to January 3 inclusive), and is treating this closure as it always does. Most facilities should be operational during this time, and normal channels should be used to report problems. While we do not anticipate major problems on January 4, it may be more hectic than usual, and so we are asking users to be as flexible and understanding as possible.
From the safety office, aimed particularly at those who operate labs:
Shut down all processes vulnerable to failure of utilities. . . . Store hazardous materials properly and in containment areas and ensure that containers are closed or sealed. Shut off compressed gases and gas supply lines to equipment. Turn off and unplug, where possible, electrical devices such as hot plates, computers and, if not containing hazardous materials, fumehoods and environmental chambers. This prevents damage to equipment due to power surges while reducing energy waste and pollution. Ensure lab contact information is updated with names, phone numbers and addresses in a location accessible to emergency response personnel (suggest on inside of door).
And from the UW police:
Do not leave any personal valuables or smaller "attractive" items, such as laptop computers, radios and cameras, in the office or workplaces. These items should be secured in a cabinet or removed to home for safekeeping over the holidays. . . . The local police services will be out in full force with the RIDE program over the holidays, so if you drink, do not drive.

[Candle] . . . So some of us go now to church,
and some to feast, and some to skis,
and some to bed -- and most of us
to loving friends and families --

though some must study or must work:
a dozen faiths, a thousand ways
to live in harmony with truth
through cold and dark December days.

We pause from labours, when we can,
and hear the season's whispered call
to burn the candles of our lives
for Peace on earth, good will to all.

And it's so long from me

The Daily Bulletin will return Tuesday, January 4. Any emergency announcements before that date will be made through a Flash on the UWinfo home page. The next Gazette will be published January 5.

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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