Daily Bulletin

Term in Cuba a tourism alternative

University Term in Cuba (UTIC) offers an opportunity to take courses in Spanish or Cuban culture at the Instituto Superior de Arte on the edge of Havana, or at the Universidad de Cienfuegos, in a resort town of the same name on Cuba's south coast, some 300 kms from Havana. Several Canadian universities now offer credits for the courses.

The company was formed just last year by Fogel and a UW English department alumna, Lynette Thoman. So far, says Fogel, "We've had an astonishing response," with some 125 students -- from their twenties into their sixties -- spending a term in Cuba to date. The seven-week stint includes one week of orientation prior to the start of classes. Students live in university residences, with access to an experienced Canadian resource person who provides a liaison between the university and UTIC. The seven-week program runs in January, March and October, with an abbreviated four-week version in July to accommodate teachers on their summer break.

Fogel first encountered Cuba in 1993 and 1995 when he was invited to lecture on postmodernism at Instituto Superior de Arte. "I went to Cuba first because of the lure of a culture that was constituted differently, the lure of the revolution." From his initial experience as "a spectator", Fogel has moved to participant status, living in Havana three months of the year.

"People have access to all kinds of cultural life," he adds, from concerts by Wynton Marsalis and Alanis Morrisette, to the Cuban cuisine of the paladares, to drag shows at Havana's "French Association". Then there are the quirks of a "doubled life" in a country where the U.S. dollar runs the economy, and a parallel black market functions for everyday transactions among Cubans. In a country which "straddles two worlds," says Fogel, almost anything can happen, including the "surrealistic adventure" he had watching the Blue Jays win the World Series in 1993 while quaffing Budweiser with a battalion of U.S. Marines in the "U.S. Interests Section" of Havana.

It was inevitable that a chronicle of those adventures would appear. This month, the first issue of Havana Day and Night transports travelers beyond the tourist haunts to another side of the city, until now inaccessible to most foreigners, says Fogel, who edits the newsletter. Another spin-off in the works is a series of sports camps to be held at Cuban universities renowned for their athletics programs.

For the Cuban hosts, the arrangement provides revenue -- more than $35,000 U.S. this January -- to fund the purchase of desks, computers, air conditioners and other practical needs. To learn more about the UTIC opportunities, phone the toll-free number 1-888-830-8842 or email jargon@idirect.com.

Co-op architecture students have jobs

Senate calls for nominations

Seven faculty members are to be elected by/and from the members of faculty of the university; one faculty member is to be elected by/and from each faculty of the university; one faculty member of St. Jerome's University is to be elected by/and from the members of faculty at St. Jerome's; and one faculty member of Renison college is to be elected by/and from the members of faculty at Renison.

Two graduate students are to be elected by/and from the full- and part-time graduate students at the university. The call for four full-time undergraduate students was published separately and the election will run concurrently with the Federation of Students' elections on February 9 and 10.

Nomination forms are available from the university secretariat at ext. 6125. Deadline for return of nominations to the chief returning officer, Needles Hall room 3060, is 3 p.m., February 22. Elections will follow if necessary.

From eating disorders to urban food systems

UW faculty, staff and students are invited to sign up for the free February IST computing courses. Offered this month are introductions to Filemaker Pro, Microsoft Access, Matlab, Maple, Mathcad, Systat, and HTML, as well as Learning More about Excel, Learning More about Microsoft Project 98, Using Web Forms for Student Feedback, and Keeping Up with your Research Literature -- Electronically! Check the IST web site for more information and registration forms.

Co-op interviews begin today, and students are advised to refer to Access and the bulletin boards for their interview schedules. Job posting number 7 expires at 8 p.m., and is the last posting for the first interview period.

From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today, Apple Canada reps will be demonstrating new products and technologies in Davis Centre room 1302. Everyone is welcome, and more information is available from the UW Computer Store.

Federation of Students election forums continue today and tomorrow, with undergrads meeting their candidates today in the Math and Computer comfy lounge (third floor) at noon, and tonight at 7 in St. Jerome's cafeteria. Tomorrow, a panel of Imprint reporters will face the candidates at noon in the Student Life Centre great hall, followed by a forum on the referendum questions at 1:30 p.m.

How urban food systems link with food ethics will be explored at a talk at 1 p.m. today in the Blue Room of the Conrad Grebel College cafeteria. Suzanne Galloway, managing editor of the environmental journal, Alternatives, will be the speaker. The event is hosted by the peace and conflict studies program.

Senate executive council meets today at 3:30 p.m. in Needles Hall room 3004. Tomorrow, the pension and benefits committee meets at 8:30 a.m. in the same location.

The passport photo service moves today from South Campus Hall to the Pixel Pub. in the Student Life Centre. Starting Tuesday, the service will celebrate its move with a special offer. For the rest of this week, colour passport photos are just $8.

Auditions for Godspell will be held today and tomorrow at 4 p.m in the Theatre of the Arts in Modern Languages. A production of the UW drama department and the Waterloo Stage Theatre Company, the play will run May 13 to June 12, Thursdays through Sundays, and offer a credit for the Spring term. For more information, contact Joyce Hahn at ext. 5808.

Starting today, the UW Bookstore is offering a 10 per cent discount on all general books, all the time. "No membership fee, no cards, no points to collect," says retail services marketing coordinator Beth Alemany. Book club cards are redeemable until April 30 regardless of number of purchases recorded. Cards can be used in conjunction with the new 10 per cent discount, she adds. The discount does not apply to text books.

Come in from the cold to merengue, salsa, cumbia and bachata dance lessons beginning tomorrow from 9 to 10 p.m. and running for six weeks. Sponsored by the Spanish club, the classes cost $20. Sign up on the door of the Spanish lounge, Modern Languages room 245B, or just show up at the class on the first night, preferably with a partner.

Today is the day to preregister for the teaching dossiers, part 1, workshop for the Certificate in University Teaching. The workshop runs tomorrow from 4:30 to 6 p.m in Math and Computer room 4058. Facilitators are Donna Ellis and Gary Griffin, of the UW teaching resources office. To sign up, send an email to trace@watserv1 or to learn more, phone ext. 3132.

And finally, Hugh Scoggan, a demonstrator from the human anatomy lab, has sent a knuckle rap for an item in the January 27 Daily Bulletin: "By 'physiotherapy program', did the Daily Bulletin mean 'Kinesiology program' or some other program in AHS?" he asks. "There is no Physiotherapy program at UW, of course. This is an important distinction to make if we are to recognize properly our students who graduate with a B.Sc. at UW. I hope this will be corrected in an upcoming Daily Bulletin as soon as possible. As a teacher, I always announce corrections to my mistakes students bring to my attention," he adds.

Barbara Elve
bmelve@uwaterloo.ca

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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