Daily Bulletin

Teenage mathematicians train here

This year's team consists of Jimmy Chui, Jessie Lei, David Pritchard, David Arthur, James Lee and David Nicholson. "The presence of three Davids should come as no surprise," says Chris Small of the UW statistics department. "Last year's team," he points out, "had three Adrians."

Graduating this fall Says the registrar's office: "August 1 is the deadline for the submission of Intention to Graduate forms to the Registrar's Office for undergraduate students expecting to graduate at Fall Convocation, to be held on Saturday, October 23."

The students are coached by Ed Barbeau (University of Toronto), Arthur Baragar (University of Nevada at Las Vegas) and Dorette Pronk (Calvin College).

The competition will occur over two days in Rumania. Each country will send six of its best high school students to write a tough exam involving six math problems. On each of the two days the students are given three problems and allowed four and a half hours to find solutions to all three.

Says Small: "The level of difficulty is such that most mathematics professors would have trouble solving even the easiest problem within the given time period."

After the competition, the students will have the opportunity to find out more about their host country and about each other. They leave Waterloo for Rumania on Monday, July 12.

Where claims should be sent

Please note that the University of Waterloo has different insurance carriers for its dental and extended health care medical benefits. Your ID/certificate number in both cases is your six-digit ID number under the new HRMS Peoplesoft system.

Staff training Memo from the staff training and development program: Staff Training and Development is offering the seminar "Developing Effective Presentation Skills" through the Get Up & Grow program on Monday, July 12, and Thursday, July 15. The course will be held in MC 4068 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. We have had some recent cancellations and there is still space available if anyone is interested. In this interactive course, participants will learn fundamental presentation design and delivery skills along with other techniques such as the design and use of visual aids and how to handle question and answer sessions. Participants will also practice skills by giving presentations and providing feedback to others. Videotaping will be used to facilitate skill-building. If anyone is interested, they can contact Carolyn Vincent at ext. 2078.

Manulife Financial insures the dental plan (group policy 10888). Completed dental forms (including your six-digit ID/certificate number) should be submitted directly to: Manulife Financial, Group Dental Claims, PO Box 1654, Waterloo, Ontario N2J 4W2. The Manulife helpline number is 1-800-265-2260. Please have the group policy number and your ID number ready.

Great-West Life insures the extended health care medical plan (group policy 325156). Completed claim forms (including your six-digit ID/certificate number) should be submitted directly to: Great-West Life Health Claims, 255 Dufferin Avenue, London, Ontario N6A 4K1. The Great-West helpline number is 1-800-263-5742. Please have the group policy number and your ID number ready.

Toronto settles fee controversy

Residents, newly qualified doctors who put in long hours, are the backbone of teaching hospitals -- of which Toronto has several. They are paid salaries of $38,000 to $55,000 annually and are expected to begin paying off their student loans from medical school. There were loud protests, and indeed a strike was threatened, when U of T took advantage of Ontario's fee "deregulation" to impose a tuition fee on them for the first time. (Other Ontario medical schools have said residents won't be charged any fees.)

The outcome, according to a U of T news release:

The University of Toronto, working with the Ministry of Health, has reached a resolution that will permit new medical residents to begin their studies and employment on July 1 without paying tuition fees in 1999-2000.

The university's current tuition fee of $1,950 for medical residents beginning studies effective July 1 remains in effect. However, for 1999-2000, the Ministry of Health will provide U of T with additional funds for clinical training sufficient to allow the university to forego the requirement that medical residents pay tuition this year. This is consistent with the ministry's earlier willingness to provide one-time-only funds to the Professional Association of Residents and Interns of Ontario to allow the group to reimburse medical residents for their tuition fees.

In conjunction with this arrangement, U of T President Robert Prichard will appoint a task force to review the issue of tuition fees for medical residents. The task force will address tuition fees, student financial aid (including interest deferral for Canada and Ontario student loans), the education program and curricula for residents, the certification received by residents from the university upon completing their training, the rights and privileges of medical residents as students at the university and alternative funding sources for educating residents.

Membership of the task force will include the new dean of medicine as chair and representatives from clinical faculty, teaching hospitals and students. As well, a representative of PAIRO will be invited to participate. The task force will consult with all interested parties including the Ministry of Health, and report to the university's governing council next year.

"We're pleased to have reached a resolution that will allow new residents to begin their training and employment without delay, but which will still see the university recompensed for the cost of the education the residents will receive over the next year," said Prichard. "We're grateful to the Ministry of Health for their assistance, which has provided the time needed for the task force to review the tuition fee issue and all of its implications."

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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