Daily Bulletin

15,000 offered places at UW

Figures from Peter Burroughs, the director of admissions, say 397 offers of admission have been made to high schoolers for 270 places in computer engineering -- a high-demand field this year -- and 1,445 offers for 837 places in co-op mathematics, including computer science. But there are fields where many students who are offered admission to UW don't accept: for regular programs in science, for example, UW has sent out 1,533 acceptances for 320 places.

Burroughs says 13,806 Ontario "grade 13" students have been offered admission to UW, though not always to their first-choice program. Another 1,344 offers have gone to students from other backgrounds, such as out-of-province, out-of-country, and "mature" students returning to university from the workforce.

UW sent refusals to another 3,833 high school students and 1,525 other students, Burroughs said. His figures indicate that about 5,000 of those offered admission were "cleared" or "deflected" from one program to another -- from engineering to science, from math to arts, from computer engineering to civil engineering. Of the 23,203 people who applied to UW, including some for whom UW hasn't yet made an admission decision, 8,041 gave some Waterloo program as their first choice.

Some of the offers of admission were sent as early as March, but the bulk of them were mailed to arrive in applicants' mailboxes last Tuesday. Students now have until June 1 to say whether they're going to accept and register at UW in September. A few dozen acceptances had already arrived by late last week.

The perennial question is what marks it takes to get into UW. Preliminary results show that the "admission range" was in the "low to mid 90's" for computer and electrical engineering, in the "mid to high 80's" for co-op math, "low to mid-80's" for regular math, "high 80's" for health studies, accountancy, chemical and civil engineering, "low 70's" for arts regular programs.

How to vote in Ontario election

"The Federation of Students has an obligation to remain non-partisan," says Veronica Chau, vice-president (education) for the Feds. "We can't endorse or come out against a party." What the Federation can, and will, do is "inform students about education policies and let them decide," she says. "We want them realize how important this election is for students."

Chau estimates there is a student population of 8,000 to 10,000 in the area this term, including students on campus, those on co-op work terms in Kitchener-Waterloo, and others living and working in the community. "It's the size of a small town" -- and one that has the potential to make a real impact in the election, she believes.

With changes in election procedures, students are not being enumerated before the vote. Voters lists will be compiled from the results of the last enumeration. That works against transient populations, including students, who have relocated since the last election.

Students who are eligible to vote (Canadian citizens, age 18 or over, residing in the K-W electoral district) have several options, says Chau after talking with the local chief returning officer. They can vote in the riding of their permanent residence, have someone in their home riding vote for them by proxy, obtain a Certificate to Vote from the K-W electoral office before election day, or go to the polls on election day with identification to prove place of residence.

Students who decide to vote locally and aren't on the list before voting day should show up at the polls with one identification document with name, address and signature (such as a driver's licence), or two identification documents, one with name and signature and one with name and address. Examples could include health card, hospital card, citizenship card, passport, utility bill, phone bill or credit card. As proof of address, students may also bring to the poll an envelope they have received in the mail with their name and address on it.

The Feds' election committee is using a number of strategies to get the message out. Brochures and posters are being produced to explain voting procedures and address education issues. Working in co-operation with the faculty association, the committee is sponsoring the all-candidates debate tomorrow in the Student Life Centre. Candidates are being asked to explain their stand on education issues in a survey, and the idea of transporting students to the polls using available vans on campus is being explored.

On June 2, just a day before the election, a free "Rock the Vote" concert is scheduled for noon at the Student Life Centre. Students will be given information about voting procedures in a way that should "get them excited about voting," says Chau.

Already excited, and keeping busy updating his election-related web page, is Milton Chan, a second-year computer engineering student at UW. His current prediction is for 32 ridings to go Progressive Conservative, 30 Liberal, and 7 New Democrat, with 34 listed as "too close to call".

New theatre company hits stage

Second Company director Brent Krysa recently graduated from the opera program at the University of Toronto. Members from UW include students Shira Ginsler, Chris Goddard, and his brother, Brad.

"You'd be hard pressed to find so much talent in one spot," says Brad Goddard about the 14 singers who form the core of the group. As project coordinator for the company, Goddard is expanding his own theatre experience, which up to now has been at stage front with roles in a number of UW productions, including, most recently, "Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet". Working behind the scenes, he'll be keeping tabs on grant money -- $201,000 for wages from Youth Service Canada, a Human Resources Development Canada program -- as well as serving as publicist and dealing with corporate supporters.

"We still need to do a lot of corporate handshaking," he adds, to finance an ambitious season including "The Secret Garden" (this Thursday to June 12), "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (July 21 to August 8), "Candide: In Concert" (August 18 to 22), and Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute", scheduled for Oktoberfest.

In developing the program, says Goddard, Second Company "partly followed the passions of the people in the company and partly tried to fill a need in Kitchener-Waterloo," staking out its turf as the "only summer festival of musical theatre" in the community.

The not-quite-professional company is "aiming for a professional feel," he says. Costumes and props will be borrowed from the drama department and rented from the Stratford Festival. To top off the season, a 28-piece orchestra will be brought in to accompany "The Magic Flute".

The program will include a community outreach initiative, with a series of staged readings, scenes and songs from the plays performed at libraries, bookstores and seniors' homes.

UW drama department chair Joel Greenberg is impressed not only with the talent, but with the ambitions of the group, which "takes themselves very seriously." He's especially proud of his daughter, Jessica, a member of the Second Company and a recent graduate of McGill University. She'll be heading off to theatre school in New York City next fall.

Ticket reservations: 578-1570.

Paving the ring road, and more

The pension and benefits committee is meeting this morning, 8:30 to noon in Needles Hall room 3004. Agenda items include the way parts of the pension fund are invested, and (again) the sick-leave and long-term disability benefit for staff and faculty.

"Critical Mass" and "Angela" will be playing at Siegfried Hall, St. Jerome's University, this evening. Says David Wang of UW's electrical and computer engineering department, who's a member of "Critical Mass": "They just played to a greatly appreciative crowd of 1,000 at the Sound and Spirit '99 music festival in Buffalo. Starting time is 7:00 and admission is $5. This event is a fundraiser for the Immaculate Heart of Mary School. Both these Catholic rock bands have received rave reviews in the press."

The physics department presents a seminar today by Matteo Pellegrini of the Molecular Biology Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles. He'll speak at 2:30 in Physics room 308.

Three brown bag lunches are planned this term by the Employee Assistance Program, starting with one tomorrow on "Living Our Losses". "The reality is that any loss that causes a significant change to our lives is a life loss," says Marilyn Hollinger, a social worker associated with the E. R. Good Funeral Home, who will give tomorrow's talk, at 12 noon in Davis Centre room 1304. Scheduled later in the summer: "Breast Cancer Update" June 18, and "Assertive Communications" July 21.

The career development seminar series continues, with a session tomorrow on "Selling Your Skills" (10:30 a.m., Needles Hall room 1020). This Saturday, interested students can attend a day-long career development session, covering everything from self-assessment to employer research and letter-writing; register in advance with the career resource centre in Needles Hall, phone ext. 4047.

And here's a reminder that Trellis, the computer system of the libraries at UW, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Guelph, is out of operation for an upgrade. The shutdown began during the long weekend, and is expected to end tonight. "Library services will be maintained at as near a normal level as possible," says Linda Teather, coordinator of library systems support services.

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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