International Red Cross (and Red Crescent) Day

Daily Bulletin

Universities publish employment rates

Figures for individual universities should be public before the day is over. Last year, UW's rate was slightly higher than the Ontario-wide rate at the six-month milestone (91.0 per cent, compared to 90.8 per cent for all universities) and slightly lower at the two-year point (96.4 per cent, compared to 96.7 per cent).

A COU news release about this year's provincial figures said COU chair Paul Davenport was "delighted": "It's great to have yet another confirmation that our graduates are doing so well in the job market. These results show that the success rate is distributed across the full range of disciplines taught at our universities."

And Dianne Cunningham, Ontario minister of training, colleges and universities, said: "Clearly a university education is preparing young people for ongoing success in the workforce. . . . Publicizing the experiences of university graduates gives prospective students the information they need to make informed choices for the future," said Cunningham. "This information release is timely given that students will soon be making admission choices for this coming fall."

The survey was conducted by the Ontario Universities' Application Centre on behalf of COU under a contact with the ministry. It's the second annual survey. More than 19,614 graduates took part in the survey, which also reviewed graduates' earnings and how the skills graduates acquired during their studies are being applied in the workplace.

The figures are used, in part, to calculate the annual government grants to universities, with extra "performance" funding provided to institutions that have high employment rates for graduates six months and two years after they receive their degrees.

Fitness registration starts tomorrow

Beginners can try squash, hatha yoga and hockey skills. At the Physical Activities Complex and the Columbia Icefield -- UW's two main athletic facilities -- equipment is available for loan or for rent, including golf clubs for the nine-hole north campus course, basketballs, frisbees and eye protection. Part-time jobs are available for students as conditioning/weight training leaders, aquatic instructors, life guards, fitness leaders, student program coordinators or convenors, tennis, squash, skating, first aid and CPR instructors, and referees.

Clubs operating this term are expected to include archery, juggling, badminton, ,endo, outers, martial arts, rowing, table tennis, mountain biking, windsurfing and sailing, lifeguarding . . . and Ultimate.

Registration for most programs will be held tomorrow in the PAC, and instructional programs start next Monday, May 15.

Other features in campus rec's "Incredible Guidebook" for the spring term:

• The "mid-term Fit-Card", providing admission to "any nine fitness classes, including Saturdays", between June 12 and June 23, for $15.
• "Summer Active!" encouraging people to exercise 30 minutes a day, four times a week, for the two weeks between June 5 and June 23.
• Dance classes -- ballet, modern, jazz -- at the Carousel Dance Centre.
• Information on booking tennis courts, playing fields, squash and racquetball courts, and arena, using the golf course, and finding free time at the Icefield, the pool, the weight room and any of the gymnasiums.
• A reminder that "the weekend warrior" in distress may find relief at SOS Physiotherapy in the Student Life Centre.

Speaking for the graduating class

One of them will be James Thompson, graduating with a BA in German and Russian, who will speak at the June 15 convocation ceremony as valedictorian on behalf of students from the arts faculty.

An interview with Thompson appears on the web site of the Germanic and Slavic department. Some excerpts:

Let me guess: you're a little nervous?

I've never spoken in front of 3000 people before -- that's larger than the town I'm from! But, I think the more you do something, the better you get. So, I've been practising in front of people. However, 15 people still isn't 3000. I'm not as worried now. I was nervous at the speech competition, but now that I have it, I figure I can say anything I want to and they can't stop me! Seriously, knowing I have a few people in the audience who love me will help a lot.

Is there any particular message in your speech that you tried to convey?

When I wrote the speech, I had in mind that not many people would agree with it, because it looks at education as a road to enlightenment, not just a job. I believe the government is taking the view that the arts is of little importance -- all they want is students of industry and technology. But without the humanities we would be a cold society. One of my professors said, "What would we do with technology if there were no ideas to transmit?" The arts people are the ones with ideas -- we need them for ideas to broadcast to others.

What does it mean to be valedictorian?

To embody the hope and the enthusiasm of the graduating class, to capture and combine the spirit of the student with the spirit of the school. And to be able to do that in 5 minutes.

Rape defence, and other notes

Co-op students who just got back to campus, but will soon be starting job interviews with an eye to going back out to work in the fall term, should pick up the master copy of their co-op record tomorrow in Needles Hall. The documents will be available starting at 10 a.m. at the paging desk on the first floor of NH. The first posting of fall term jobs will go up at noon on Wednesday on bulletin boards and the computerized Access system. And most students who just got back from work term should be polishing up their work reports, which are due by 4 p.m. tomorrow (some faculties have different deadlines).

The career development seminar series is under way again. Tomorrow at 1:30: "Letter Writing". Tomorrow at 2:30: "Resume Writing". Wednesday at 1:30: "Job/Work Search and Networking Strategies". All three sessions will be held in Needles Hall room 1020.

The UW-based Carousel Dance Centre struts its stuff this week, with student performances of Sleeping Beauty (ballet) and Millennium Memoirs (modern dance) Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Humanities Theatre. Tickets for the annual recital by Carousel students, who range from five-year-olds to university age, are available at the Humanities box office, ext. 4908.

Wednesday this week brings the annual Friends of the Library Lecture in the Theatre of the Arts. The eighth annual speaker will be John Hepburn of UW's chemistry department, talking about "Scientific Explorations: Follow the Chart or Random Walk?" All are welcome, but as of Friday the library office was trying hard to count RSVPs for the "springtime refreshments" that will follow the talk. It's also accompanied by the annual exhibition of books and other creative achievements of UW faculty, staff and students.

And a note from the registrar's office: "Fee receipts for payments received up to May 1 are available in the registrar's office for pickup. Students are advised to watch for new pickup dates for payments received after May 1. These dates will be posted in Needles Hall."

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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