President and provost speak today

Announced by memo (right) five weeks ago, the meeting will start at 2:30 today. Says the memo: "Given the complexity of university activity and the rate at which changes occur, from time to time it is important to reflect on what we have accomplished and the challenges we face."

President David Johnston and provost Amit Chakma say, "We will give you an environmental scan of what universities in Ontario are facing as well as specific challenges, including funding, enrolment, and the upcoming capital campaign, which Waterloo needs to address. There will be ample opportunity for questions and answers."

That sounds a lot like the department heads' meeting that was held November 1, and in fact I'm told that much of the presentation will be the same.

Says the memo inviting people to attend today: "Our faculty and staff provide the foundation on which UW's excellent reputation is built. We look forward to this meeting as an occasion to express our gratitude and admiration for the effort and support your provide. We know, because of your excellence and dedication, we can chart a course for UW that will make a great institution greater.

"We look forward to seeing you."

A 30-foot monolith was successfully installed Saturday in the foundation of the Centre for Environmental and Information Technology, now under construction at the heart of the campus. The slab of metamorphic rock, called gneiss, will be a major feature in the exhibit atrium of the new centre. The rock was placed early Saturday morning in a slot in a special foundation using a 180-ton crane. It was held in place by the crane while a special epoxy was poured and allowed to set, holding the vertical rock in place. Photo by Graphics Photo/Imaging.

Agreement on cancer research

The Grand River Regional Cancer Centre, together with Grand River Hospital, Cancer Care Ontario and UW signed a memorandum of understanding that will link expertise from the four organizations. A news release said the resulting research and development work could offer "precision patient treatments", decrease morbidity (the number of cancer deaths), provide "faster, more seamless and ultimately better quality patient treatments", and offer educational opportunities that will attract expertise and retain existing clinical expertise.

"The Grand River Regional Cancer Centre is unique in that it is the first cancer center in Ontario to be fully integrated with a hospital by design. We believe this innovation can be continued by making this centre much more than a service," says Brian Dingle, chief executive officer of the GRRCC. "The incredible resources and expertise that the University of Waterloo possesses, together with our health care partners' and our knowledge and experience, presents us with a wonderful opportunity to push the limits in cancer care.

"Considering the university's expertise in areas such as applied health sciences, biological sciences, informatics, physics, engineering and applied mathematics, we look forward to working together to expand technology that will enhance cancer care."

Cancer Care Ontario interim president Graham Scott says it is important to continually conduct research to offer better quality treatment and services. "Research and development are the critical factors in providing patients with leading edge cancer care. The skills and expertise brought together through this memorandum of understanding will no doubt make significant advances. And because GRRCC is part of Cancer Care Ontario's network of nine cancer centres, these advances can be easily shared and adopted across the province."

UW president David Johnston observed that "With this partnership, cancer care research and treatment in our community has taken a quantum leap forward. The University of Waterloo is delighted to be involved and will contribute its expertise across a variety of disciplines to this outstanding enterprise."

Representatives from each organization will meet in the new year to identify areas for research and development opportunities, the news release said.

Grad referendum is over Voting has closed in a referendum, sponsored by the Graduate Student Association, on creating a graduate studies endowment fund. Elena Ferrari-Newman, chief returning officer, said in a statement last night that "Voting ended on November 30, 2001, and ballots postmarked prior to this date will still be accepted. Early ballot counts showed a large participation from the graduate student population, well exceeding the 15% quorum level. The results are expected to be announced on December 12, 2001."

The rules about winter storms

Under the storm closing procedure established in 1994, UW will be "closed" for the day if the Waterloo Region District School Board cancels classes at all its schools. If only rural schools are closed, or if buses are cancelled but schools stay open, the university will remain open.

UW follows the school board's lead since it has "an effective system for evaluating weather conditions across Waterloo Region", and informing the public through the media.

Says the procedure: "The university will 'close' because of severe winter weather when normal operation would pose a significant danger to students, staff and faculty while on campus or would prevent large numbers of them from coming to campus or returning safely to their homes in Kitchener-Waterloo and the immediate surrounding area."

It also says that for the university to be "closed" means that meetings and other scheduled events are cancelled -- including exams. In addition, staff other than those employed in "essential services are not expected to be at work, but are paid for a normal day, and deadlines for assignments and other submissions are postponed until the same hour on the next business day on which the university is not "closed". The "essential services" listed are food service in the residences, policing, the central plant (powerhouse), snow removal (grounds crew), emergency repair and maintenance, and animal care.

Says the policy: "Classes will not be held during 'closed' periods, and assignment deadlines must be extended. Faculty members and academic departments do not have the authority to make exceptions to this rule."

If there is a major winter storm on a day when the schools aren't open, such as the first week of January, the closing decision will be made in the early morning by the provost. When work has already begun for the day, UW will close "only in extreme circumstances", the procedure says.

A closing of the university will be announced on the UW home page. And the UW news bureau will report it to local radio stations, which have been asked to broadcast it quickly and often, "since the University of Waterloo attracts a large number of people from across the region and beyond".

The talk of the campus

With fall term classes at an end and exams pending, the political science department is hosting a seasonal highlight: the annual simulated federal-provincial conference for local high school students. Grand River Collegiate in Kitchener gets to represent the federal government this year; Eastwood Collegiate represents the "First Nations", and other schools' delegations will be provincial governments and media. Working sessions are in the Arts Lecture Hall and Modern Languages building today and tomorrow morning, and the concluding plenary session is scheduled for tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the Theatre of the Arts.

Events today Poetry reading by Jan Zwicky, Governor-General's Award winner and former UW professor of philosophy, now at the University of Victoria; St. Jerome's University room 327, 4 p.m. Christmas service of Lessons and Carols, with the chapel choir; Conrad Grebel University College chapel, 5:30 p.m.

Christmas is the drinking season, statistics would suggest, but Bud Walker, UW's director of business operations, is warning that there are limits. He sends a reminder of the memo he issued in June about UW's alcohol rules, Policy 21, and this point in particular: "With the exception of specific venues listed in the Policy, only UW Catering is allowed to serve alcohol on campus. An event such as a wine and cheese reception not served by UW Catering is contrary to policy. If a civil action arose from such an event, the organizer and/or department Head could be found personally liable."

Christine Rivet of the Record's sports section just keeps coming up with feature stories, and writes them in a way that can catch the interest even of people who don't follow that particular sport. The most recent example is a piece that ran last Wednesday about two members of the Warrior women's basketball team, Amanda Kieswetter and Kate McCrae -- daughters, respectively, of men's basketball coach Tom Kieswetter (and Campaign Waterloo director Linda Kieswetter) and of athletics director Judy McCrae (and former Warrior coach Don McCrae). "We both always knew deep down that we'd go to Waterloo," says Amanda Kieswetter, and Rivet describes what difference it's made.

Diane Salter of the LT3 technology centre sends a brief report on something called a "Design Café" that's been going on there, also known as the Learning Technology Faculty Institute: "LTFI Design Cafe is an in-progress, national research project between UW's LT3 Centre and universities across Canada. A unique aspect of the LTFI concept is that the new technologies provide the venue for faculty to share experiences about using technology in teaching. Often, faculty have limited opportunity to discuss ways of using 'learnware' effectively. The LTFI project leverages technology to build relationships between faculty on a national scale. On November 22, the final session of this term, David Rittenhouse from the University of Calgary presented a CD developed for biology students, entitled The Virtual Field Trip. The third (enhanced) phase of this project begins in February. Monthly meetings between faculty across Canada linked via the Internet will include a presentation by a faculty member about their use of a technology enhanced teaching strategy and a discussion between the faculty at the linked sites about the learnware demonstrated, followed by a workshop component." For more information, Salter can be reached at ext. 6832.

I think there are quite a number of food and toy drives taking place across campus this season, but let me mention one this morning -- the project organized by GASP, the Graduate Association of Students in Psychology. According to Sharon Adams, administrative assistant in the psych department, it "has quickly heated up to a competitive race between academic divisions and staff and grads". The staff group, she adds, "has a cheery Christmas tree dedicated to the food drive -- a beautiful place to collect donations". Psychology has also been running a competition for Christmas decorations on office doors, and "a panel of celebrity judges" will award the prizes tomorrow.

St. Jerome's University has announced the name of its new chancellor, succeeding John Sweeney, who died in July. He's Richard Gwyn, described as "one of Canada's most respected journalists and political commentators" as well as an active Roman Catholic layman. He's been a speaker at St. Jerome's twice in recent months. Says Gwyn: "St. Jerome's is an institution of real substance and I am honoured to be associated with it. . . . The University of Waterloo is a top-class university to which St. Jerome's contributes something absolutely unique."

The teaching resources and continuing education office will offer a workshop on "Understanding the Learner" twice this month, tomorrow and again December 11. It's a morning-long event presenting "key theories of learning and a variety of learning styles", aimed at helping instructors design "instructional activities that will maximize student learning". The workshop is open to everyone who teaches at UW, from professors to graduate students (who can use it for credit towards the Certificate in University Teaching). Space is limited; the TRACE office, at ext. 3132, has more information.

And . . . the Volunteer Action Centre has something to say about Reaching Our Outdoor Friends, an agency to assist street youth in Kitchener-Waterloo: "ROOF is seeking dedicated, caring, open-minded individuals willing to give 5 hours a week to assist kids. Help provide the care and support homeless youth require to stay alive, believe in themselves and move forward. Volunteers will learn new skills in a supportive team environment. Opportunities include administrative assistance as well as hands-on work with youth in the areas of arts, sports, lifeskills training and basic supportive listening." For more information, the VAC can be reached at 742-8610.

CAR