Waterloo's pride: UW has printed some 100,000 copies of a new brochure to spread the word about the university's success in the Maclean's ranking this year -- still best overall in national reputation and now the best comprehensive university in Canada. The brochure, produced by the publications office in information and public affairs, also presents some key findings from the recent PricewaterhouseCoopers economic impact study. Most of the copies are being distributed with the fall issue of the UW Magazine, and additional copies are available to the campus community: call ext. 3580 or e-mail Linda Howe at ljhowe@uwaterloo.ca.

Provost welcomes possible millions

Other university leaders agreed. The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada labelled the $200 million budget item "a winning strategy" that would meet "an urgent need". Funding for those costs has been top priority for university leaders, and AUCC president Robert Giroux said he was "delighted that the federal government has committed to making ongoing funding a priority".

But Chakma warned that the money will come "with strings attached", and that it's a one-time lump sum, so it can't be poured into UW's regular budget. He said Waterloo will likely receive several million dollars of the total, and should be able to spend it on "infrastructure" items -- for example, setting up labs for newly arrived professors.

The Canadian Association of University Teachers said the federal cash "will not address the main problem confronting the country's universities and colleges". That, said CAUT, is a lack of regular operating money. Said CAUT president Tom Booth: "The big cutbacks we've seen over the past number of years means there just aren't enough funds to keep tuition fees down or to renew the faculty needed to provide the teaching and research. . . . A long-term commitment to core funding would do more to help the research community than any other initiative the government could take."

That could be difficult, since operating funds for higher education come through provincial governments, and Martin's budget gave no hint that increases in federal-provincial transfers are coming. But the finance minister did announce a total of $1.1 billion, including that $200 million, for what he called "Investing in Skills, Learning and Research". Among the budget measures under that heading:

• Bigger grants to support people with disabilities who pursue higher education.
• More funding for research granting agencies: "The Government will increase the annual budgets of NSERC and SSHRC by 7 per cent each, resulting in an increase of $36.5 million a year for NSERC and $9.5 million a year for SSHRC. These increases will translate into additional research opportunities across Canada and more fellowships and scholarships for graduate students."
• $110 million "to build Ca*net 4, a new generation of Internet broadband architecture that will link all research-intensive institutions".

Also missing from the budget was any serious cash for the "innovation agenda" promoted by industry minister Brian Tobin, and particularly for his project of providing broadband Internet access to remote and rural parts of Canada. The details of that much-discussed proposal came this summer from a task force headed by UW's president, David Johnston.

The most the finance minister would say about the Internet project was that "the Government will work with Canadian industry, the provinces, communities and the public on private sector solutions to further broadband Internet coverage in Canada, particularly for rural and remote areas. More planning is required to properly achieve the Government's commitment, particularly given rapidly changing technology; as a consequence, the Government will shift its target to the end of 2005. In looking at possible outcomes, it is the Government's expectation that the best approach could very well be to expand the highly successful SchoolNet and Community Access Program to ensure broadband access."

The innovation agenda was pushed out of the budget by higher spending on "security", in the wake of the September 11 terrorism, and by immediate measures to stimulate a sagging economy. A third factor may have been political rivalry between Martin and Tobin, who are said to be the leading candidates for the prime minister's chair if Jean Chrétien ever retires.

Funds for the vehicle of the future

Ceremonies will be held at 11:30 in Simcoe Hall at the University of Toronto to launch the project under the title of PACE. Besides UW, it involves U of T, Queen's University, General Motors of Canada, Sun Microsystems, Electronic Data Systems and EDS PLM Solutions.

An advance announcement says the companies are providing "a significant contribution" to the universities with an eye to "giving Ontario's engineering students the skills, knowledge and experience they need to design the vehicles of tomorrow".

'A great miracle happened here'

Coming at exam time, as it generally does, Chanukah isn't marked at the proper date by members of UW's Jewish Student Association -- there was a Chanukah party a couple of weeks back. But it's always more of a family holiday in any case, with traditions that include the nine-candled menorah, the children's game of spinning the dreidel -- that's a dreidel pictured at right -- and yummy, oily food. (I won't even tell you how awful it was the one time I tried to make latkes.) Chanukah is also known for modest gift-giving, although the idea of this festival as "the Jewish Christmas" generally brings shudders.

Chanukah celebrates Jewish survival under persecution, but it's also sometimes seen as a festival of religious tolerance. The story goes back to the time when Jewish leaders went to reconsecrate the Temple at Jerusalem after it had been desecrated by the Syrian army. Only one tiny flask of holy oil could be found, but somehow, miraculously (Nes gadol hayah sham), it burned for eight days, "Moreover," says the book of I Maccabees, "Judas and his brethren with the whole congregation of Israel ordained, that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year by the space of eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month Casleu, with mirth and gladness." And that's Chanukah.

On a cold and frosty morning

The joint health and safety committee will meet today at 1:30 in Needles Hall room 3004. Agenda items range from laboratory training to the eternal issue of air quality in Needles Hall, as well as a review of last month's injury and fire reports.

A performing company from the Ontario Ballet Theatre is at the Humanities Theatre today and tomorrow with the Christmas perennial, "The Nutcracker". There are school performances at 1:00 today and tomorrow, and a public performance at 7:30 tonight; tickets are $8 (children $6) at the Humanities box office.

The 17th annual faculty of arts carol-sing is scheduled for tomorrow at noontime, in the Modern Languages building lobby. Jake Willms, who began the caroling tradition when he was assistant to the dean of arts and has continued it in spite of a little thing like retirement, will raise his baton at 12:15 and the music will begin. For some of us, it's a fixture on the December calendar -- where else do you get Calypso Noel? Everybody's welcome, and there will be refreshments to lubricate throats for better sustenato.

I've been meaning to mention a topic that was raised on campus several weeks ago: mini-golf. It came up as the recent student referendum was being organized -- the one that voted in favour of expanding recreational facilities, although the legality of the results is currently in question. Along with other improved facilities on the north campus, there should be a mini-golf course, argued Christopher Ferguson and Joe Nethery, both students living at St. Paul's United College. They brought a proposal to students' council at the time the Federation of Students was considering the referendum. An 18-hole course might cost about $35,000, they suggested. "The proposal was met with enthusiasm," Imprint reported, "but not enough to have the question added to the referendum."

A few days ago I said something in the Bulletin about the use of "school" to designate an academic unit at UW -- as in architecture, optometry, planning and accountancy. Another "school" at Waterloo, I'm reminded, is the school of anatomy. Hugh Scoggan, senior lab coordinator in the kinesiology department, explains: "In this case, 'School' is used as a designation for the purposes of the Anatomy Act of Ontario. It is funded by the Department of Kinesiology but regulated by the General Inspector of Anatomy/Chief Coroner of Ontario (currently Dr. James Young) who is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. Waterloo's School of Anatomy was founded Dr. Donald Ranney in 1978 and maintained by him, as its Head, for more than 20 years. Dr. James Frank is the current Head of our School of Anatomy."

CAR