Daily Bulletin

Students will be electing replacements for the 2000-01 Fed executive, chosen this time last year. Clockwise: president Chris Farley, VP (administration and finance) Shannon Willis, VP (education) Mark Schaan, VP (student issues) Desiree Taric.

Students will vote electronically

Chief returning officer David Drewe says he's optimistic there will be a race for all executive positions this year, after two years of acclamation in at least one seat. "I'm excited about the calibre of people who've been expressing interest," he says. Nomination forms are available from the Federation of Students' office and are due back by January 19 at 4:30 p.m.

Undergraduate students will choose their leaders electronically instead of using conventional paper ballots during this year's vote. Students in environmental studies voted electronically in last year's executive elections, and there was a campus-wide electronic vote for student members of the university's board of governors last April. However, this year's vote will be the first campus-wide electronic election.

Students will cast their ballots online by going to the Federation of Students website between February 9 and February 16. Using their UW userid and password, students will be able to vote from any computer -- on campus or elsewhere -- instead of only at designated polling stations. Co-op students will also be able to vote electronically, rather than having to mail in their ballots as they have done in past votes.

The Federation is receiving technical assistance from the information systems and technology department, in particular with the authentication of eligible voters. Drewe hopes to see some increase in voter turnout as a result of the change, pointing to a 40 per cent increase in turnout experienced by the University of Western Ontario's University Students' Council when it moved to electronic voting.

Also on this year's ballot will be a referendum question to determine whether members of the federation favour the creation of a new co-op society. All full-time undergraduate students will be asked:

"Do you support the creation of a Co-op Society that will represent co-op students to the CECS Department and provide services to Co-op students' which would result in the transfer of representation of Co-op students, on solely Co-op issues, from the Federation of Students as called for in the Co-op Society Proposal?"

A proposal to put a second referendum question on the ballot was narrowly defeated at a Students' Council meeting this week. The proposal would have seen students vote on whether or not they wished to continue paying a fee of $4.75 each term to the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group (WPIRG).

Campaigning for both the election and the referendum will begin January 31 at 8:30 a.m.

Technology conference two weeks away

"We need students to help out as volunteers," Sibley adds, pointing out that CUTC is an entirely student-run organization. "If you would like to help us out, please visit http://CUTConline.com/volunteer.html and sign up. You would get to meet some real cool people, your peers from all over the country, and you will also get to network with some of the brightest minds and top executives in industry. In addition you will get a T-shirt and a meal coupon."

This year's event is the second annual conference, and some new features have been added to last year's CUTC, held in March 2000. This year, says Sibley, the CUTC will add a BioTech and BioMedical Engineering stream "as well as having our Internet, Wireless, Next Generation Hardware, and Entrepreneurship streams. The conference will feature a Tech Expo in the SLC, a Tech Art feature, and a website contest. We are also preparing a research handbook highlighting a sample of the most interesting research topics at UW, among other publications participants will receive. Some participants will also be making presentations on Saturday on technology topics they have prepared."

Keynote speakers for the CUTC will include UW president David Johnston, RIM president Mike Lazaridis, and executives from Microsoft, Knexa and the United Nations Development Program. Several UW people appear on the full list of speakers for the three-day conference.

Conference partner companies are IBM Toronto Labs, Nortel, Sybase iAnywhere, RIM, and ScotiaBank. Sponsors include CacheFlow, Certicom, Microsoft, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Quack.com, Com Dev, Deloitte Consulting, Cyberplex, PMC-Sierra, Sun Microsystems, and Accenture.

Registrations for the conference are being accepted now over the web.

University administrators' courses The provost's office sends word that UW will sponsor up to four attendees at the following senior management courses, given by the Centre for Higher Education Research and Development of the University of Manitoba. The programs are designed "to broaden and deepen participant skills in recognizing, meeting, and handling current and emerging issues across a wide spectrum of circumstances. If you would like to attend one of the following courses, please submit your resumé/curriculum vitae to your supervisor, to be forwarded to the Provost's Office by 4:30 p.m. on January 31." Senior university administrators' course, June 7-15 at The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta: "An advanced management program for experienced administrators who are responsible for initiating institution-wide policy. Individuals with senior decision-making responsibilities in both academic and professional support positions are accepted, including: presidents, vice-presidents, provosts, associate provosts, comptrollers, registrars, chief librarians, deans, and senior directors. With emphasis on the management of change, power and influence in the academic environment, resource management and planning, and legal and ethics issues, the 2001 SUAC program reflects the challenges facing administrators." University management course, May 11-18 or June 22-29 at The Banff Centre: "An intensive interactive management course for administrators of academic and administrative units with direct responsibility for recommending and implementing policy, including: department heads, chairs, associate deans, managers, directors of services, and senior executive assistants. The curriculum examines human rights, administrative and contract law; financial management and budget planning; human resource management; and conflict resolution." Further information may be obtained from Anne Wagland in the office of the provost, ext. 3187 or by e-mail: awagland@admmail.

Hockey team aids Labrador kids

In an effort to assist the development of youth hockey in some rural communities of Labrador, the Warriors have started a campaign to gather used hockey equipment. "To ensure all youth who would like to participate in minor hockey will have the opportunity, we are looking for used hockey equipment for these children", says program coordinator Daryl Feener. All equipment collected will be shipped out to Labrador.

Another promotion at Warrior home games this season

"Being part of a program to help underprivileged kids' play the game of hockey makes us feel we are giving something back to the sport we have had the opportunity to play for many years," commented Warriors captain Rob Maric.

"The Warriors are asking for your help," says Chris Gilbert, promotions manager in the athletics department. "All players, coaches and hockey staff will be looking to individuals and businesses in the local K-W community for their support and generosity. Anyone interested in assisting with his campaign can simply drop off any equipment to the Columbia Icefield Arena during any Warriors home game this season. Please put to the attention of Labrador Hockey, c/o Dave Cressman (head coach). Your donation is greatly appreciated.

"Your donation will get you free admission to any Warrior regular season game, and you will also be eligible to win great prizes from the CIAU championships and the Warriors." For more information, Gilbert can be reached at ext. 5694.

The Warriors play two home games this weekend against western division rivals Windsor and Western. They host the Lancers tonight at 7:30 and then face off against the high-powered Mustangs Sunday at 2:00. Both games are at the Columbia Icefield arena on the north campus.

The Warriors currently sit in 4th position in the OUA Far West division, one point behind third place Windsor and two points behind Laurier for second spot.

Other sports this weekend: The Waterloo-Guelph swimming invitational starts at 6:30 tonight in the Physical Activities pool, and the men's and women's volleyball teams host Windsor tonight in the PAC main gym (women at 6:00, men at 8:00). Teams on the road: the basketballers, both male and female, play at Windsor tomorrow afternoon; the track and field team is at the Toronto Open tomorrow; Nordic skiers are also in Toronto for the weekend; and the badminton team will play in a crossover tournament at McMaster Saturday and Sunday.

Fall marks next week; and more

The psychology department presents a colloquium by Susan Johnson of Stanford University at 3:30 this afternoon in PAS (Psychology) room 2083. Topic: "The Detection of Mentalistic Agents in Infancy".

CTRL-A, the Club That Really Likes Anime, is celebrating its eighth anniversary with a free Japanese animation show this weekend. Titles presented will include the popular " Trigun" and "His & Her Circumstances", the epic "Legend of the Galactic Heroes", the sports title "Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl", and others. The show starts today at 4:30, and continues Saturday at noon, in Arts Lecture Hall room 116.

It's pub night at the Grad House, as "welcome week" for grad students winds up with music and suds. The house band, The Panty Daddys, plays tonight.

And I know it's milder outside than it's been for the past few weeks, but surely spring isn't here yet . . . still, a colleague assures me that three robins were spotted on a sunny patch of grass on the west side of the Central Services powerhouse on Wednesday afternoon.

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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