Daily
Bulletin

UW's answer to the iron chef
-- by Barbara Elve

Preparing the prize-winning dinner in "the iron chef of campus dining" contest were, from left, Victor Iaccobellis from Mudie's, Peter McCarthy of Ron Eydt Village, and Roland Lynn at Brubakers, shown in chef hats, along with UW food services director Mark Murdoch.

Competing against three other schools, the three UW chefs wowed the judges with salmon napoleon, roasted stuffed pinwheel pork loin, a swirled garlic roasted mashed potato and pineapple infused yam, steamed baby bok choy and roasted red peppers, served with a light saffron sauce and apple chutney. For dessert, a chocolate dipped cherry cheese cake ganache perched on a pool of sour cherry coulis. The recipes were taken from a UW catering menu.

Adding to the challenge, the chefs were required to prepare the fare not as a dinner for two, but as a feast for 100.

While his chefs were winning accolades in the kitchen, Murdoch was honoured by his colleagues with the CCUFSA Award of Excellence, presented annually to a member who has made "an outstanding contribution to the association," as well as a "significant contribution to the betterment of college and university food service."

In bestowing the award, the CCUFSA cited Murdoch's 13 years of service to the association, including terms as regional vice-president, president, and past-president. He was praised for his leadership at UW, "building a strong team while encouraging professional development among managers and employees," and for "going places where no man has gone before as witnessed by the world record-setting submarine sandwich built under his leadership."

This week, food services staff are in Cincinnati to collect another Loyal E. Horton Dining Award at the National Association of College and University Food Services conference. Brubakers placed second among a number of entries from across Canada and the U.S. in the category Retail Sales, Multiple Concepts. This is the third time food services has been awarded one of the prestigious international prizes.

Folks on campus will have a chance to sample the prize-winning fare at two special dinners this month. The menu will be prepared for students in residence on Wednesday, July 18, in the Great Hall of Village 1. A cash bar opens at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30. The University Club will be the venue for staff and faculty on Friday, July 27, with cocktails at 6 and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The University Club dinner is $29.95; to reserve, phone ext. 3801.

Students paying 'more for less' -- a news release from the Canadian Association of University Teachers

The study, University and College Accessibility: How and Why Have Fees Increased?, examines what factors have driven the rapid escalation in tuition and other fees in the 1990s and the impact higher costs are having on accessibility.

Photo by Barbara Elve The laws of physics -- and cooperation -- are combined in "walking the A-frame," a challenge for teens taking part in the Engineering Science Quest ExXtreme and Bondar camps at UW this summer.

The report finds that fees, when adjusted for inflation and measured on per full-time student basis, rose 64 percent between 1990-91 and 1998-99, largely in response to a 25 percent decline in public operating grants. However, higher expenditures by universities on student financial assistance have also contributed to the increase.

"Contrary to some perceptions, university expenditures on salaries have not been a factor in driving up costs," the report states. "In fact, spending on academic rank salaries, measured in constant dollars and per full-time equivalent student, was more than 16 percent lower in 1998-99 than in 1990-91. In other words, students are paying more and are receiving less in return."

The study also reveals that the main fallout from rising fees has been an increase in the inequality of opportunity to pursue a post-secondary education. Using an "affordability index" to measure the share of after-tax family income needed to pay for tuition and other fees, the report finds that the 20 percent of families with the lowest income would have had to set aside 14 percent of their disposable income in 1990-91 to cover these costs. By 1998-99, the index rose to 23 percent. For the richest 20 percent of families, the index rose modestly from 3 percent in to 4 percent over the same period.

"It is not inevitable that fees continue to rise," the study concludes. "The problem of higher fees is a political problem caused by the rapid public disinvestment in post-secondary education. As such, governments can take immediate steps to ensure that post-secondary education is affordable and accessible to all qualified students."

The report recommends governments increase public operating grants and provide a needs-based system of grants targeted toward economically disadvantaged students.

Thursday notes

The UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival opens this evening with a gala event at the Humanities Theatre. A performance by Mother of Pearl begins at 8 p.m.

A PhD defense by English student Jason William Haslam will take place tomorrow at 10 a.m. in Hagey Hall 373 of the thesis: "Fitting Sentences: Identifying Prisoners in the 19th- and 20th-Century Prison Narratives."

An exhibition of works by architecture students will take place this Saturday at the Toronto Dominion Bank, 70 King Street East in Kitchener. The show is called Roma XXII. Tickets are available by email -- contact romatickets@canada.com.

Avvey Peters

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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