Daily
Bulletin

The Columbia Icefield, a.k.a. the North Campus Recreation Complex, currently offers a rink and a double gymnasium.

Feds propose $7 million expansion

The general idea has been under discussion for months, but some specifics are made public in a full-page announcement that appears in the campus recreation Incredible Guidebook for the beginning of the fall term. "A large body of student opinion is going to be collected," the Feds' ad promises. "There will be focus groups, class speakers, surveys and forums to disseminate information and gather your feedback."

The ad notes that "the last time students were asked for money they contributed close to $10 million through a dedicated fee to the creation of the Student Life Centre, renovations to the PAC, building the North Campus sports fields and creating a student endowment fund." Students are still paying for those projects through a "Student Coordinated Plan" fee that's currently $28.44 per term.

In preparation for the coming campaign, it says, "surveys of student needs have been taken over the past few years. They have indicated a desire for more space in the Student Life Centre and expanded recreation services. The proposal . . . has been designed to satisfy these identified needs. It will be funded by a dedicated student fee, which will begin once construction is complete."

The ad is suggesting a fee of $20 a term, to continue for 25 years to pay for $7,090,450 worth of work. Five projects are included:

• An additional floor on the Student Life Centre "to expand club, meeting, study and lounge space", plus expansion of the great hall: $2,411,750.
• A new fitness centre with aerobics, weights and cardio rooms, "the primary area for fitness activities", on the north side of the Columbia Icefield: $1,200,000.
• An additional gymnasium on the south side of the Icefield: $1,096,300.
• A lighted astroturf field on the north campus: $2,200,000.
• A women's hockey dressing room in the Icefield: $182,400.

It all leads up to the toga party

Other orientation notes The English proficiency exam will be given in the Physical Activities Complex at 9:30 (engineering), 11:30 and 1:00 (arts and science), and 2:30 (AHS, ES and math). The season's last performances of "Single and Sexy" are today at 10:30 and 1:00 in the Theatre of the Arts. Residence orientation leaders have today off -- and will spend the time on community volunteer activities, including planting trees at the new RIM Park in northeast Waterloo and cleaning up along the Laurel Creek trail. Wilfrid Laurier University's first-year students will be on the city's streets and shopping malls Saturday for Shinerama, which this year seeks to raise $80,000 for cystic fibrosis research.

Today is devoted to faculty-based events that range from WHMIS safety training for environmental studies and applied health sciences students to a science scavenger hunt. Several faculties will offer a special dinner -- for arts it's in the Arts Lecture Hall. Engineering students, meanwhile, are scheduled for a "professional reception" from 6 to 9 tonight, followed by The Big Pickle, a cluster of four parties in the Student Life Centre that will last until the wee small hours. Math and science students both will gather around campfires tonight, while arts is scheduled for Black Lite Night in the Bombshelter pub.

And students in software engineering, not for the first time and not for the last time, have to make a choice: the engineering event or the math event? No wonder they've devised an orientation chant that goes to the tune of "Stuck in the Middle Again".

Orientation week is going wonderfully well, says Catharine Scott, UW's associate provost (human resources and student services), who was last seen wearing an orange fluorescent vest and a big name tag to identify her as a VIP in the orientation hierarchy. She was among the fetchers and carriers yesterday morning as president David Johnston and provost Amit Chakma flipped pancakes for an orientation leaders' breakfast while the deans served bacon and eggs.

The 34 "superlative students" on the Federation Orientation Committee are running on practically no sleep, says Scott, "but they are still excited. . . . This group of upper year students run everything, and they are so organized and capable that I marvel each day, as I attend events, at how they manage the logistics of moving thousands of students from place to place, keep them happy and do it all with fun, care and safety."

Highlights of orientation so far would include the traditional foolishness of the Big Banana event in environmental studies (that was upper-year planning student Pam Anderson inside the yellow costume, menaced by gorillas). And of course I don't know how to do the Secret Science Dance, but I hear it was impressive.

Tomorrow morning is clear on the orientation schedule, but the rest of the day should be hopping. "Black and Gold Day" from noon to 5 p.m. offers a choice of activities, including a bus trip, for some hundreds of enthusiasts, to see the Warrior football game against McMaster in Hamilton. Other first-year students will see the game beamed live to the new Galaxy cinema complex in Waterloo, and still others will enjoy movies at the Galaxy as well as a half-time show outside the theatre.

There's a breathing space at dinner time, and then from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. it's the famous toga party on the Matthews Hall green (where as early as yesterday morning, a volunteer crew was setting up fences and checking that the comfort stations were lined up ready for use). The party is licensed for alcohol, and it's almost bound to be loud as well as memorable. (Officials were successful in asking Waterloo city council for an exemption from the city's anti-noise bylaw.)

And on the seventh day, they rest. Classes start Monday.

Longer grace period for student loans

The change to the Ontario Student Assistance Program "will provide students in need with additional assistance to manage their repayable student loan debt", the minister of training, colleges and universities Dianne Cunningham said.

"We are committed to providing students with a high quality education through a strengthened and expanded publicly funded postsecondary education system," Cunningham said. "We believe that students should contribute a reasonable portion of the cost of their postsecondary education, but we recognize that some will need additional assistance as they begin to build their careers."

She said a student who has left school and has a "low" income or is unemployed will be eligible to receive up to 54 months of interest relief under OSAP, up from the current 30 month limit".

And a former student who has used up his or her 54 months and is still unable to meet their repayment obligations "will have access to an additional one-time reduction in the balance of his/her OSAP to bring the debt to an affordable level". After graduation, students are expected to pay back only the first $7,000 of their annual OSAP loan under the Ontario Student Opportunity Grant program.

"Our college and university students are vital to Ontario's continued prosperity," said Cunningham. "With an aging population and new occupations, today's students will have tremendous opportunities to pursue their goals."

The government's announcement noted that in 2000-01, the Ontario government spent $578 million to provide financial assistance to 160,000 students through OSAP, including grants, loans, bursaries and scholarships.

The talk of the campus

Also from the scheduling office comes a reminder that a number of major classrooms (including room 101 in RCH, the biggest lecture hall on campus) have new computer systems this fall, connected to the Polaris network. The result: instructors who plan on augmenting their lectures with computer demonstrations are going to need Polaris accounts. A training session about the new system was held recently, and another one is scheduled for Monday, September 17, at 4:30 p.m. in Math and Computer room 4042. Says Charlene Schumm: "If anyone has any general questions regarding the new software, they can contact the IST help desk (ext. 4357). For more specific help, they can call their Waterloo Polaris support for Polaris questions, and their faculty computing support for faculty-specific questions."

Here's an advance note that September 10 through 15 will be "Welcome Week" for graduate students, with a number of events organized by the Grad Student Association. A highlight will be the noontime event on Tuesday, when GSA leaders and UW administrators will meet with students at the Graduate House for the "launch" of this year's Graduate Student Research Conference, which is scheduled for April 1 through 5. There will be much more publicity about that event as it draws closer, of course.

The library sends a warning that books borrowed on term loan will be due September 12, this coming Wednesday. Borrowers should return or renew their books by then, says Alex McCulloch of the library's user services department. "If they are renewing on-line, the name of the tab in Trellis has changed slightly, from 'Patron Info' to 'Your Library Account'. On-line help for renewing is available. Patrons should not try to renew more than 50 books at a time."

And here's a reminder that although the term hasn't started yet, the libraries will be open Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m.

Also in action this weekend, as always, is the University Catholic Community. Saturday evening Mass (5 p.m.), which hasn't been taking place during the summer, resumes tomorrow. Sunday Mass is at 9:30 and 11:30 (the latter being a special "Orientation Mass"); the 7 p.m. Mass resumes September 16. UCC services are held in Siegfried Hall at St. Jerome's University.

A "walk" in support of the Anselma House shelter for abused women is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, starting and ending in Waterloo Park but crossing some UW parking lot territory along the way.

Finally, weekend sports: As mentioned, the football Warriors play at McMaster tomorrow afternoon. Simultaneously, the baseball Warriors host McMaster for a double-header, at Jack Couch Park in Kitchener. They'll then travel to York for a double-header on Sunday. The field hockey Warriors are off to take part in the Toronto Invitational both days.

CAR

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@uwaterloo.ca | (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
| Yesterday's Bulletin
Copyright © 2001 University of Waterloo