![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Friday |
Monday, August 12, 2002
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Background shows Brubacher House]](/images/2002/0812watcard.gif)
New designs will grace the WatCards issued to new students this fall, including about 1,300 that will be handed out to first-year students today. Another 1,000 cards will be made for Student Life 101 arrivals, and thousands more in the first week of September. The background showing the Brubacher House is actually the new card design for faculty members; undergraduate students will get a scene of South Campus Hall and the campus main entrance. For the first time, says WatCard manager John Cunningham, students were able to send in their own photos by e-mail, so the cards could be prepared ahead of time. (That option will be open to everybody starting this fall. "Some of the kids are a little bit vain," Cunningham laughs, and weren't too keen on the assembly-line photos taken by WatCard staff.) |
The annual Student Life 101 is an orientation program "designed by students for students" to help with the transition to university life before the fast-paced weeks of classes early in the fall term. It runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Catharine Scott, UW's associate provost (human resources and student services), says about 2,200 students plus their parents and siblings (for a total of 6,500 people) are expected. That's about half of the incoming first-year students and their parents. "There has been an exceptional interest in Student Life 101 this year," she said.
"Student Life 101 helps to relieve student and parent anxiety and reassures them that UW is a warm and friendly place," Scott also said. "We want to let them know that there are a lot of people and services here to help them and to make their years here fun."
A top presentation is called "Student Life at UW" and will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Physical Activities Complex, where incoming students will learn about the university. Also on the agenda is "Meet our People", which gives an opportunity for visitors to discover the services available on campus and talk to the individuals running them.
Afterward, they can check out the Student Life Centre, visiting information booths and learning about the student Federation, academic rights advisers, health services and off-campus dons, as well as clubs and student associations. Campus tours are offered from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Along with other university-wide presentations about UW life, each faculty will be hosting a presentation for incoming students introducing them to the academic support available to them during their first year.
The study, entitled Lingo Online: The Language of the Keyboard Generation, examines how English-speaking Canadians communicate online and the language they use when emailing, sending instant messages and communicating in chat rooms.
"Language is never fixed -- it is constantly evolving to reflect changes in society," says Randall, the author of the study. "This study shows online culture has bred a new language that allows for greater creativity and expression. People are adapting to online communication and as a result have learned to speak with their fingers."
![[Publicity photo]](http://www.newswire.ca/releases/June2002/11/c4877.jpg)
One of the major themes revealed in the study is the extent to which
people are blending spoken and written English when communicating over the
Internet. The Lingo Online study also shows users are increasingly expressing
body language and emotions through the written word with the use of emoticons
-- pictographs of different facial expressions, such as happy and sad.
This new online lingo is almost universally known among users under 20, indicating that the younger generation is driving its adoption. For example, the term "LOL," which means laughing out loud, was recognized by 86% of survey respondents under 20, 60% of people age 20-34 and 28% of users 35 and over. Although younger users are adopting this language faster, the survey also shows it is understood by parents and older generations. Ninety-one per cent of survey respondents age 20 to 34 and 84% of those 35 and over use emoticons in email conversations with friends. To save time, 86% of respondents use acronyms such as "G2G" (got to go) and "TTYL" (talk to you later) in email messages and 76% use them when sending instant messages.
The study also found people are creative when communicating online: 55% of online users surveyed invent their own short forms and abbreviations that they use when instant messaging with friends. Sixty per cent of people believe emoticons help them express their feelings and 40% believe that emoticons allow them to express their individuality online.
Despite the use of acronyms, abbreviations and emoticons in online communication, the study clearly shows people recognize when to use online lingo, while still understanding the importance of traditional language. For example, only 18% of online Canadians would use emoticons in an email message to business associates. In addition, 77% of online Canadians regularly use salutations in email messages and 70% use them in instant messages. Fifty-five per cent regularly check spelling when they send email.
"MSN.CA has its finger on the pulse of online culture, and we are constantly examining the ways in which people use the Internet," says Donna Hindson, senior marketing manager. "This study shows that nearly 100% of online Canadians use email to communicate and today we have 8.6 million Canadians using MSN(R) Messenger. Canadians love being online and are letting their fingers do the talking."
Four graduate students who have been working towards the Certificate in University Teaching will present their research findings in a session this afternoon (1:30 to 3:30, Math and Computer room 5158). The speakers are Patricia Fitzpatrick ("Opportunities for Transformative Learning in Formal University Courses"), Angela Garabet ("Linking Communities with Videoconferencing: The Impact on Educational Objectives"), Gregory Rose ("Critical Reflection and Transformative Learning in Environmental Education"), and Charlene Shannon ("Motivating Recreation and Sport Management Students to Be Creative").
A cohort of Clarica Scholars -- teachers and students from high schools across Canada -- arrive on campus today to spend a week developing "interactive learn ware" with help from experts in the LT3 technology centre. The focus this week is Canadian studies. I hope to have more to say about the Clarica Scholar program in the Daily Bulletin later this week.
Users of the Biology II building probably know about it already: all labs with fume hoods will be out of operation during the day all this week. The fume hoods will be turned off from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, as a side effect of roof repairs in the building.
The student awards office sends word that it will be closed all day this Wednesday, August 14, "to meet critical deadlines".
And . . . a tour group organized by UW's continuing education office and faculty of arts will be airborne today, flying to Paris to begin two weeks on "the pilgrim's road to Compostela". Some 41 people are taking the trip, says Maureen Jones in continuing education. They're led by historian Jacques Pauwels -- who took a UW group to the Baltic last year -- and will tour the historic and scenic spots of France and Spain on the way to the ancient pilgrims' destination of Santiago de Compostela. They'll be returning August 29.
CAR
TODAY IN UW HISTORYAugust 12, 1974: UW agrees to sell Seagram Stadium to the city of Waterloo for $1. (It will later be sold again, to Wilfrid Laurier University, and renamed "University Stadium".) |