August 27, 2002

Tuesday, August 27, 2002

ESQ runs satellite sites
Another term, another million
A few announcements

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

ESQ runs satellite sites

An Engineering Science Quest satellite camp in Stratford this week tops off a summer that saw off-campus enrolment in ESQ camps more than double from a year ago.

[Girl with slime] For the first time last year, three ESQ satellite camps were run in smaller communities in the province, where children often don't have an opportunity to attend summer programs in science, engineering and technology.

That pilot program offered a total of seven sessions in Tobermory, Forest and Paris and attracted some 120 children, says ESQ satellite camp manager Jill Ryan, a student at Queen's University. This year, the satellite program added Chatham and Stratford camp locations and more than 280 elementary school students attended the 16 one-week sessions.

"The response has been fantastic," says Ryan. "The parents are ecstatic and the kids love it. Each site is growing by word of mouth."

The idea to offer ESQ camp programs outside of Waterloo was encouraged by a contact in Tobermory, who offered the assistance of the community if the program was offered there. Ryan, who grew up in Forest, served as an instructor at the satellite camp there last year.

"We've had a really good response from every location," she adds, noting ESQ will probably return to those sites again next summer, perhaps adding more sessions or expanding to include additional age groups.

Although there are currently no plans to expand to other locations, Ryan left the door open if interest is expressed from other areas. "The key to success is help from the community."

Currently in its 12th year on campus, Engineering Science Quest is a non-profit organization run by students, mostly from UW. Nearly 2,700 kids, ranging from primary school through Grade 13, attended ESQ this summer.

Another term, another million

The call centre in UW's development office has raised more than $1.1 million during the spring term, "an outstanding accomplishment," says annual fund manager Bob Copeland in an end-of-term update.

"Currently," he writes, "activity in the Call Centre is quite slow, which is typical of the dog days of summer combined with the end of term."

But from May to August, callers kept reaching UW alumni and other friends of the university, and reported a participation rate of 32 per cent -- that is, just about a third of the people they reached said yes to giving UW some financial support. The average pledge received was $312, including both one-time and multi-year pledges, Copeland says.

He notes that student-callers "have achieved important fundraising milestones and we wish to acknowledge their significant contribution to UW." They include Bathsheba Bruce of political science, who has now brought in $500,000 in gifts to UW.

Says his newsletter: "Current Faculty-based campaigns for Arts and Environmental Studies are progressing well and are nearing completion. The Faculty of Science appeal has just been mailed and calling will begin in approximately two weeks. . . .

"A new strategic plan is being developed for the Grad Class Program with details to be announced over the next few weeks. This plan will continue to leverage the support and cooperation of the participating Faculties and University Colleges who have played an important role in the success of this program."

Finally, he notes that a request for proposals for new call centre software has closed, and a number of proposals are currently under review. "We are hopeful that a new system will be implemented in November/December."

A few announcements

The housing office has vacancies for the fall term for upper-year and graduate students in two- and three-bedroom suites in the newly renovated Eby Hall. Interested students are encouraged to contact the housing office right away at www.housing.uwaterloo.ca or by telephone at ext. 2679.

Graphics and the library send word of two upcoming changes to the university's license with CANCOPY. The first will be in place by the end of August -- the name "CANCOPY" will change to "Access Copyright, The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency." In announcing the change, an official from the Agency explained that: "....we are moving past licensing photocopy uses alone. We needed a name that would quickly and easily explain to rightsholders and licensees alike what it is we do. And at the centre of it all is the concept of access: we offer licensees one-stop access to published works, whether they wish to photocopy or make digital copies. We offer rightsholders the chance to make that work easily accessible, collect the royalties and forward them on a regular basis."

The second change is that the university's rates on certain types of copying are increasing, as per clause 39 of our license. The rate for regular copying, will be increasing from 5-cents to 5.4-cents per page. The newspaper copying tariff is increasing from 2.5-cents to 2.7-cents. Microfilm, Microfiche, and out-of-print book rates remain the same. These rate increases are pertinent to all copying done after August 31st, 2002.

Any questions regarding these changes can be directed to Susan Saunders Bellingham (library) or Tricia Mumby (graphics).

Avvey Peters

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
August 27, 1956: Ira G. Needles, president of B. F. Goodrich Canada, speaks to the Kitchener-Waterloo Rotary Club about "The Waterloo Plan," announcing the creation of an engineering and science college to be associated with Waterloo College.