February 5, 2002

Tuesday, February 5, 2002

Residence fees on board's agenda
UW toboggan team places first
Waterloo's a happening place
And a little of this and that

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

Mexico's constitution, 85 years old today

[Made out of a kitchen chair]
The greens will help raise some green for the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery on Saturday night. Helping design a miniature golf course as an attraction for the event are retired fine arts professor Ann Roberts and students Leigh MacKay and In-Sun Kim. The "I Love Art" evening will also include music, fortune telling, an auction, cake and other delights. Tickets are $25 single, $40 couple, from the gallery at 746-1882.

Residence fees on board's agenda

Increases in what it costs to live in UW residences are on the agenda for approval by UW's board of governors as it holds its quarterly meeting this afternoon. The meeting -- open to the public -- begins at 2:30 p.m. in Needles Hall room 3001.

As listed in the agenda documents, the residence fees are to go up by varying percentages on September 1. Prices for "dorm-style" rooms in Villages I and II will rise by 5 per cent, making the two-term rate $3,308 (double), $3,518 (interconnecting) or $3,688 (single). Singles in the Columbia Lake Townhouses also go up 5 per cent, to $3,516 for two terms.

"Suite-style" rooms in two residence locations are going up by 6 per cent. The new price for two terms in Mackenzie King Village will be $4,400. In UW Place, the price for a room in a suite goes to $3,472 (double) and $3,764 or $3,976 for a single.

Single rooms in the Minota Hagey residence are going up 10 per cent, to $1,740 per term.

Finally, apartment rents in UW Place are going up by 5 per cent for existing tenants (to $590 or $630 a month), and by 10 per cent for new tenants (to $660). The rate for non-students will be unchanged at $1,500 a month.

The residences are an "ancillary enterprise" within UW's finances, meaning they're expected to be self-supporting. (That includes paying for building repairs and renovations. Later in today's meeting, the board will be asked to approve $4.1 million in renovations to the central complex at Ron Eydt Village, which dates from 1969.) Total income for the residence operation in the last fiscal year was a little more than $14 million.

The board meeting could be a busy one indeed. Here are some of the other items on the agenda:

Remarks on plans for enrolment growth, by provost Amit Chakma.
An "environmental scan" by the president, likely to include observations on how decisions about Ontario universities are in suspended animation until a new premier is chosen by the Progressive Conservative Party later this winter.
Comments by Chakma on the state of the current year's budget and the beginnings of work to write a budget for 2002-03.
A proposed "statement of purpose" on student financial support, as approved by the university senate following a painful debate late last month.
A formal decision on moving the school of architecture into a century-old factory on Melville Street in Cambridge.
Action on the proposal to change the "department of computer science" to a "school of computer science".

After the meeting, board members will have dinner with students in the great hall of Village I.

UW toboggan team places first

A team of UW engineers came home from the weekend's Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race, held in Winnipeg, with the "first overall" trophy and two other awards.

[Concentrating on the mold] The UW team came from the fourth-year civil engineering class, The Doozers, says one of its members, Margaret Parkhill. She explains that the race is an annual undergraduate engineering competition focused on exposing and promoting engineering innovation and excellence at the student level.

Team members Jeff O'Reilly, Leanne Burns and Jeff Wilkinson are seen at right, inspecting the concrete as it cures. The base of the finished sled was "actually only 4 millimetres thick, yes, f-o-u-r," Parkhill writes. "It was reinforced with steel fibres in the concrete, and layers of carbon fibre fabric and epoxy on top. Not shown in the photo are the aluminum frame, steering system, or brake, which were added later."

Altogether 16 teams took part this year, coming from across Canada and from Colorado State University. "After months of design, construction, and planning," says Parkhill, "the team arrived in Winnipeg to minus-30C weather on January 30, including two team members who drove 21 hours from Waterloo to Winnipeg with the toboggan in tow." The event includes a Technical Exhibition, held at the University of Manitoba, where teams show off their toboggans and professors and engineers judge their designs.

"After the smoke had settled," she says, "Waterloo won three awards: 1st Place Overall, Best Concrete Mix and Reinforcement Design, and Best Technical Report. The University of Alberta came second, and the University of Manitoba placed third."

She adds that there were "many spectacular spills, and a few injuries", but the Waterloo team successfully completed the course twice, with speeds of 57 km/h and 56 km/h respectively. The top speed achieved was 58 km/h by the University of Alberta.

Says Parkhill: "The team would like to thank their many sponsors, especially Sika, Conestoga Rovers and Associates, and Steelway Building Systems, as well as UW's civil engineering department and dean of engineering, for their continued support of this competition. Teams from Waterloo have consistently won awards at GNCTR, though the last first place overall was received in 1998."

Waterloo's a happening place

Wireless Willie (not exactly as shown)

Access points for a wireless computer network are now available in several parts of the engineering buildings, and Engineering Computing is promoting the new service this week with a series of demonstrations. They'll be held daily, through Friday, from noon to 1 p.m., says technician Stephen Carr -- see the web page for details. "Since the launch of this service closely follows Groundhog Day, Wireless Willie will divert his attention from his shadow to his laptop," he writes. "Signs depicting the groundhog mascot will indicate areas of wireless accessibility in the engineering buildings."

Today brings a visit to campus by Robert Schad, CEO of Husky Injection Moulding Systems, a huge plastics company. He'll speak to fourth-year systems design students on "Competing in a Global Industry", at 11:30 a.m. in J. R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall room 101. Visitors are welcome.

Larry Black of Carleton University speaks at the University Club tonight, a guest of the local branch of the Canadian Institute of international Affairs. Title of his talk: "Russia, Afghanistan and the Anti-Terrorism Coalition: Will Putin Gain or Lose?" A reception at 7:00 precedes the talk at 7:30. More information: call ext. 2765.

The wires will be buzzing at the Student Life Centre tonight, as the Campus Cove games room holds an open house to show off new network gaming facilities. "We'll have free gaming, a few snacks, and you can try out the network gaming for free," writes staff member Kate Schwass. The open house runs from 7:00 to 9:00 this evening.

Tomorrow brings the winter job fair, sponsored by UW and other post-secondary institutions in the area. "Learn more about job opportunities," says a flyer. "Network with over 100 North American employers from diverse sectors. Hiring for full-time, contract, summer, co-op and part-time jobs." The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at RIM Park, on the eastern edge of Waterloo, and there will be shuttle buses from UW's Student Life Centre every half hour.

Also tomorrow, the "free lunch and great technology" series, sponsored by the UW computer store, continues with visitors from Xerox Canada. Details and registration: e-mail n2fernan@uwaterloo.ca.

And tomorrow brings the "Tex-Mex bake sale Part II, mini garage sale, and raffle", a fund-raiser for an environmental studies field trip to Texas and Mexico -- "9 a.m. to 3ish" in the Environmental Studies I foyer.

Tomorrow night brings two major events already announced: the first of this year's Pascal Lectures by Bartha Knoppers, 8 p.m. in the Theatre of the Arts, and the opening of the drama department's "Absurd Person Plural", three absurdist plays, 8 p.m. in Studio 180, Humanities building.

And a little of this and that

First, a word about the lecture by solar architecture expert Steven Strong, which I mentioned in this Bulletin a few days ago. He'll be appearing at UW February 13, not February 14 as I said. The talk is scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon, and people who plan to attend can reserve a seat on-line.

The staff association has sent out several invitations in the past few days, looking for representatives of staff on various UW committees: the dean of applied health sciences nominating committee, the dean of engineering nominating committee, the Employee Assistance Program committee, and the association's own nominating committee. I won't go through all the details, which have likely reached most staff electronically, but I know the staff association office (phone ext. 3566) or web site can provide more information for those who want it.

Here's a memo (dated February 3, which I think was Sunday) from Trenny Canning of the university secretariat: "At a recent meeting of the Senate Nominating Committee for Honorary Degrees, concern was expressed that there are no women in the Pool of Candidates for Honorary Degrees. The Committee identifies individuals from this Pool to receive honorary degrees at the various Convocation ceremonies. The Committee therefore requested me to alert the Faculty Deans and the community at large, hoping to encourage them to put forward names of exceptional women nationally and internationally. Copies of the guidelines for submitting candidates for consideration are available from the Secretariat, ext. 5924."

Another memo that came out this week is from Jane Manson, director of finance, announcing "procedural changes" for handling cheques received by various UW departments. Administrative assistants in the departments will have the memo memorized by now, I should think.

"The UW Shop has selected winter jackets on sale," says a note from Noemia Fernandes in retail services. "Save 40% on your purchase." The shop is in the South Campus Hall concourse.

And . . . the February issue of the human resources department newsletter is now available on-line. Among the features of this issue is information about Registered Retirement Savings Plans, including a chart of how much "RRSP room" might be available to staff and faculty who are members of UW's pension plan. A brief summary: not much.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
February 5, 1968: Students' council approves a $5 per term fee as a contribution to the Tenth Anniversary Fund.