June 27, 2002

Thursday, June 27, 2002

Renison principal ending her term
Welcome from libraries across Canada
The talk of the campus

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

A worldwide consortium of universities

[Brandt at surprise goodbye party]

Renison principal ending her term

Gail Cuthbert Brandt, principal of Renison College since 1992, will finish her term exactly at the ten-year mark as she turns over the office to her successor, John Crossley, on July 1.

Brandt is staying at Renison as a professor of history, but first, she writes, "After July 1 I will be on a year's sabbatical. During that time I am planning to complete a manuscript that details the history of women working in the Québec cotton industry, 1891-1951. That book is based in large measure on 80 oral interviews conducted with four generations of women workers.

"I also hope to start a new research project that will focus on the history of Anglican-affiliated colleges and universities in Canada.

"When I am not busy researching and writing, I will be preparing two new courses that I will teach in the fall and winter of 2003-04. One is a history of the East Asian communities in Canada, and the other, a history of the evolution of family law in Canadian society. When I return to Renison as a professor of history, I will be teaching history courses for both Renison and the UW history department.

"I am looking forward to gardening, and to not writing memos!"

She's leaving the principal's office with an extra honour weighing her down. Late in May, during the meeting of Synod -- the governing body for the Anglican diocese of Huron -- she was presented with the Order of Huron by bishop Bruce Howe. The Order is given to "an individual who has given exemplary service to the Anglican communion within his/her own parish and beyond". Brandt received the award for her work at the college and, in particular, her service as chair of the worldwide Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion organization.

[Karray]
Fakhri Karray of systems design engineering and electrical and computer engineering was one of eight distinguished guests and keynote speakers who attended the 2002 International Conference on Control Automation held in Xiamin, China, June 16-19. The conference is co-sponsored by the IEEE and the Chinese Academy of Science. The conference is one of the largest of its kind with 550 articles presented by specialists from all over the world in the field of automation and control. Karray gave his plenary speech on soft computing and application to intelligent control. "The talk has stimulated good deal of interest from attendees," he reports, "and a number of researchers have promised future visits and interactions with UW." Keith Hipel of systems design engineering was also involved as a member of the international program committee of the conference.

65 and still young
Just 65 years ago, the Paris world's fair of 1937 was under way.
What object on public display on the UW campus is directly associated with the 1937 world's fair?
The first correct answer, by e-mail to credmond@uwaterloo.ca, wins a Warrior T-shirt provided by the UW athletics department.

Welcome from libraries across Canada

Students, faculty and staff from universities across Canada can borrow books from each other's libraries under a "reciprocal borrowing agreement" that went into effect May 1.

The Canadian University Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement provides for in-person borrowing privileges to students, faculty and staff from across the country. All that is required for borrowing is a valid university identification card or a valid participating regional consortia card.

Students, faculty and staff should check with the library of their home institution to ensure they have the appropriate identification before visiting another Canadian university library. For a borrower from UW, that would generally mean a WatCard that's been validated by the UW library.

Says a description of the new program: "Reciprocal borrowing privileges are determined by each lending (host) library and usually provide shorter loan periods than those available at the individual's home library. Some library materials such as periodicals, videos, and books on course reserve may not be available for loan.

"Other library services may be available in addition to borrowing privileges and some fees may apply. Students, faculty and staff should inquire at each host library regarding services available to visiting library users.

"The lending library's regulations related to loan periods, renewal and recall procedures, and fines will apply to all loans. Lost or damaged materials should be reported to the library from which the item was borrowed. Students, faculty and staff are responsible for paying any fines, lost book charges or processing charges incurred."

Graduate students, faculty and staff are entitled to borrowing privileges at all the participating libraries, which reach from the University of Northern British Columbia to the University College of Cape Breton. Undergraduate students can use most, but not all, of those libraries. (For example, the University of Toronto does not lend to undergraduates from other institutions, and Québec university libraries do not lend to undergraduates from other provinces.)

The talk of the campus

I suppose I'd best start by saying that I do, usually, know what year it is, and I used to be able to subtract. I also know that Confederation came in 1867. So this week's Canada Day should be celebrating the 135th birthday of the country's government, not the 134th as I wrote yesterday.

They're digging up the back of the so-called Commissary building, the east wing of the General Services Complex, and that's making life difficult for the parking services office there. Result: registration for fall term parking permits, which was scheduled to start next Tuesday, has been delayed until July 8.

Staff and faculty members are receiving personal pension plan statements this month, the human resources department notes. The statements show things as they were on December 31, 2001, so members who joined the pension plan on January 1 or later will not receive a statement. "Any other pension plan member who has not received a statement by July 10 is asked to call Wanda Speek at ext. 3573 or Linda Bluhm at ext. 2046," a memo from HR says.

[Three at work with sponges]
Provost Amit Chakma, right, joined the sponge crew for yesterday's "executive car wash" at Village I in support of the Keystone Campaign. Photo by Nancy Heide, information and public affairs.
Word has arrived of a life-changing personal achievement by Marita Williams, who's well known on campus as UW's manager of space information and resource planning. A few days ago, she was ordained a deacon in the Independent Anglican Church of Canada, a small conservative offshoot of the larger Anglican Church. She writes: "I will be serving at St. Matthew's Parish in Hespeler, Cambridge. I am currently studying for Vocational Deacon at Renison Institute of Ministry, where I attend classes on Saturdays. In addition, I am studying religion at Renison to obtain another Bachelor of Arts degree. I will go on to Trinity College, University of Toronto, to study for the pastoral ministry. With HIS guidance and grace, when I retire from UW, I will be ready to start a new and different career as an Anglican Rector, serving the Lord and helping others."

Third-year economics student Michael Smith is celebrating as winner of a national essay contest sponsored by the Fraser Institute. His essay argues for private ownership of oceans and what's in them as a solution to problems of pollution and fishery depletion. It's posted on-line and is to be published in the Canadian Student Review.

Some things are happening today, including the end-of-term research paper presentations by students nearing the end of the Certificate in University Teaching program. There are three this time round: Jennifer Gilks ("How to Encourage Female Participation in Geography Classes"), Michael Scantlebury ("Managing Discussions"), and Andreanne Bouchard ("Using Cooperative Learning in Engineering to Fulfil Society's Expectations"). Their program runs from 2:00 to 3:30 in Math and Computer room 5158.

Also today:

Career development workshops on interview skills: "The Basics" at 2:30 and "Preparing for Questions" at 3:30. The career resource centre in Needles Hall will have details.
A reception honouring Jake Sivak as he winds up his term as dean of graduate studies, 4 to 6 p.m. at the University Club. (Last-minute information: ext. 2657.)
A "pre-long-weekend party called CHILL" at Federation Hall tonight, "with lots of prizes and give-aways", sponsored by the Fraternity/Sorority Awareness Club.
"The Sound of Music movie sing-along and dressup party", starting at 9 p.m. at the Graduate House. Free admission; prizes for "best singers and costumers".
Toes Across the Floor, described as "like a dance studio except it also teaches acting and singing", has its year-end recital at 7:00 tonight in the Humanities Theatre.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
June 27, 1988: Rod Sawatsky is named to be president of Conrad Grebel College, succeeding Ralph Lebold.