October 21, 2002

Monday, October 21, 2002

What's happening on the north campus
Pension deductions set to increase
Pixels in the big picture

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

[Rocks in creek bed]

What's happening on the north campus

An open house tomorrow will give people, both on campus and off, a look at plans for the "environmental reserve" that will sit next to the research and technology park on UW's north campus.

Tomorrow's event is focused on the Environmental Assessment for the reserve area, says Tom Galloway of UW's plant operations department: "The Schedule C project of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment process is being coordinated by the Grand River Conservation Authority and the City of Waterloo. CH2M HILL is the consultant undertaking the project that is another element of the SuperBuild projects that includes the Research and Technology Park."

The on-campus open house will run from 2 to 4 p.m. tomorrow in Davis Centre room 1301. A community open house is scheduled for Albert McCormick Arena on Parkside Drive, just north of the north campus, from 6 to 8 p.m. Staff and consultants will be hand to answer questions and explain the project, Galloway said.

Meanwhile, work is moving ahead on the research and technology park on the east side of the north campus, Galloway said, giving this report:

"The grading contractor, Aecon, is in the final stages and should be complete in two weeks. The servicing contractor, Sierra Construction, has got the new sanitary pipe across Columbia from the south campus and up to the Bauer Road on the walking path."

Work on the Bauer Road was expected to start on Friday, causing the road to close for two or three working days. "There will be no access to the Bauer Warehouse except if necessary via the Bearinger Road path during this time."

Galloway added that Sirrea "has brought the watermain up from Columbia Street past the Icefields road into the subdivision. They have started to create the new road profile" for the "grand boulevard" that will be built over the current North Campus Road. "This new road cross section will be constructed to base asphalt yet this fall. This will cause moving north campus traffic back and forth from the eastern to the western sides of this divided roadway as construction progresses. Access to all parking lots and north campus buildings will be maintained at all times."

And more: "The new varsity football field has been rough graded by Aecon. Top soil will be returned and spread shortly. Grounds staff have secured drainage and irrigation contractors to install the below field services in the next few weeks. Sodding should take place in late November. Goal posts will be installed next year prior to training camp. The football team have been using field #5 on a temporary basis for the last month."

Site plans for the R&T park are still referring to the "grand boulevard" and "Parkside Drive extension", the two municipal roads in the area, but they should have new names soon. Dennis Huber, UW's vice-president (administration and finance), said a decision on the names is up to the city of Waterloo, and proposed names are expected to come to city council next week.

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Pension deductions set to increase

The take-home pay of staff and faculty members will go down in January, as deductions for pension plan premiums, which have been at a discounted level for the past six years, jump back to 100 per cent of the normal level.

Currently premiums -- paid by individual employees and then matched by the university as the employer -- are at 60 per cent of normal level. The move back to 100 per cent, as of January 1, is announced in a memo from Catharine Scott, chair of the university's pension and benefits committee.

The change needs final approval from the UW board of governors, which is expected to give it at a meeting on October 29.

Scott's memo reminds faculty and staff of the background: "In 1996, when faced with major budget reductions, the University used some of the surplus from the Pension Plan to reduce employee and University contributions to the Pension Plan to 25% of what would normally have been required. Also, some of the surplus was used to fund an early retirement program. Over the last six years, the contribution reductions have been drawing on the surplus in the Pension Plan.

"In April 2000, the Pension & Benefits Committee announced a plan that would gradually move employees and University contributions from 25% to 100% of normal by May 1, 2004. At present, employees and the University are paying 60% of the normal contributions to the Plan.

[Peak in fall 2000]

"The Pension & Benefits Committee has been monitoring the state of the Pension Plan and its surplus on a quarterly basis, and has been especially attentive to the financial position of the Plan given negative market returns over the past two years. Last year, the Committee began to consider an early return to normal contributions because of the poor investment returns.

"At its October 11, 2002 meeting, after a full discussion and a review of the current financial position of the Plan, the Committee determined that an earlier return to 100% contributions was necessary. In the view of the Committee, continuation with a reduction in contribution levels can not be sustained due to the rapid depletion of the surplus. . . .

"The Committee realizes that January is a particularly challenging time for personal finances and wanted to inform the University community about the recommendation to return to normal contributions as soon as possible."

A chart attached to the memo gives an estimate of how much people's take-home pay will be affected: $40 a month for someone earning $30,000 annually, $50 for someone earning $45,000, $70 for someone earning $60,000, $90 for someone earning $85,000.

Senate meets tonight . . .
The UW senate meets at 4:30 today in Needles Hall room 3001. Agenda items include the review of UW's graduate studies activities; a progress report on the "Fifth Decade Report", otherwise known as Building on Accomplishment; approval of degrees to be awarded at this weekend's convocation; several undergraduate program reviews; and reports from the president and vice-presidents.
. . . and then the board
A special meeting of the UW board of governors has been called for 7 p.m. in Needles Hall room 3001. There are just two items on the agenda, both to be discussed in confidential session: "Naming UW Facilities" and "Appointment".

Pixels in the big picture

A couple of days ago I made mention of the organization MOVE, which was the subject of an event sponsored by WPIRG. "I don't know what that stands for," I wrote about MOVE, and the reply came from a reader at the National Research Council, of all places: "MOVE doesn't seem to stand for anything, but is instead short for 'on the move', I think. More history on the group here."

A blood donor clinic, organized of course by Canadian Blood Services, takes place in the Student Life Centre today through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. "This clinic is by appointment," a memo notes. "The sign-up sheet is located at the turnkey desk (or at the donor clinic when it is running). Call 1-888-2DONATE for more information."

The front-page story in Friday's issue of Imprint was headlined "Meal plans' misuse results in crackdown". Written by Tim Mollison, it reports that food services is getting firmer about enforcing the rule that meal plan money -- which enjoys a sales tax exemption -- can only be used to buy meals for the student who paid for it. "There were examples," the article quotes food services director Mark Murdoch as saying, "of someone coming down and buying four meals -- four complete meals, beverages, et cetera -- and selling them for cash in the dining room."

Friday's Imprint also reports that a student group growing out of the Muskoka Club has started an online "talk radio" station, Radio Waterloo 2. Organizer Alex Matan "envisions a vibrant broadcast medium that would see live broadcasts of relevant campus events, like Feds meetings that in the past have been largely overlooked or ignored by UW students, heard live."

UW's Warriors will host the OUA golf championships today and tomorrow at Waterloo's new Grey Silo golf course. "The par-71, 6,500-yard course places a premium on shot control," says a release from UW's athletics department, 'and will reward the university golfer with good course management." Waterloo, Laurier and Western have all finished first in invitational tournaments leading up to the championships, and are seen as favourites for the team title. Most participants are male, but -- for the first time -- there's a women's division in the championship, and about a dozen women are expected. Tee-offs start at 10:00 this morning, with the UW and Laurier teams scheduled to begin play at noon.

Here's a note from bookstore manager Chris Read, addressed to all faculty teaching in the winter term: "Please get your textbook adoptions in to the bookstore. This week's deadline will help avoid delays in getting your books here in time for the beginning of class."

As I mentioned a few days ago, flu shots will be available on campus again this fall -- in fact, people in the "high-risk" group can get their shots now at health services. Clinics for everybody else will start November 11 in the Student Life Centre. Health services notes that the high-risk group includes anyone who works in emergency services (such as UW police) or health care (such as optometry students), "adults and children with diabetes or other metabolic disease, cancer, kidney disease or blood disorder or anyone whose immune system is weakened", and "those who live in the same household as or are in contact with a person who is at increased risk of the flu's more serious effects".

The United Way fund-raising campaign has passed the $100,000 mark, on the way to this year's $150,000 goal. As of Friday afternoon, gifts and pledges of $100,990 were being reported, from 336 faculty and staff members and 72 retirees. The total includes $618.01 -- okay, who was the one-cent big spender? -- collected at various special events, including $82 from a "casual Friday" in applied health sciences and $139 from "dessert service" in development and alumni affairs.

Pink flyers went out last week announcing an "Ask the Expert" event in the bookstore this Wednesday. The experts this time are three people who know much about breast cancer, including Sue Richards, publisher of the much-discussed Breast of Canada calendar. (Proceeds from the sale of the calendar go to the Canadian Breast Cancer Network.) Wednesday's event is scheduled for 12 noon -- the pink flyer didn't actually mention the time -- and anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP to Susan Parsons in the bookstore, s3parson@rs1.

The Retirees Association holds a luncheon at noon today in the Laurel Room, South Campus Hall. . . . The engineering faculty council is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. in Carl Pollock Hall room 3385. . . . Patti Cook, UW's waste management coordinator, was a nominee for a "woman of the year" citation at the Oktoberfest women of the year awards. . . .

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
October 21, 1961: A team of 22 Waterloo students make a relay run from Waterloo to Hamilton, carrying a black-and-gold football, to promote a UW-McMaster football game. October 21, 1969: The board of governors approves a mortgage guarantee program to help new faculty and staff members buy houses in Kitchener-Waterloo.