The thermometer
hit 25.1 Celsius yesterday, enticing these Renison College students
out onto the college lawn. (Caroline Woerns of the Renison staff took
the picture.)
It was the warmest day of the year so far, says Frank
Seglenieks, coordinator of the UW
weather station.
"After getting close a few times (19.7 on March 28) we
finally went over 20 degrees at the weather station at noon. With
the cold winter we had, I guess it is not surprising that it was the latest
20 degree day in the five year history of the weather station."
It's an important milestone for the 569 people who entered the station's
contest, guessing the date and time the 20-degree level would first be
reached. Seglenieks reports:
"In first place we had Bill Allwright who guessed the exact time, second
place goes to Lib Cooper and third was Philip Nash. They are currently in
the process of choosing their prizes." Don't expect sunbathing opportunities
today, as the mercury is heading straight downward.
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SARS update: don't go to China
Co-op students are being told that they can't take spring term jobs
in Hong Kong, China and several other parts of Asia, and travellers
returning from those areas are being asked to get in touch with UW's
health
services, in the latest developments about protection
against SARS.
SARS -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, also known as "atypical
pneumonia" -- is now endemic in parts of Asia, including Hong Kong,
where UW has a number of academic links and a small but growing
number of co-op jobs. With the spring term about to begin, health
services is issuing a bulletin today about the problem.
From health services: who's considered at risk
If you have severe tiredness or feeling unwell, muscle aches, headache
(worse than usual), fever, cough or shortness of breath, AND
- You have had unprotected contact with a person with SARS in the last 10
days or
- You have been to a health care facility that is closed due to SARS in
the last 10 days or
- Returned from Asia, especially China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore or
Taiwan in the past 10 days, or
- You are under quarantine, or you have been contacted by public health
and put in home isolation,
call either your family doctor, Public Health, Telehealth or the nearest
Emergency department to discuss your concerns. Students should
immediately phone Health Services at 888-4567 ext. 3544. You will be
connected with a nurse who will assist you.
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"It is important," it says, "that all members of our
campus community have a common understanding of SARS symptoms --
fever, chest cold and shortness of breath -- that require medical
advice and management."
Some advice from the health services bulletin:
"Students, staff, or faculty returning from an endemic area
identified
by Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
-- parts of Asia including China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan
or Singapore -- are being contacted and asked to phone Health
Services (888-4567, ext. 3544) immediately so that the university
can provide advice, assistance regarding SARS.
"Individuals who have contracted to reside in UW residence and are
returning from an endemic area will be given individual
accommodation in Columbia Lake Townhouses for 10 days from the time
they left the endemic area; during this time students are expected
to attend classes after which they can enter the contracted
residence community. While at Columbia Townhouses, Health Services
nursing staff can
offer daily telephone monitoring, advice and support for the
incubation period.
"Any students with co-op terms arranged for endemic parts of Asia
. . . are being told they should not go; rather, they should
arrange for other jobs with the help of the Co-operative Education
and Career Services Department.
"Faculty members and staff planning trips to endemic areas are
being asked to defer travel until the health warnings have been
lifted."
No co-op work terms in Hong Kong
-- from today's Gazette
The co-op department is directing students with a May-to-August work
term in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan, or Vietnam to cancel
arrangements.
"UW will not grant credit for any work terms in the above locations
during this work term," says
the
latest in a series of updated web pages on the SARS outbreak.
"If you are in the above situation, please contact your co-op advisor
. . . as soon as possible. You will
receive further instructions and be registered for the 'continuous
phase' of the co-op process since you will need another job in order to
receive work term credit.
"Whether or not you go to your work term in an affected area in Canada
is up to you. CECS cannot make this decision for you. Due to the nature
of the SARS situation, you are not obliged to take employment in an
affected workplace.
If you choose not to go, you may enter the 'continuous phase' of the
co-op process, since you will need another job in order to receive work
term credit.
"You may wish to contact your employer to request a postponement of the
start date until the risks subside. If your employer is unable to keep
your job open, you may enter the 'continuous phase' of the co-op
process.
"Be sure to contact your CECS field coordinator before making any
decisions as to what you will be doing."
Survey stresses quality -- and fees
When people in Ontario think "university" they think "teaching",
a survey conducted by the
Council
of Ontario Universities has found. Some excerpts from COU's
newsletter report about the survey, which was done in February:
"The majority of Ontarians (86%) overwhelming
believe that the province's universities should be public institutions.
Ontarians see a positive relationship between
universities and employment, generally leaning
toward the view that the focus of a university should
be on advancing knowledge rather than on training. Teaching
is the key factor that resonates most strongly in the minds of Ontarians when thinking
about 'quality' and 'university'."
"Ontarians continue to be favourably disposed
toward rating the quality of Ontario universities, and
those who have attended an Ontario university are
even more favourable in their assessment."
"Many of those Ontarians who are most concerned
about the double cohort give a higher priority to
quality than access. Quality is viewed as a very
important issue, even if it means turning some
qualified students away.
Those Ontarians who are most concerned
about the double cohort are also the most likely to
feel that resources need to be allocated to areas
beyond classroom spaces, and that adequate classroom
space is only part of the equation in meeting
the enrolment challenge."
"Many Ontarians are unaware of the extent of the
enrolment challenge. While most are aware that
enrolments have been increasing and will continue
to do so over the next 10 years, less than half are
aware that enrolments will continue to increase after
the double cohort-related surge has passed, while
many of those who feel enrolments are increasing are
not aware of the double cohort.
Although most Ontarians feel that access to
Ontario universities has become more difficult over
the past 10 years, and the vast majority have
concerns about the impact of the double cohort on
access, just one third also feel admission standards
are too high."
"A strong majority believe that attending university in
Ontario is becoming too expensive.
With a widespread view that governments
are underfunding universities and high concerns
about the expense of attending university, there is
broad-based support among Ontarians for increased
government funding -- even if it means a tax increase
or reduction of resources allocated to other areas.
Few Ontarians are aware of the actual level of
government funding for Ontario universities.
Ontarians show strong support for a high-quality,
accessible university system that is both public and
well-funded by governments.
"While most Ontarians view elementary and
secondary schools as taking the highest funding
priority for improvements in quality, a sizeable
minority say universities should take the highest
priority."
COU's conclusion: "The study's overall findings provide strong
support for COU's quality agenda. According to
most Ontarians, ensuring the availability of
sufficient classroom space is not enough to meet
the enrolment challenge. A high-quality university
system must be maintained and, in the view of the
vast majority, increased public funding will be required to do so."
The first day of the rest of our lives
Today's the deadline, as the staff association looks for its leadership
for 2003-04 and beyond. Nominations are due (at the association office in
the Davis Centre) for a vice-president, a secretary, a treasurer, two
directors, and a president-elect, who will then move up to be president
in 2004-05. Says the yellow flyer that announced the call a few weeks
ago: "UW staff, and the University as a whole, are dealing with changes
in the workplace: budgetary concerns, increases in workloads, and pockets of
low morale. If you are committed to making things better for your fellow
staff members, and maintaining and improving the working
environment of one of Canada's best universities, please consider nominating
someone for one of these positions, or seek a nomination for yourself."
This afternoon the smarter health seminar series presents a
talk by Martin Sumner-Smith
of Open Text
Corp., speaking on -- take a big
breath -- "Two Heads (and a Computer) Are Healthier Than One: Knowledge and
Collaboration Tools from Drug Discovery to Patient Treatment". Location:
Davis Centre room 1302.
The senate scholarships and student aid committee will meet at
1:30 today in Needles Hall room 3004. . . . Fund-raisers collecting for
Red Cross humanitarian work in Iraq, including people based at UW,
will be in position at Kitchener's Fairview Park Mall again today from
2 to 9 p.m. . . .
Another open meeting about the design of
UW's web home page is scheduled for
tomorrow (Thursday) at 9 a.m. in Davis Centre room 1302. . . .
The staff association social committee, which seems a lot like the
Energizer bunny, has announced several more events. On
April 29 it's "The Lady
Sings the Blues", a noon-hour event at which you can "come and relax and
listen to a Staff Association member perform some of her favourite blues
tunes. the first two members to e-mail noneil@uwaterloo.ca with the correct
name of the singer will win a prize." Then there's "Discovering Elvis" at
the Waterloo Stage Theatre on May 31 (tickets on sale until May 1).
Wine tours are planned to the Niagara area on May 31 (presumably for those
who don't like Elvis) and to the St. Thomas and Sparta area on June 7.
And there's talk of a team in the dragon boat competition scheduled for
Laurel Creek Conservation Area on July 19.
Information about all these things and more is on the
social committee web site.
CAR
Communications
and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1
(519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
bulletin.uwaterloo.ca |
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