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| Yesterday |
Friday, February 14, 2003
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
A new issue of the human resources newsletter explains that "life events" include "marriage, birth or adoption of a child, loss of spousal group insurance, name change, divorce, separation, or death of a spouse or dependent".
What they all have in common is that they affect UW benefits such as life insurance and the health plan. If you go through one of these experiences, the newsletter says, you should get in touch with your "payroll benefits assistant" in HR within thirty days, "so that benefits may be properly administered with our insurance companies".
The note on "life events" is just one item in the winter issue of the HR newsletter, which is now available on the web (it's not distributed in paper form).
This issue has a lot to say about Registered Retirement Savings Plans, since the deadline for contributions to an RRSP that count towards 2002 tax deductions is almost here (Monday, March 3). Says the newsletter: "The limits and rules for calculating allowable tax-assisted retirement savings were last changed for the 1991 taxation year and still prevail. The federal government provides a written record of your overall RRSP room in May or June of each year, along with your tax assessment.
"Generally speaking, for our type of pension plan the government's determination of any one year's new RRSP room is 18% of the previous year's earned income (up to a maximum of $13,500) minus the previous year's pension adjustment (value of pension benefit accrued). . . .
"Employees earning between $38,300 and $75,000 in 2001 and participating in the UW pension plan for the full year of 2001 are entitled to 2002 RRSP room of approximately $2668. Earnings outside of these ranges are entitled to less RRSP room." Much more information is provided in the newsletter.
Other topics in this issue include the staff training and development library of books, tapes and videos; the deadline for this year's staff performance appraisals (March 14); and maximum benefits for 2003 under the health and dental plans.
And this vital note is on the front page: "T4 slips for 2002 will be mailed out to employees' home addresses the week of February 24." (If your address on file is wrong, you can update it using myHRinfo.)
![[Women paddling, except flute player]](/images/2003/0214canoe.gif)
Atikokan's annual "voyageur parade" on Canada Day |
"The close knit community of Atikokan has shown incredible resilience following closure of its iron mines," said planning professor Roger Suffling, who is leading the group. "Nearby Quetico Provincial Park is a pristine wilderness with some of the best flat water canoeing in the world. Thus Atikokan has developed strengths in outfitting, as well as canoe and paddle building."
The strength of the community, he says, gives it significant potential to develop an eco-tourism based economy catering to both domestic and international markets.
The graduate students working for Atikokan have diverse educational and professional backgrounds, including public relations, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), parks and recreational management, economics, systems design and environmental science.
Representatives of the group will be visiting Atikokan next weekend to meet with community leaders, as well as to survey local resources and opinions. "I think we've come up with some really good ideas as a group," said Christy Fiddler, one of the graduate students. "It's a matter of finding out what the town people want and helping them to continue to discover new approaches."
It's also a decisive day for the candidates for Federation of Students executive positions. Barring difficulties, Feds officials are hoping to announce the results of the recent election at 4:30 this afternoon.
Something special: I'm told that a sock puppet showing of "Romeo and Juliet" is scheduled for 12:45 on the third floor of the Math and Computer building, "to celebrate Valentine's Day and some silly romance".
The drama department's double bill of plays, "House" and "This Is a Play", will have its final performances tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 in Studio 180 in the Humanities building. . . . A group of students and other people are organizing another "Walk for Peace" (against, that is to say, the proposed war between the United States and Iraq) tomorrow morning, starting at 10:30 at the Seagram Drive entrance to Waterloo Park. . . . Heat will be shut off in the environmental studies buildings tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. . . .
Sports this weekend: The basketball teams will host Windsor tomorrow afternoon in the PAC (men's game at 2 p.m., women at 4 p.m.) and it's "Warrior Autograph Day". Also at 2:00 tomorrow, the women's hockey team will host Laurier at the Columbia Icefield. Sunday afternoon, the men's hockey team hosts Western (Icefield, 2 p.m.). Away from campus, the badminton team is at Queen's for the Ontario championships; the curling team is taking part in the provincial championships, hosted by Laurier at Kitchener's Granite Club; the track and field athletes are at the University of Michigan for an invitational.
And now we move into reading week. The faculties of arts, science, environmental studies and applied health sciences will cancel classes all next week; mathematics and engineering mark a shorter "reading period", just Thursday and Friday. And while the university is far from closed during this "break", there's no doubt that things slow down. Many professors will be taking a bit of vacation time, for example, and some events are cancelled. (St. Jerome's University notes that there will be no evening Mass this Sunday, and no noon Masses all next week.)
Inside The Third Degree, though, is some interesting stuff, including a column by D. M. DeAlwis asking whether it's possible that the Graduate House is haunted. The Grad House, formerly the Schweitzer family farmhouse, is the oldest building on the main campus, and has the kind of creaks and quirks one might associate with spooks. "Staff and visitors have reported hearing the distinct sound of heavy footfalls echoing in the stairwell," DeAlwis writes, before explaining that the noises were eventually traced to their source: "The old sound system, a speaker hanging from a chain on the corner of the eaves, was being tossed by the wind."
A revised version of UW's Policy 45, dealing with the appointment of deans, has now been published following approval by the senate and board of governors. What's new in this revision? A note explains: "To ensure that both genders are represented on decanal nominating committees, the Faculty Relations Committee proposed that the second bullet in paragraph IV.A. be amended to include two additional sentences and a footnote. This revised policy was approved by the Board of Governors on February 4, 2003. Further details are available from the Secretariat."
The news site 'uwstudent.org' recently asked UW provost Amit Chakma for some comments on tuition fees and the UW budget, and his answers, with many comments added by readers of the site, make interesting reading. The best nugget comes in response to a question: "If the current funding situation stays the same for the next ten years, what will UW's situation be?" Chakma's answer: "I do not even wish to think about it. The University will not remain the same."
Speaking of nuggets, here's one from the minutes of the last meeting of UW's joint health and safety committee: "Committee members concerned with the number of taxi cabs on campus that violate Traffic Regulations. Committee members felt that not only taxi cabs are not abiding by the regulations. UW Service Vehicles, staff, faculty, students and visitors are also a problem. Shortt commented that a generic memo could be sent to Taxi Cab Companies as well to departments voicing concerns about violations. When reporting a Taxi Cab ensure you mark down the car number, taxi cab company, time and whether it was a female or male driver. UW Police can then contact the Taxi Cab Company and inform them of the specific concern. It was decided that the Co-chairs would send a memo to UW Police about this concern."
UW will be trolling for students in Mexico over the next few days, says Virginia McLellan of the undergraduate recruitment office: "Lee Dickey from the faculty of mathematics, and myself will be travelling to Monterrey and Mexico City to represent Waterloo at two Canadian Education Centre fairs. This will be the fifth year that Waterloo will be represented. Since UW began participating we have seen consistent growth in our graduate and undergraduate student numbers from Mexico. Lee and I will also visit the American Foundation School in Mexico City to talk to any interested prospective students."
Today's the deadline for applications to take part in the Enterprise Boot Camp that will be held at the end of April for students interested in starting their own businesses. The four-day event is sponsored by UW's Innovate Inc. and the "enterprise co-op" program.
The Iron Ring Stag, social highlight of a lifetime for UW engineers, is almost upon us: it's scheduled for Tuesday, following the solemn Iron Ring ceremonies. The question is, where is it going to be heard? The plan was to use Federation Hall; but Fed Hall, as the world knows, is closed these days in a conflict over who's administering liquor service. A report in 'uwstudent.org' says an offer from UW administrators to allow liquor service for that one event has been turned down by the other party to the dispute, the Federation of Students. The outcome, besides much name-calling: the IRS has been moved to the Wax Night Club in downtown Kitchener.
And a note from the registrar's office: Quest, the online student information system, will be shut down for upgrades February 21-24, which is not this weekend but next. "Please note: February 21 is the last day for 50% tuition refund. If you need to drop a class within the 50% tuition refund period, we encourage you to do so online using Quest by February 20. If you need to drop a class on February 21, you have one of two options, you can visit the Quest Support Desk in Needles Hall on February 21 or you can forward an email to quest@uwaterloo.ca on February 21. Winq and Appstat will be available during this shutdown period but they will not be updated."
CAR