![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[One polo shirt, one afro]](/images/2003/1118taleng.gif)
Engineers
Without Inhibitions, so to speak. Joint MCs for last term's
TalEng show were
Dave Johnson and Ryan Grant. This term's show should be equally
colourful, although Johnson and Grant aren't making a return appearance --
the evening features bands such as Velocet and Skylinedrive, solo
artists such as Luke Andrews, stand-up comedians such as James Rowe,
and other acts including hip-hop dance. TalEng runs from 8:00 to
the witching hour tonight at Loose Change Louie's in University Plaza;
admission is free and it's an all-ages event. TalEng is
sponsored by the Engineering Society.
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"Are we prepared to raise the admission standards?" provost Amit Chakma asked at Monday's senate meeting, introducing more than an hour of debate about what that would mean, how it could be done and what the results might be. Chakma said one possibility was to declare that nobody with a high school average lower than, say, 75 would be admitted next year, and make plans to raise that cutoff to 80 in the future.
Among the implications, said Chakma, would be the likely need to "redesign" the curriculum in parts of the university that aren't attracting enough high-ranking students; consider reducing enrolment in those areas if things didn't change; and create an early admissions system, and improve scholarships, to attract more students with high marks.
He presented the issue to senate as part of a briefing about the recent Maclean's ratings of universities, with special attention to some areas in which UW ranks fairly low, or lower than it used to. In the average entering grade of first-year students, the provost said, UW was 11th in Canada this year, down from sixth last year. He stressed that marks at UW aren't going down -- in fact, they're going up, but "we're losing in terms of ranking because others are doing better!"
About 850 of the 5,400 students who came to UW this fall brought high school averages below 80, he said. Last year, according to Maclean's, 7.2 per cent of UW's new students had marks below 75, compared to 0.2 per cent at Guelph and 1.2 per cent at Toronto.
The average entering mark of first-year students in 2002 was 85.5, but there were broad variations among faculties, from 94.1 in software engineering to 79.9 in arts.
There was some discussion of what keeps top-ranking students from coming to Waterloo -- in some cases, even when they apply and are admitted, they end up choosing another university. Scholarships are a factor but not the only factor, the senate was told. Some such students will go to the university that accepts them first; others care about how much communication they get from the universities they're considering. And then there are issues of reputation and actual quality in the particular program that interests the student.
Some speakers in the senate meeting sounded interested in taking steps to raise the admission minimum, even if it means cutting enrolment. Others were dubious; one pointed out that there are students whose high school records are mediocre but who "flower" when they get to university.
And Cathy Schryer, English professor and president of the faculty association, warned that "raising the bar . . . strikes me as being not politically wise at this point", in view of the new Liberal government's emphasis on "accessibility" to higher education.
The senate didn't come to a conclusion, but agreed that its executive committee would work on a specific motion that could be discussed and voted on next month.
"The idea," says Junaid Quadri of the MSA, "is that students, staff and faculty at UW will fast during the daylight hours on Thursday, and join us for an end-of-day meal at Ground Zero. Local businesses have agreed to sponsor $2 for each person who fasts."
Says an MSA news release: "Every year, Muslims celebrate the sacred month of Ramadan by fasting every day from dawn to sunset. In addition to its spiritual benefits, fasting is intended to remind us of the needy and less fortunate, and offer an opportunity to empathize with their plight. While we are able to fast as an act of religious expression, they go hungry as a fact of life.
"In light of this reality, the UW MSA is holding a Campus-Wide fast to raise money for the House of Friendship, a local human service agency combatting the issue of hunger in the K-W community. We hope to collect upwards of $500 by asking businesses to sponsor students willing to fast for a day. At the end of the day, fasting students are invited to break their fast with a meal at Ground Zero prepared by some of Waterloo's Muslim families and to hear short presentations on the significance of Ramadan for Muslims and the issue of hunger in Kitchener-Waterloo.
"As concerned citizens, we all know the necessity of community service in contributing to solving the ills of our society. This event will give those who participate the chance to explore the practises of another culture, while raising money for, and awareness of, the issue of world hunger. Those interested in helping out by fasting on Thursday can register by dropping by our booth in the Student Life Centre," or online.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Toy fair sponsored by Hildegard Marsden Day Nursery,
8:30 to 4:45 today through Friday, Davis Centre lounge.
Lions Club Christmas Magic Show, children's performance, Humanities Theatre, 1:00, 5:30 and 8:00 today. "The Academic Job Interview", workshop for teaching assistants and others, 12 noon, Doug Wright Engineering room 1501 -- registration ext. 3132. Noon concert by Kathryn Ladfano, contemporary bass clarinet, Conrad Grebel University College chapel, 12:30, free. Reading by Gail Bowen, mystery author, St. Jerome's University cafeteria, 4 p.m. International students "job search strategies" workshop, 4:30, Tatham Centre room 1208. job search strategies Women in Math and Engineering reception, "Getting to Know You", sponsored by IBM, networking and refreshments, 7 p.m., Engineering II room 4403. |
There's an information session this afternoon to provide more information about UW's new Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology program -- a business graduate degree with a difference. The event starts at 4 p.m. in Davis Centre room 1302. I had a chance the other day to tour the quarters of the Centre for BET, which offers the interdisciplinary MBET, on the first floor of Needles Hall. It's quite the place, with high-tech furniture, a computer-equipped lab and "breakout" rooms for the kind of team discussion that business education depends on. Howard Armitage, director of CBET, told me the space is fine for this year's 23 students, the pioneers in the new graduate program, and will work next year when enrolment doubles, but he's hoping for new territory if things continue to grow, and especially when the proposed undergraduate program is added.
![[Fong]](/images/2003/1119fong.gif)
Today brings this year's Faculty of Arts Lecture, to be given by
Geoffrey Fong
(right) of
the psychology department. Topic: "Clearing the Smoke:
How Behavioural Research Is Playing a Leading Role in Preventing the
Future Global Tobacco Epidemic". He'll speak in the Theatre of the Arts, 4 p.m.
Everyone is welcome.
Heather Hergott of UW's development office and her husband, John Motz, got back recently for a year's trip round the world, and they want to show off what they saw. "Adventures in the lands of cheese, kangaroos and strange flightless birds" are promised tonight -- meaning slides of Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand. The hour-and-a-half presentation will start at 6:30 in Davis Centre room 1302. Because there will be refreshments, they'd appreciate reservations: e-mail johnemotz@aol.com.
UW has been talking merger with the Toronto-based Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences -- the story made the Record today -- and this week brings a special opportunity for visitors to see the place. Michener will hold its 30th annual open house, Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is aimed mostly at potential students: "Get a glimpse of what it's like to be a health professional," an invitation says. "Presentations, demonstrations and displays . . . will help you decide if a career in health care is right for you." The Michener Institute is at 222 St. Patrick Street in downtown Toronto.
Here's a leftover note from Homecoming weekend at the end of October. Friday of that weekend brought the "Black and Gold Lunch" for staff and faculty members, and word is that four people won retail services gift certificates for their spirited costumes and UW attire. Winners are Janet Hahn (development and alumni affairs), Avvey Peters (communications and public affairs), Catherine Fry (conflict management), and Mary Jane Crusoe (Renison College). A number of draw prizes were handed out too, says Jude Doble in the alumni office.
You might not think of grease as a safety issue, but that might be because you don't work in food services. If you did, well, you might have been at a meeting of the food services health and safety committee last month that discussed this slippery subject at some length. Fryers at some cafeterias are in line for maintenance work, the committee learned, to strengthen the defences against slips (if grease leaks) and burns. Among the good news: "Village One has no issues with disposing of grease since the electrical outlet on loading dock has been moved to allow easier access."
CAR