![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Friday |
Monday, September 15, 2003
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
The senate is UW's top academic governing body. A majority of its members are elected professors, with others including student representatives, administrators and a few external voices. It meets monthly for most of the year, generally on the third Monday of the month.
Since early this year, agendas and minutes of senate meetings have been posted on the web by the university secretariat, which keeps senate's records.
At a typical senate meeting, the voices heard most are those of UW president David Johnston and provost Amit Chakma, who report at length to the senate on what has been happening at the university, and answer questions from senate members. Johnston's "environmental scan" and Chakma's report (including an update on fall enrolment figures) are both on the agenda for tonight.
Proposed curriculum changes come forward from the undergraduate council, one of the senate's committees, and will be presented by Gail Cuthbert Brandt, the new associate vice-president (academic). Among the items that appear on that part of the agenda:
At the end, the meeting will move into closed session to hear a report from the dean of arts nominating committee, which was set up early this year because Bob Kerton, the dean since 1999, is coming to the end of his term. He's eligible to be reappointed.
The board of governors executive committee, which has the authority to appoint deans on the recommendation of the senate, has been called to hold a special, closed meeting tomorrow at 5 p.m. An announcement about appointment of a dean can be expected Wednesday morning, if all goes smoothly.
![[Grealey]](http://www.cecs.uwaterloo.ca/employers/uwrecruiter/current/images/jessica.jpg)
While working at the Monteverde Butterfly Garden, Jessica took part in developing programs such as organizing the layout of tours through the Insect Biodiversity Centre. She completed research in entomology (the study of insects), one of her areas of interest. Jessica would locate insects, identify them, and incorporate them into the tour. While not on the job, Jessica photographed the creatures that she is most passionate about -- butterflies.
Her talent at showcasing and teaching about insects and the environment definitely paid off for The Monteverde Butterfly Garden which relies on word of mouth as its sole advertising method. Jessica's work was in one word, "excellent." Tourists arrived and asked for tours to be given by Jessica because they had run into other people in Costa Rica who had suggested going to Monteverde for her tour.
Diane Haag of Uxbridge, Ontario, was one tourist who took the time to send a letter to the University of Waterloo, writing that Jessica's "enthusiasm, humour and knowledge made this visit one of the most enjoyable tours of the trip. Her genuine treatment of creepy crawly items made my appreciation for them much greater." The owner and director of the Monteverde Butterfly Garden, James Wolfe, commented on her performance evaluation that "Jessica's love for butterflies made her pre-adapted to working with us. She really did an outstanding job."
Jessica is only one of the thousands of motivated co-op students that the University of Waterloo has for hire. Jessica says that her success story shows "just how dedicated University of Waterloo co-op students can be."
Also available are marks from the recent English Language Proficiency Exam. Ann Barrett, manager of the proficiency program, says grades are posted in departmental undergraduate offices, and outside PAS (Psychology) room 2082. "Congratulations to students who passed," she adds, "and those who did not should seek advice from their academic advisors, the UW undergraduate calendar, or us."
Co-op students should note that work reports from spring term jobs are due today at 4 p.m. "Some faculties differ," the co-op department adds. "Check with your undergrad office." Many of the same students, and others who are planning to go on co-op jobs in the winter term, should plan to pick up the "master copy co-op record" tomorrow, as the first step in the paperwork and interview process.
The Imaginus poster sale runs all this week in the Student Life Centre. . . . The engineering faculty council will meet at 3:00 today in Carl Pollock Hall room 3385. . . .
The Chinese Drama Club has a show, "Drown in Ullundo", tonight in the Humanities Theatre. I don't have ticket information, but I do have a summary of the plot, which sounds pretty exciting:
A few hundred years ago, a warrior ship full of priceless artifacts crashed near a deserted island and fell to the bottom of the sea. No one had previously dared to recover the valuables because it was believed that the captain's spirit was still lingering the ship. Anyone that had tried to retrieve the artifacts never came back out alive.We can find out more at the Chinese Drama Club's performance tonight. Curtain time is 8:00.Despite this old tale, an appraiser, an archaeologist, an auctioneer and a map collector gather their knowledge to retrieve the artifacts from the ship. After successfully recovering the artifacts, they decide that at the appraiser's 60th birthday banquet, the four members will determine how to split the money. The banquet is to be held at the appraiser's resort on the deserted island.
At the night of the banquet, there is a huge thunderstorm and no one is able to leave the island. The next morning, the appraiser is found dead outside his house. . . .
Registration for campus recreation instructional programs starts tomorrow. Details are on the campus rec web site. Briefly, the idea is to pick up a ticket tomorrow after 8:15, at the "Red North" entrance to the Physical Activities Complex, then return at the time it specifies, to sign up for specific classes and courses. Registration for staff and faculty fitness courses is at noon hour tomorrow, also at the PAC.
An information meeting for a proposed Weight Watchers group on campus will be held Tuesday at 12 noon in St. Jerome's University room 2009. . . . The Graduate Student Association will hold a general meeting Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in Davis Centre room 1302. . . . An information session about graduate studies in mathematics, aimed at third-year and fourth-year math students, is scheduled for 4:30 on Wednesday in Davis Centre room 1350. . . .
Several events in the next few days will offer information about graduate scholarships from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and other granting agencies. For starters, NSERC representatives will be available tomorrow (in Needles Hall room 3001) to talk about postgraduate scholarship (9:00 to 10:30) and postdoctoral fellowships (10:30 to 11:30). Then through the week, there will be general information sessions on applying for funding that includes the Ontario Graduate Scholarships and the new Trudeau Scholars program. Here's the schedule:
A "coffee break" as a fundraiser for Alzheimer research will be held Thursday morning (8:15 to 12:30) "by the fireplace" in the Lyle Hallman Institute, Matthews Hall. . . . An opening celebration for the new quarters of the Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology, on the first floor of Needles Hall, is scheduled for Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. . . . "The Next Pope and the Future of the Church" is the topic of a lecture Friday night in the St. Jerome's Centre series (Siegfried Hall, 7:30 p.m.). . . .
UW's distance education students have been invited to the annual open house this Saturday, mostly in the Davis Centre. Used book sales, online course demonstrations, "crystal magic" from the earth sciences department, and a chance to meet instructors and take advantage of campus services are all on the schedule.
Autumn is fair season, and guess what's planned? A career fair at Waterloo's RIM Park on September 24 (Wednesday of next week); a volunteer fair in the Student Life Centre on Thursday, September 25; an international opportunities fair, also in the SLC, on October 1. Watch for more information about all these events.
A series of lectures on "Contemporary Issues in Native Communities in Canada" is about to begin, as St. Paul's United College raises the profile of its Native studies program. The lectures will be given Thursday evenings at 8:00 in MacKirdy Hall at St. Paul's, and everyone is welcome. First speaker, on September 25, is Dan Longboat. Topic: "Language, Tradition and Contemporary Aboriginal Life".
Author Douglas Coupland (creator of Generation X and, most recently, Hey Nostradamus!) will speak in the Humanities Theatre at 7 p.m. on September 25 (tickets $5 at the bookstore). . . . UW's involvement in the SCUBA-2 project, a massive astronomical telescope being erected in Hawaii, will be celebrated September 26 at 3 p.m. with an event in the new CEIT building. . . . St. Jerome's University will hold its annual St. Jerome's Feast for Catholic Education celebrations on September 26, and I'm hoping to have more information on that one soon. . . . The annual Downey Tennisfest is scheduled for September 28. . . .
CAR