![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
Virus slows e-mail repairs![[E-mail graphic]](/images/2003/0923email.gif)
Things were "pretty stressful" in the information systems and technology
department yesterday, I'm told, as IST staff tried to deal with multiple
problems hitting the campus e-mail system at the same time.
And by the end of the day, IST was announcing that "Most of the earlier email problems appear to be resolved and you should be receiving your email as usual." Software problems had hit some e-mail servers, said Pat Lafranier of the IST client services division, and "The Swen virus is just compounding the problem!" That's the virus that masquerades as an e-mail from Microsoft with a "patch" that users should apply to their system. In fact, the attachment is a virus that then spreads through outgoing e-mail and other communication programs. IST urges people not to even open e-mail that pretends to be a "system patch" or "Latest Net Security Update". "As always," a memo adds, "keep your virus protection up to date!" For most users, that means the Norton Antivirus software. |
And in Waterloo, at least, students who say this community is their "permanent residence" and present proper identification are having no difficulty getting onto the list to vote October 2.
I met yesterday with Bill Blake, a representative of the returning office for Kitchener-Waterloo riding, who said there's certainly some vagueness in the rules set by the Ontario Election Act about who should vote where. He said returning officers from districts with a large number of students held a teleconference a few days ago to discuss the subject.
Liam McHugh-Russell, vice-president (education) of UW's Federation of Students, confirms that local election officials are taking students' word for where their home is. In some parts of Ontario, he said, officials have been more inclined to insist that students cast their vote in the community where their parents live. But in K-W riding, which includes the city of Waterloo, the returning office is "taking the word of students who say they are Waterloo residents," McHugh-Russell said. The Canadian Federation of Students says it will hold a news conference today about how the rules are being interpreted in some parts of the province.
An eligible voter who didn't get onto the voters list in advance can still vote by showing up at the polls on October 2 with identification. (To be an eligible voter, someone must be over 18, a Canadian citizen, and "a resident of an electoral district in Ontario".)
However, said McHugh-Russell, "we are discouraging this, since it could lead to long lines." His advice is for someone who needs to get onto the voters list to take action before election day, getting in touch with the returning office at 883-1700 (Kitchener-Waterloo), 896-0300 (Kitchener Centre), or 669-5900 (Waterloo-Wellington).
Blake, from the returning office, said that while a driver's licence is the perfect identification -- with picture, signature and address -- other documents that have all those elements are acceptable. That could even include bills or letters addressed to a residence room or apartment in Waterloo.
Leanne O'Donnell in UW's residence life office said enumerators visited campus earlier this month to get the names of eligible voters among students living in UW residences. She added that there will be two polling places on campus on election day: one in the Village I great hall, the other in the community centre at Beck Hall of UW Place.
He added that "to improve the strength of the students' voice, students have to vote, but they also have to let those in power know that they're voting. The Feds are circulating a pledge that doubles as a sign up sheet for those who want to be reminded to vote, and get info about the parties, how to get registered, and how to vote."
The Federation is co-sponsoring a rally "in defence of public education" along with teachers, students, staff, and faculty at both universities and at high schools, "to send a message to politicians and the public that universities are underfunded, student pocketbooks overtaxed, financial aid in serious need of repair, and that we won't take it lying down." McHugh-Russell said UW participants will meet at 4:30 on Thursday at the Student Life Centre and head to Wilfrid Laurier University for the 5:30 rally.
Finally, on October 1 the Federation will have a bus "shuttling students to the local returning office to get them registered. Bus service will continue on the 2nd, carrying students to their local polling location."
An open meeting with the candidates in Kitchener-Waterloo riding is scheduled for Monday, September 29, at 4:30 p.m. in the Student Life Centre. Organized by the faculty association and co-sponsored by student and staff groups, it will deal specifically with post-secondary education issues in the election.
CKMS 100.3 FM -- also known as Radio Waterloo -- is owned by UW's students, who are invited to take part in the annual general meeting, starting at 7 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Student Life Centre.
As for the music showcase afterwards, "Anyone interested in public access radio can stop by and check it out," says station manager Heather Majaury. "Radio Waterloo looks forward to seeing as many people as they can that night because they take their role in the community very seriously. It's their connection to the pulse of real people and real music in K-W that has kept them on the air for more than 25 years!"
The showcase will begin at 9:00, and is an all-ages event. "To come in and see the bands, while supporting your local community station, CKMS is asking for a small donation of $2 at the door. Members of the station who are attending the general meeting get in free."
Majaury says about her station: "As well as providing K-W with the best in alternative programming and independent music over the airwaves, they also take great joy in their role supporting emerging and local talent. Whenever they can they try to showcase some of the amazing artists that this area produces every year."
For example, "Fervid Whisper is the first band on the lineup. They are a progressive rock band with all original material. They were part of a CKMS initiative earlier in the year to give local and worthy talent the opportunity to record in our Palindrome Studios as a way to enhance their development as musicians. This has resulted in the creation of a new compilation CD which will be released soon by CKMS called Studio Virgins. Fervid Whisper was one of 4 'virgin' acts given this opportunity to record, and the level of talent was very high. This CD will be released most likely later in the fall.
"After Fervid Whisper our headliner is Dramaturg. They are a local punk band who are quickly assembling a large following. The band includes some Waterloo students and are featured quite often on 'Straight Out of the Pit', CKMS's punk show on Thursday mornings at 10 a.m."
![[Colours in the air]](/images/2003/0923cbet.gif)
Streamers
celebrated the official opening of the
Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship
and Technology last week at its new quarters in Needles Hall. Surrounded
by celebrating students and VIPs (isn't that provost Amit Chakma at rear?)
are Linda Kieswetter, director of Campaign Waterloo, and Ross Dixon, a
long-time donor to UW who provided one of the first scholarships for the
new master's program in BET.
Photo by Chris Hughes of Graphics photo/imaging.
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Exceptional Children and Evil are courses adapted from the credit versions developed by UW faculty members and offered by UW distance education. Each is contained on a CD and comes with software so it is easy to access on a computer, said Maureen Jones, manager of continuing education.
Robert Seim, psychology professor, is the author of Exceptional Children, a course intended to provide a general introduction for those working with such children. As well as being of interest to parents, it has been designed for teachers, counsellors, psychologists, in-service educators, paraprofessionals and rehabilitation personnel. Topics include issues and trends in Canadian special education, speech and language differences, learning and intellectual disabilities, gifted children, behavioural and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders, hearing and visual impairments, and pervasive developmental disorders.
Evil, by David Seljak of religious studies (St. Jerome's), looks at how world religions define evil and how they suggest it can be overcome. While the world has seen many great advances, it has also seen unprecedented acts of evil. This includes colonialism and imperialism, the Holocaust, world wars, the nuclear arms race, mass starvation and the environmental crisis that threatens life on this planet. Colonialism, racism, imperialism, war, genocide, economic exploitation, sexism and environmental crisis are among the topics covered.
The cost for each course is $195, plus GST. Contact UW Continuing Education at 888-4002, or e-mail conted@uwaterloo.ca.
The fall lineup of on-campus continuing education programs covers professional development, communication, computing skills, personal development and online courses. In association with Franklin Covey Canada, Ltd., there are new courses including Presentation Advantage, Writing Advantage and the Roles of a Leader.
Other events scheduledA career services seminar under the title "Own Your Own Business" is scheduled for 4:30 today in the Tatham Centre.Tomorrow (Wednesday) the student awards office in Needles Hall will be closed all day, "to meet critical deadlines". Tomorrow also brings the 2003 Career Fair at Waterloo's RIM Park, sponsored by UW and other post-secondary institutions. A shuttle bus will run from campus for the event, which goes from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. David Tee of the University of California at Berkeley will speak tomorrow (10:30, Davis Centre room 1302) on "Diversity and Freedom: A Fundamental Tradeoff in Wireless Systems". The talk is sponsored by the Institute for Computer Research and other agencies. The music department's fall series of noon-hour concerts starts tomorrow, with Indian classical music by Lakshmi Ranganathan (12:30, in the chapel of Conrad Grebel University College). The UW retirees' association will hold its annual wine-and-cheese party tomorrow at 3:00 at the University Club. And . . . in yesterday's announcement about a retirement party for Anne Kinney, of the UW finance office, I managed to say it was happening both Thursday and Friday. It's Thursday, at 3 p.m. at the University Club. |
The speaker tomorrow, at 3 p.m. in Davis Centre room 1302, will be Alex Jadad, director of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, and Canada Research Chair in eHealth Innovation, University Health Network and the University of Toronto.
UW's infraNET Project and the recently established Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Research are presenting the seminars in the innovative series, featuring speakers who are leading experts in health informatics and its use in healthcare and the health system.
"Our children, as the first generation growing up with the Internet, have come to expect a health system that is very different from the inefficient franchise of repair shops we have now," Jadad says. "They expect a system that they can understand and trust, that is transparent and accountable, that encourages partnerships, and that promotes health, not only the management of disease. They want a system that acts as a good companion for them, through life, regardless of who or where they are. If we are to satisfy these expectations, we will need to take far greater advantage of information and communication technologies for health management and care than we have so far.
"We must deal with the issues of health information quality and usability, addressing the completeness, validity, reliability, and timeliness of information, its familiarity to different cultures and ages, its readability relative to a spectrum of literacy, and the effects it has on the consumer."
Jadad's presentation "recognizes that there is far more to Health Informatics than just the technology," says Dominic Covvey, founding director of UW's health informatics institute. "He brings in the human dimension and does so quantitatively, taking us past our fascination with the chips and wires."
Agfa Healthcare Informatics is sponsoring the seminar. Anyone wanting to attend should register on-line or call 888-4004. There is no charge.
CAR