And a little of this and that

Now that the former Married Student Apartment complex on University Avenue is "UW Place" and mostly in use as a regular undergraduate residence, it's home to hundreds of students who don't have much in the way of cooking facilities but still want to eat now and then. The result: there's been some talk of putting a residence cafeteria into UW Place, if only space were available. "The need for a dining facility and social space is clear," agrees Mark Murdoch, director of food services. "The solution isn't." He and Bud Walker -- UW's director of business operations, responsible for both food and housing -- say the issue is definitely on their agenda.

I want to repeat a note that was in the Daily Bulletin shortly before Christmas, picked up from the UW library's electronic newsletter: "The UW @ UW pilot project, initiated last spring to explore the feasibility of expanding the book and article retrieval service, has been extended to the end of the Winter 2004 term. This expansion of service allows UW faculty, graduate students, and staff to place holds on books in the UW and UW affiliated library collections and choose any of the eight on-campus library sites for pick-up (Dana Porter, Davis Centre, UMD, Optometry, Renison, Conrad Grebel, St. Jerome's, and TRACE); to request photocopies of journal articles from these collections and have them delivered to an on-campus address. Article requests are subject to copyright regulations. This service will continue to be free of charge and continue to offer a 3-work-day turnaround."

Another note is on hand about a faculty position for which applications are invited. This one is a job at Conrad Grebel University College for an assistant professor in peace and conflict studies. Wanted: "teaching and research expertise in one or more of the following areas: theories of peace and conflict; theories and practice of conflict resolution; international studies; global development; human rights. The candidate's ability to teach in another area of the humanities or social sciences is desirable. . . . Applicants should be sympathetic to the traditions and beliefs of the Mennonite church." Grebel dean Marlene Epp can provide more information.

A local resident (and, I believe, UW graduate) named Pamela Harris writes that she's looking for anyone who may have witnessed a collision on Saturday afternoon, January 3. Harris, in her purple wheelchair, was crossing at the corner of Columbia and Weber Streets, east of campus, "when a car making a right-hand turn, also on the green light, hit me on the left side of my wheelchair. . . . The person only slowed the car down briefly, didn't stop to see if I was hurt or that my $11,000 wheelchair was damaged. Instead the driver continued down Weber Street. The car will have deep scratches on the right-hand side (the passenger side)." If anybody saw anything or knows anything, a call to Waterloo Regional Police at 650-8516 will be appreciated.

I'm a bit late in reporting that the UW senate, at its November meeting, approved a proposed new stream in the department of psychology, a Master of Applied Science program specializing in developmental communication science. "This is a one-year program," the senate was told, "designed to provide an intensive, applied research experience for students who already have a strong background in developmental psychology or related field. . . . MASc DCS students will include those seeking careers in early childhood education, teaching, speech-language pathology", perhaps even law, journalism or marketing. The year's work includes not just courses but a research paper and two internship placings, likely including one in the psych department's Early Childhood Education Centre.

Finally . . . an e-mail message yesterday told me that a UW student was triumphant in a non-university sports event over the weekend. Unfortunately the details have all vanished somewhere in cyberspace, before I could get them onto paper. I'd be grateful if whoever wrote to me yesterday would write to me again!

CAR