November 24, 2004

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Three new top grades for staff
Keystone calendar coming Friday
Clothes and teeth . . . and white stuff

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

What do engineering students turn into after they graduate? Engineering alumni, of course. Members of the class of 2004 had their first reunion during Homecoming weekend earlier this month, catching up over a celebratory cake and a glass of something appropriate. Their next scheduled get-together: in 2009. (Photo courtesy faculty of engineering.)

Three new top grades for staff

Three new grades will make higher salaries possible for some of UW's top-ranking staff, and in turn provide some room for people at lower levels to be promoted, officials told the board of governors at its fall meeting.

The board gave approval to creating USG grades 19, 20 and 21. Under the existing system, non-union staff positions have been classified anywhere from USG 1 (with a "job value" annual salary of $28,247) to USG 18 ("job value" of $114,002 annually).

The new grades will carry annual "job value" salaries of $124,000 (USG 19) to $147,842 (USG 21). An individual in the job, depending on experience and performance, can earn as much as 20 per cent more or 20 per cent less than the job value.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

On this week's list from the human resources department:

Business development officer, nanotechnology, office of the dean of engineering, USG 10

Laboratory manager/instructor, nanotechnology, electrical and computer engineering, USG 10

Customer service representative, co-operative education and career services, USG 4

Non-OSS admissions/recruitment specialist, office of the registrar, USG 7/8

Communications operator, police and parking service,s USG 4

Administrative/program assistant, dean of mathematics, USG 5

Longer descriptions are available on the HR web site.

A report to the board said the idea of adding USG grades was presented to the staff compensation committee last fall. "The basis of the request was that the salary program is not being applied fairly to staff at senior levels where upward movement was constrained by the cap of USG 18. Also, the situation is creating compression at lower levels (i.e., USG 13 through 18) given the need to maintain the relationship between job grades. Increasing the number of grades will ensure appropriate compensation at senior levels, and provide potential for all positions to grow."

The result, said associate provost Catharine Scott, is that it's sometimes hard for UW to compete for top quality staff at higher levels, especially in hot areas such as information technology and development.

An example was cited: the director of co-op education and career services is currently at the highest staff level, USG 18. If that job is reclassified, it would then be possible to consider reclassifying other senior staff in the area if their duties seem to justify it. Classification of staff jobs is based on the "Hay system", which gives points for levels of responsibility.

Scott said later that there are three staff currently classified as USG 18. (In addition, several staff members at UW's top executive level are outside the USG system, with their salaries set directly by a board of governors committee.)

The board was told that the staff association representatives on the compensation committee "had reservations" about creating new grades at the upper end of the system. "In an attempt to mitigate their concerns, they proposed that positions at the new grade levels be definite-term appointments with rigorous end-of-term reviews."

Said provost Amit Chakma: "I was invited to hear the concerns and render a decision. I met with the Committee in late spring, deliberated over the summer, and shared my decision and rationale with the Committee at its September meeting."

The outcome: term appointments won't be used routinely, Scott said, but "where appropriate, we will consider term positions."

Keystone calendar coming Friday

The traditional tent-style desktop calendar, advertising the Keystone Campaign, will get to staff and faculty members across campus on Friday, Keystone organizers say. And they've provided a preview of what the calendar will look like: black with red-and-yellow starbursts that make 2005 look like a pretty exciting year.

The calendar marks UW holidays, paydays (both monthly and biweekly) and a few other occasions, and it announces the scheduled date for next summer's picnic-style Keystone celebration: Thursday, June 9.

It comes with the usual end-of-year reminder that donations to the Keystone Campaign are welcome, and that time is getting short for donations to bring a 2004 tax receipt. Keystone is the on-campus segment of Campaign Waterloo, aimed at collecting $4.5 million for UW from staff, faculty and retirees. In fact it looks as though it'll easily go over the target, with 92 per cent of the goal raised by early fall, according to the Keystone newsletter ("It's Your Waterloo") distributed a few weeks ago. The deadline for the campaign would be July 1, 2007, also the official end date of the overall $260 million Campaign Waterloo.

Neil Hultin, president of the UW retirees' association, poses with two scholarship recipients: Natasha Lakhani (arts and business) and Gurdaman Sarkaria (health studies).

The year-end Keystone appeal has two objectives, says Bonnie Oberle in the office of development: "to increase donor participation with a message that all gifts are making a difference, and to share that support of undergraduate and graduate scholarships is urgently needed." In fact an insert with the calendar shows a couple of grateful students talking about the scholarships they've received thanks to faculty and staff givings.

She also noted that Keystone will be featured in the coming issue of the UW retirees' association newsletter, with an emphasis on the Retirees' Scholarship Fund, which has raised more than $76,000. Like a number of other scholarship programs, this fund attracts matching funds from the UW budget and form the Ontario government.

Monthly draws continue to reward some Keystone donors with gift certificates, coffee-makers and other treasures donated by sponsors. Winners for November included associate provost Bruce Mitchell; Nenone Donaldson of the faculty of engineering; Grahame Farquhar, retired faculty member; Serge D'Alessio, faculty of mathematics; Lowell Ewert, Conrad Grebel University College; and one anonymous staff donor.

Looking ahead to the winter, Oberle has some sweet news: "treat-a-grams" in the form of chocolate chip cookies will be on sale in January, for delivery just before Valentine's Day. Proceeds go to support the Keystone Campaign, and details will be along soon.

WHEN AND WHERE

Scholastic Book Fair winds up today, Early Childhood Education Centre, PAS building.

'A Fine Cause' annual miniature exhibition and fund-raiser for fine arts department, preview continues 9:00 to 3:30, East Campus Hall. Sale starts Friday 4 p.m.

'Using Breeze or Tablet PCs to Enhance Online Learning', presentation by LT3 and management sciences department, 11:00, Flex lab, Dana Porter Library.

'Enterprising Software Development': Philip Deck, MKS Inc., "The New Frontier for MKS", sponsored by Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology. 12 noon, Rod Coutts Hall room 105. Reservations ext. 7167.

Teaching and learning innovation forum: "Supporting the Transition from High School to the University." 12:30, Graduate House, information online.

Café-rencontre, département d'études françaises: Frieda Ekotto, University of Michigan, "Politique de la commémoration: Motifs et traces du passé dans la nouvelle écriture subsaharienne", 14h30, Tatham Centre salle 2218.

Smarter Health seminar: Tom Chau, University of Toronto, "Paediatric Rehabilitation Engineering: Enabling Participation Through Technology", 3:00, Davis Centre room 1302.

Exchange and study abroad programs for arts students, information meeting 4:30, Humanities room 373, more information ext. 3118.

Warrior basketball vs. McMaster, women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m., PAC main gym.

Jewish studies lecture: James Kugel, Harvard University, "What the Dead Sea Scrolls Tell Us About Ourselves", sponsored by UW Jewish studies program, 7:30, Beth Tzedec Congregation, Toronto.

Scholarships and student aid committee Thursday 9:30, Needles Hall room 3004.

Montréal Massacre memorial service remembering 14 women murdered in 1989, Thursday 11:30, Paul Martin Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University.

'Creating CVs and Cover Letters', teaching resources seminar aimed at graduate students, Thursday 12 noon, details online.

Certificate in University Teaching research paper presentations by four graduate students, Thursday 2 p.m., Math and Computer room 5158.

Women in Engineering technical talk Thursday 4:30, Rod Coutts Hall room 307.

English Society student-faculty mixer, Thursday 5 to 8 p.m., Humanities room 334.

Rae Review of Ontario post-secondary education, "town hall meeting", Thursday 7 p.m., Recreation Centre, Conestoga College, Doon Valley Drive.

St. Jerome's University annual Graduates' Association Lecture by Michael Higgins, president of St. Jerome's, Friday 7:30, Siegfried Hall.

Engineering Society drama: "Cut!" and "All in the Timing", Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 2:00 and 8:00, Arts Lecture Hall room 113, tickets $5.

Clothes and teeth . . . and white stuff

A couple of days ago I referred to a promotion that's going on in the UW Shop in South Campus Hall, involving "Dubwear", which I thought meant anything carrying the W-for-Waterloo logo (like Dubya for the middle initial of the president of the United States, get it?). Wrong. "Dubwear clothing," writes Mari-Beth Davis from retail services, "is actually a brand of clothing, but not the only item in the store with a UW logo." So you have to buy something of that particular brand in order to be eligible for the promotional draw, in which somebody will win an MP3 player.

Charles Pyne, first-year arts student and ace of the badminton Warriors, is "Pioneer Petroleums Athlete of the Week" this week for Ontario University Athletics. He helped Waterloo defeat McMaster 10-3 and Western 7-6 over the weekend to take the OUA championship.

Graduate students will be voting next week on a proposed dental insurance plan. "There is information on the web," writes Jason Grove, a chemical engineering grad student and vice-president of the Graduate Student Association. "There will be an information session in the Grad House at 5 p.m. on Monday," he adds, and polls will be open Tuesday morning through Thursday evening next week.

Coming on Friday is one of those odd fund-raising events, this one in support of a project by St. Jerome's University students to help build a school in rural Kenya. Several of them will be heading for Kenya next summer to help. Meanwhile: "Prominent members of the university community and the community at large will be served papers and required to raise bail from family, friends and colleagues. To heighten the drama, several participants will be 'arrested' with the assistance of UW Police and brought back to St. Jerome's to be incarcerated while awaiting a mock trial. Among those coming under the gavel are Dave Jaworsky, of RIM's Government and University Relations Team, and popular professors Conrad Hewitt, Mike Mosca and Grant Russell. The public is encouraged to attend the proceedings and help bail out the accused." No word yet on time and place, but there's more online about the project itself.

The board of governors gave approval the other day to two multi-million-dollar construction contracts, as renovations continue at the UW Place residence complex. These contracts are for a little less than $4.2 million and a little more than $4.3 million, to convert Waterloo Court and Woolwich Court, respectively, from an apartment configuration to single-student rooms in a suite arrangement. "The conversion," the board was reminded, "includes 3-bedroom suites with one washroom and a kitchen-living area for 479 students plus twelve don suites, lounge space, laundry facilities and administrative offices." Wilmot Court, as well as the two UW Place high-rises, have already been converted.

There's a little snow in the forecast, and doubtless more to come over the new few months -- and snow leads to snow shoveling. "We need help at 7:30 in the morning any time when there is an inch or so of snow on the ground," says Les Van Dongen of the UW grounds crew. "We will supply shovels but need people to be dressed to work outside for a couple of hours. Pay is $9 an hour. We are quite willing to work around student schedules providing that they can be here for an hour at 7:30. Any questions can be directed to me at lpvandon@uwaterloo.ca."

TechWorx in South Campus Hall is advertising "red hot gifts" -- including a $1.89 "ergonomic pen" -- in the run up to Christmas. . . . The Davis Centre library will be open 24 hours a day (except for a few hours early each Sunday) from November 28 through the end of December exams. . . . The "Leave the Pack Behind" promotion, challenging students to quit smoking, will run again this winter, with registration starting January 10. . . .

CAR

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