![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Antique Santa]](/images/2004/1125santa.gif)
Holiday approaches; carols today in DavisIn just 12 working days we'll be locking up most of the campus for the Christmas and New Year's holiday. The Daily Bulletin of Friday, December 23, will have the usual roundup of information about operating hours and campus services over the holidays, with notes on parking, special events, safety precautions, and so on, and will be available from the UW home page all through the holidays. (Here's last year's version.) I'm starting now to put that reference together, and would appreciate a prompt memo from all departments that have any information I should include.
• Exams end: Thursday, December 22
Meanwhile, today brings the Triple Choir Concert and Christmas Carol Sing-along, an annual event in the Davis Centre great hall, featuring the UW Chamber Choir, Conrad Grebel Chapel Choir, and UW Choir. Everyone is welcome; the music starts at 12 noon. |
He's talking about the February "reading break", which will be five days long in all the faculties, starting in 2007, after a contentious decision late last month by the UW senate.
The longstanding difference between engineering and mathematics, with a two-day February break, and the other four faculties, with a full week off, has been a continuing problem, the registrar says. "Even in the faculties that didn't have a reading week, their teaching was compromised," he says, "because a portion of the class wasn't there." That concern led faculty members in mathematics to ask the senate to make a decision, one way or the other.
Students were consulted, Lavigne says, and the consensus in math was to move to a five-day break, just like arts, science, ES and AHS. "Engineering still expressed some reservations," he adds. Engineering student senators reported that their classmates seemed split about fifty-fifty, with some of them concerned that the five-day February break would mean not enough study days in April before the beginning of exams. With that concern, they said they didn't feel they could vote for a change.
"Their objections were heard," says Lavigne. "However, the motion passed," and the five-day break goes into effect in the 2006-07 academic year. The February break will always start on the third Monday of the month -- for consistency with the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University -- and that will be February 19, 2007.
Senate approved new "guidelines for determining academic calendar dates", which include a commitment to "no fewer than 2 study days (excluding Saturday, Sunday and holidays) between the end of classes and the beginning of examinations and the university will attempt to schedule a maximum of 5 study days when possible (which may include Saturday Sunday and holidays). In 2007, for example, there will be 5 days, including the Easter weekend, between the end of classes on April 3 and the beginning of exams on April 9.
The guidelines say there will be "no fewer than 60 teaching days in a term". The fall term begins on the Monday after Labour Day; the winter term, on January 3 if it is a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, and otherwise the Monday after January 3; the spring term, on May 1, 2 or 3 if one of them is a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, and otherwise the Monday after May 3.
The formula makes it possible to predict that in 2014 the winter term will start on Monday, January 6, and reading week will be February 17-21. That year the Easter break is in the middle of exam season. (Lavigne stresses that dates after 2007 aren't official yet; the senate gets to look at the proposed calendar year by year and give its approval.)
The jury responded to the evidence of pride in wood products, extent to which the project encourages future construction with wood, contribution wood makes to the overall character and quality of the building, as well as the reinforcement of historical and cultural influences and the enhancement of the relationship to the site.
Project architect David Warne of Levitt Goodman Architects, the designers of the building, was on hand to receive the award on behalf of his firm and the owners.
"It is a source of tremendous pride to the community of the School of Architecture, the University of Waterloo and the City of Cambridge that this building continues to receive broad recognition for the quality of its design," said Rick Haldenby, director of UW's architecture school, which moved into the renovated building in the fall of 2004. "At every turn we tried to make decisions that took greatest advantage of the wonderful resources of the existing building, of which two of the greatest were the wood and the light."
At the same ceremony Wood Works also recognized the Architect of the Year and the Engineer of the Year. UW architecture graduate Stephen Teeple, principal in Teeple Architects of Toronto, is 2005 Architect of the Year. David Bowick, adjunct design professor at the School of Architecture and principal in Blackwell Bowick Engineers of Toronto, was named 2005 Engineer of the Year.
The Wood Works Awards program is sponsored by the federal and provincial governments, Canadian Wood Council and private sector companies in forest and wood products industries.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Teaching workshop: "So You Want to Be a Faculty Member",
10 a.m., details and registration
online.
Laptops on view: Information systems and technology display of Dell laptops; feedback on laptop features invited, particularly from academic support departments. 10:30 to 12:00, Math and Computer room 2009. Technology workshop: "Engaging Students with Online Activities", 12 noon, Flex Lab, Dana Porter Library, registration online. English Language Proficiency Exam 5:00 or 7:00, Physical Activities Complex. Bring WatCard and pen or pencil; do not bring dictionary. Conrad Grebel University College Sawatsky Visiting Scholar Lecture: Ron Mathies, Mennonite Central Committee, "Responding to the Tsunami and Civil War Crises", 7 p.m., Grebel great hall. Perimeter Institute presents Miriam Shuchman, author, "The Drug Trial: You Be the Judge", 7 p.m., free tickets 883-4480. Academic support department heads breakfast with provost Amit Chakma tomorrow 8:30, South Campus Hall. Ontario Ballet Theatre "The Nutcracker" Thursday 12:30, Humanities Theatre. Carol sing led by Jake Willms (21st annual), Monday 12:15, Modern Languages building foyer, all welcome. |
| POSITIONS AVAILABLE |
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On this week's list from the human resources department:
Longer descriptions are available on the HR web site. |
The Ontario government last week confirmed that it will spend $211 million on a "Quality Improvement Fund" for universities and colleges in the coming year. The money was first promised in the provincial budget in May. "Students will begin to see more support staff and faculty on campus and better resources as a result," a provincial news release says. "In 2005-2006, colleges will receive $87.3 million and universities will receive $124.2 million. To receive funding, colleges and universities will sign accountability agreements that spell out improvements to be made and the results to be achieved." Bob Truman, UW's director of institutional analysis and planning, said he can't yet say how much UW's share of the new funding will be.
Roydon Fraser, president of the faculty association, had a few words to say about Policy 76 -- the UW policy on faculty appointments -- in the latest issue of the association's Forum newsletter. Discussions between the association and UW administration have been going on "in a search for improvements", he writes: "Particular focus was given to the probationary-term reappointment process and to the UTPAC recommendation to change how teaching ability is to be judged during reappointments. Progress on this front has been very slow -- so slow that the FAUW and Administration have mutually agreed to delay further discussions for a time. . . . The Administration would like to raise reappointment teaching expectations to or above that in Policy 77 while the FAUW's position is that reappointment teaching evaluations should include consideration of potential."
Nominations close today in the election of faculty members to UW's senate from applied health sciences and Conrad Grebel University College. . . . A luncheon was held in South Campus Hall late in November to honour the past term's winners of work report awards in the faculty of engineering. . . . Renison College has had to cancel the "lantern light tour" at Doon Heritage Crossroads that had been scheduled for Friday night. . . .
The two directors who head the human resources department sent out a memo Friday notifying UW departments of some temporary changes in HR, while two regular staff members are preoccupied with doing a review of HR services and organization. "We have hired two temporary staff members for the duration of the project and reassigned the workload," wrote Neil Murray (staff and labour relations) and David Dietrich (pension and benefits). Renee Rahamut fills in for Katrina Di Gravio; Ken Walton takes on duties from Glenda Rutledge. Several other staff will handle various new duties, the memo added.
Bonnie Kenyon, a food services assistant at UW since 1988, officially retired November 1. . . . Here's a reminder that staff in Carl Pollock Hall have a long walk today to washrooms in other buildings, as the water will be shut off there from 8:00 to 4:00. . . . Likewise, a reminder that UW Fitness, based in applied health sciences, offers small group personal training sessions for UW faculty and staff. . . .
CAR