![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Friday |
Monday, November 7, 2005
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
Minute of silence urged for FridayPeople across campus have been asked to observe Remembrance Day this Friday with a minute of silence."Following November 11 last year," says a memo from provost Amit Chakma, "Becky Wroe, who was President of the Federation of Students, suggested UW start the practice of observing a minute's silence at 11 o'clock on November 11. "2005 is the Year of the Veteran and it would seem appropriate in this year of commemoration to initiate this practice at UW. I would therefore ask that, if possible, whether you are alone, with a group, or in front of a class, you take time at 11 o'clock on November 11 to observe a minute's silence, remembering and honouring our Canadian veterans." |
UW has been "best overall" in Canada in the reputational rankings for 14 of the 15 years Maclean's has offered that title. Waterloo was also named "most innovative" in the national reputation survey, and swept all the reputation categories -- No. 1 Highest Quality, No. 1 Leaders of Tomorrow, No. 1 Most Innovative, and No. 1 Best Overall -- among comprehensive universities (those with a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs, but without a medical school).
| Coverage in Globe and Mail | London Free Press |
Provost Amit Chakma said the rankings "reinforce the university's strategy of recruiting and admitting the highest quality students -- undergraduate and graduate -- and recruiting splendid faculty members to bring top-quality education to our students, in the classroom and the lab." He added: "Waterloo has been working very hard the last few years as a university to add even more high-quality individuals to our already strong faculty ranks, bringing in bright young professors who are leaders in their areas of research. If you bring the very best they become a magnet and draw others with similar aspirations, including very accomplished students and staff."
On the way to topping the magazine's list of 11 comprehensive universities, UW scored high in several individual categories, placing first in six of them: student retention, student awards, classes taught by tenured faculty, awards per full-time faculty, and alumni support, as well as the reputation survey.
The reputation rankings -- traditionally UW's biggest boast -- are arrived at by surveying thousands of people across Canada, including high school guidance counselors and principals from every province and territory, chief executive officers and recruiters of companies, heads of organizations and university officials.
Among the comprehensive universities, Victoria is listed second behind UW, with Guelph and Simon Fraser tied for third. McGill and Toronto are tied as the top "medical-doctoral" university in the country, and St. Francis Xavier is the top "primarily undergraduate" university for the fourth year in a row.
![[Matlock]](/images/2005/1103matlock.jpg)
"I am delighted to report that we have a new Ombudsperson," said an announcement from Catharine Scott, associate provost (human resources and student services), introducing her. She is Evalena Matlock-Corley (right), who has been "Non OSS Specialist" in the registrar's office -- meaning that she's been responsible for assessing the qualifications of applicants who come to UW from other countries, other provinces or paths other than an Ontario high school.
Matlock-Corley has a bachelor's degree in "interpersonal communication in human services" and a master's in "cultural studies in education", from Ohio University. Before coming to UW in March 2004, she worked as a career coach for a youth development program in Cleveland.
"I am very excited about taking on the role of ombudsperson," says Matlock-Corley, "and I see it as an opportunity to provide a valuable resource to students and to the entire UW community. I plan to continue existing programs and create new outreach programs that will inform students of issues that they can bring before the ombudsperson. My goal is to take a proactive approach to disseminating information about pertinent matters like the ins and outs of leasing and academic integrity issues so that students are equipped with the facts before they find themselves in a sticky situation.
"I would like to encourage students to visit the office with any questions they have or even if they're just curious about what resources are available through the office." (It's located on the upper level of the Student Life Centre.)
Scott noted that the new ombudsperson was chosen by a committee including Lawrence Lam of the Federation of Students, Mike Makahnouk of the Graduate Student Association, and two people who have previously held the ombudsperson job: Leanne O'Donnell, now coordinator of residence life in the housing department, and Matt Erickson, now director of the conflict management and human rights office.
United Way donors remindedAt last count, the United Way campaign on campus had received $135,818 towards its $165,000 goal. Some 484 faculty, staff and retirees have contributed, says campaign manager Jonah Levine. That includes 85 new donors this year -- "but over 200 old donors still have to send in their pledge forms," he notes. Campaign representatives will be having lunch at the University Club on Thursday, and doubtless the campaign will have reached the target by then. |
That means Waterloo will be represented in the international finals again this year. The meet is scheduled for April 12 in San Antonio, Texas. It'll be the 14th consecutive time Waterloo has had a team in the world finals.
In the East Central North America finals on Saturday, first place went to UW's "Black" team of Tor Myklebust, David Pritchard and Kats Gupta. Coach Gordon Cormack, of the school of computer science, reports that UW Black was, at the 29-minute mark, the third team to solve one of the eight problems in the five-hour contest. "They solved their second problem at 42 minutes, and their third at 43, surging ahead of the 113-team field to finish all eight problems in 153 minutes -- just three minutes past half-time!"
UW Gold -- Michael Druker, Yin (Jack) Zhao and Simon Parent -- were in hot pursuit, solving their first problem in 34 minutes and finishing in 220 minutes for a strong second place. Full ECNA results are online.
Waterloo Black will compete in the world finals. Waterloo Gold, who would also have advanced except for an ICPC rule limiting schools to one team, will accompany Black to Texas as well-wishers.
Waterloo has been world champion in the ACM programming competition twice, and North American champion five times. Last year, UW placed fourth in the finals, and came home with the North American championship.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Co-op job interview cycles begin for students not yet
employed for the winter term. Job match
for architecture students available on
JobMine 11 a.m.
'Monuments, Anti-Monuments and the Limits of Sculpture' symposium today through Friday, department of fine arts. Vera Golini, professor of Italian, "A Trip Through Italian Cities and Countryside," 12 noon, Kitchener Public Library main branch. VJ search for MuchMusic, tour comes to the Bombshelter pub, 12 noon to 6:00. Senate executive committee 3:30, Needles Hall room 3004. Career workshop: "Working Effectively in Another Culture", 4:30, Tatham Centre room 2218, registration online. Centre for International Governance Innovation presents Robert McRae, Foreign Affairs Canada, "The International Policy Statement Within an Evolving Global Context," 7 p.m., 57 Erb Street West. Flu vaccine clinic Tuesday-Friday, 10:00 to 5:00, Student Life Centre multipurpose room; shots available to staff, faculty, students, and family members 5 and older. Electronic grade submission demonstration Tuesday 2:30, Arts Lecture Hall room 113. UW art gallery opening reception for "Pseudoarc" by Dermot Wilson and "Diary: Of a River" by Kirsten Abrahamson, Tuesday 5:30 to 7:30, East Campus Hall. 'The Cruel Behind the Cool: Sport Shoe Production in Indonesia," Tuesday 5:30, Arts Lecture Hall room 105, presented by Waterloo Public Interest Research Group. Renison Institute of Ministry presents Darren Marks, University of Western Ontario, "The Eclipse of the Church, or the Road to Self," Tuesday 7 p.m., Renison College. Jewish studies program and Waterloo Region Holocaust Education Committee present "Children of a Vanished World", performance with life-sized photographs, dramatization and music, Thursday 7:30 p.m., Humanities Theatre, admission free. 'Mental Health Services in Waterloo Region' presentation by Gwen Page, Canadian Mental Health Association, and Pauline Potzold, Grand River Hospital, November 15, 12 noon, Davis Centre room 1302, presented by Employee Assistance Program. |
Says the film's web site: "Whitwell is a small, rural community of less than two thousand people nestled in the mountains of Tennessee. Its citizens are almost exclusively white and Christian. In 1998, the children of Whitwell Middle School took on an inspiring project, launched out of their principal's desire to help her students open their eyes to the diversity of the world beyond their insulated valley. What happened would change the students, their teachers, their families and the entire town forever -- and eventually open hearts and minds around the world.
"Paper Clips is the moving and inspiring documentary film that captures how these students responded to lessons about the Holocaust with a promise to honor every lost soul by collecting one paper clip for each individual exterminated by the Nazis. . . . The amazing result, a memorial railcar filled with 11 million paper clips (representing 6 million Jews and 5 million gypsies, homosexuals and other victims of the Holocaust) which stands permanently in their schoolyard, is an unforgettable lesson of how a committed group of children and educators can change the world one classroom at a time."
![[Paper clips form Star of David]](/images/2005/1027paperclips.jpg)
So why are UW, the Federation of Students and the Math Society
showing it in Waterloo? "It's sort of an intro film into diversity
issues," says Rick Theis of the student life office, who manages the
program. He stresses that the message of the film isn't that "the Holocaust
is bad" -- that's obvious -- but rather that people, such as the
children of Whitwell, can come to see people in new ways, and accept
different ideas, despite what they may have learned or thought before.
"Our diversity in this campus breaks down into the sum total of all the individuals that we have here," Theis told me last week as he tried to help me understand what the program has in mind. The goal? "We create an environment where people are connected one to another because they've taken time creating relationships . . . a mix of talents and ideas . . . acceptance of different ideas."
It's so easy to look at people and classify them instantly, Theis said, and if the diversity campaign is about anything, it's about not doing that. It's about "engaging people rather than stereotyping people." The launch concerts for the campaign, earlier this fall, were designed to "bring people together" with music by different kinds of performers that would be enjoyed by listeners with various tastes and cultural backgrounds. Now he's looking ahead to offering "recurring events of different varieties", starting with "Paper Clips".
Tonight's showing is at 8:00 in the Humanities Theatre. Admission is free.
CAR