![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Friday |
Monday, October 17, 2005
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![['UW alumni in training' on three shirts]](/images/2005/1007alumnikids.jpg)
The younger generation
joined a group of Toronto-area alumni for an event October 1 at the Ontario
Science Centre. Children's activities were part of the afternoon along
with an interactive lecture by Tom Chau of the
Bloorview MacMillan Children's Centre, a 1998 PhD graduate in
systems design engineering. The event, including T-shirts, was
sponsored by Manulife Financial.
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The proposals come from a four-member "project team" including two from the housing and residences department; Bud Walker, the senior UW administrator whose portfolio includes housing; and Lois Claxton, secretary of the university.
They suggest that UW make a commitment to "competencies" in scholarly and intellectual work, career and professional activity, and social, cultural and civic spheres. "Underlying successful acquisition of all these competencies," says their report, "is a fourth competency: health/wellness."
It continues: "Once a set of competencies is adopted, UW will need to establish an organizational structure to support and foster them within the student living environment." They add that the university "already fosters academic learning" and has a strong emphasis on career preparation, "but has few resources dedicated to community learning and leadership development. The residence environment is where much of this learning takes place."
They say the housing department will need new staff to provide the necessary services. Other recommendations include "community, study, social and dining space at UW Place", a residence complex that currently has almost no common areas; "online discussion forums" and other communications technology in the residences; a "faculty in residence" program; and residence involvement by such UW departments as the international student office and health services.
The department should continue to "develop leadership and community outreach opportunities for students living in residence", and work with co-op education and career services "to develop service-learning opportunities", says the report.
It also proposes creation of "the Waterloo Policy Institute -- a think-tank-style residence community for upper-year undergraduates" in the Minota Hagey Residence building, and "a residential global arts community to foster internationalization where cohorts of UW students would live in residence with cohorts of foreign students, and at two foreign institutions".
Finally, the report suggests that the housing department "partner with large-scale landlords and/or developers of high-density student housing to extend residence-based living-learning programs to members of the off-campus student population".
The report will be presented and discussed at tonight's senate meeting, but there's no suggestion that decisions will be made. Also on the agenda for tonight is a report on "faculty recruitment standards". The senate meeting starts at 4:30 in Needles Hall room 3001.
![[George]](/images/2005/1017jag.jpg)
George will serve for a year in that role, says an announcement from UW president David Johnston.
George -- officially retired as a professor of computer science -- will continue to be associate provost (information systems and technology), a role he has held since 2003. He was dean of mathematics 1980-86 and from 1998 until earlier this year, and was UW's provost 1988-93 and acting provost for seven months in 2001.
"I am grateful to Alan for agreeing to assume this additional responsibility," said Johnston's memo last week, "and look forward to continuing to work with him."
The memo explained why there's an opening for an interim VP: "The recent search for someone to succeed Dr. Paul Guild, Vice-President, University Research, whose term ends December 31, 2005, has not been successful. The search committee will review its experience and renew its search early in 2006."
The Glorious Mother idea originated in the Soviet Union after World War II and encouraged women to give birth to as many children as possible to compensate for the nation's loss of lives during war. Dong observes that although the Glorious Mother campaign produced a super sized generation for China, the members of this generation have, as a result, faced significant challenges from childhood through to the present.
![[Dong]](/images/2005/1013dong.jpg)
"The Chinese government's social policy in the
past two and a half decades has almost always
worked against this generation's interests,
simply because the government could not
afford to provide welfare to the super sized
population," says Dong (right).
"The members of the super sized generation
were born into a period of full, lifetime
employment. The social welfare system was
integrated with each work-unit and urban
dwellers enjoyed free or minor cost child care,
health care, education, and housing. However,
the 'Great Leap Forward' (1957-60) the
Chinese government's attempt to 'modernize'
China's economy led to 'three years of natural
disaster' between 1959 and 1961 and caused a
serious crisis in employment and food supply for
China."
Dong's research shows that the super sized generation was further disadvantaged when the Cultural Revolution (1966-76) interrupted their formal education. When this generation graduated from secondary schools or high schools, the Chinese government found it impossible to provide them with jobs. To deal with high unemployment, the government introduced the "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" campaign (1968-76) which saw up to 30 million urban youth sent to remote areas and poor inland villages to be "re-educated" (skilled for manual labour).
Finally, when the members of this generation were getting ready to have their own families, the Chinese government launched the "Late Marriage, Late Childbearing" Campaign (1971-78), which delayed and reduced childbearing for the generation. This was followed by the "One Child Policy" in 1979.
Dong's research provides students, researchers, policy makers, and members of the broader community with new ways of understanding and evaluating the long term outcomes of social policy. "This kind of research provides us with a unique view on the long term impact of social policy in China and in other countries," she says. "It is very important that we continue to evaluate social policy over longer time frames, and begin to change our plans for the future accordingly."
The United Way campaign continues, and at the end of last week had received pledges from 271 faculty, staff and retirees, campaign manager Jonah Levine reports. Their $77,212 in givings add up to 46.8 per cent of the $165,000 goal for this year. Levine says it's possible that some UW employees still haven't received their pledge packages, as "there was a mixup" in producing and distributing them. Anybody who hasn't received a United Way package -- or who got one but now can't lay hands on it -- should call Levine at ext. 3840 and he'll see that one arrives.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
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Computational mathematics seminar: Stefano Leonardi,
Universitá di Roma "La Sapienza", "Computational
Tools and Experiments for the Webgraph", 3:30, Math and Computer room 5158.
'McLibel' video showing sponsored by Federation of Students, 8:00, Humanities Theatre, free for students. Waterloo-Germany exchange program information session Tuesday 11:00, Modern Languages room 245, information online. East Asian studies lecture: Norman Smith, University of Guelph, "Chinese Feminist Discourses in a Japanese Colonial Context", Tuesday 12 noon, Renison College great hall. FASS organizational meeting for the 2006 show Tuesday 6:00, multipurpose room, Student Life Centre -- all Faculty, Alumni, Staff and Students welcome. Internship Fair for the non-profit sector, Wednesday 11:00 to 2:00, Student Life Centre. 'Picking the Purrfect Pet' brown-bag talk by Elizabeth Bonkink, K-W Humane Society, Wednesday 12 noon, Physics room 150, sponsored by Employee Assistance Program. Blood donor clinic October 24-27, Student Life Centre, make appointments now at the SLC turnkey desk; Canadian Blood Services staff available Tuesday 11:00 to 1:30 to answer questions. Pascal Lectures on Christianity and the University: Lamin Sanneh, Yale University, "Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in a Secular West", October 27, 8 p.m., Humanities Theatre; seminar, "Christian Mission and Western Guilt", October 28, 3:30, Davis Centre room 1304. UW Day open house for future students and their parents, Saturday, November 5, 9:00 to 3:00, details online. |
Fall convocation will be held this Saturday in two sessions: morning (10:00) for applied health sciences and arts, afternoon (2:00) for the other faculties and programs. Two degrees are being awarded this fall for the first time, the Bachelor of Software Engineering and the Bachelor of Architectural Studies (the latter replacing the old Bachelor of Environmental Studies in architecture, since the architecture school has moved from ES to engineering). Just in time, UW's senate last month approved the hoods that will symbolize these degrees: "silver border and white soutache braid" on the black hood for the BES, "scarlet border and yellow soutache braid" for the BAS.
Online "class enrolment appointments" start today, meaning that undergraduate students can connect to Quest to choose their winter term courses. Appointment slots for each student have been listed on Quest for the past month or so. "If you miss your enrolment appointment," says a flyer from the registrar's office, "you will have to wait until Open Enrolment to select or make changes to your classes." Open enrolment starts October 31.
Of course you've never gotten behind the wheel of a car while you were impaired, by alcohol or otherwise; that would be a criminal offence, among other things. But tomorrow you can have a chance to find out what it would feel like if you did. Waterloo Regional Police Services will be at the Student Life Centre with a Toyota Matrix that's been slammed with simulation software (created at UW, I'm told). "Participants are given goggles to wear," explains Tammy Hoffman, health educator in UW's health services, "to simulate various degrees of impairment while they operate the car." Everybody is welcome to give it a try, between 11:30 and 2:00 tomorrow.
The UW Recreation Committee, which specializes in organizing social and extracurricular activities for staff and faculty, has a busy schedule over the next few weeks. Today at noontime, there's a "midday pamper" session on Reiki healing; Thursday there's a noon-hour tour of the earth sciences museum; Saturday brings a pre-Hallowe'en "haunted house" visit and hayride; Sunday the dine-by-the-alphabet group gets to L and heads for Little Linwood Runways Café next Tuesday there's a "Christmas creativity" craft session; and so it goes. A schedule and details are on the UWRC web site.
And . . . the UW Shop (in South Campus Hall) is holding a Hallowe'en photo contest. "All UW students, faculty and staff are eligible," writes Susy Kustra of retail services. "Participants must dress up in a Hallowe'en costume which includes a piece of UW clothing, take a picture, and submit it to the Photo Contest link on the UW Shop web site. Participants are encouraged to be creative." The contest runs from today through October 31, with the winner to be announced November 7.
CAR