![[University of Waterloo]](/images/logobars/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Brown on white]](/images/2006/0215geese.jpg)
The snow geese?
"Seems like they came back from the south a bit early this year," writes
Benjamin Ries, a political science student. He spotted this gaggle on Monday
between Matthews Hall and the Math and Computer building, where an
underground service tunnel means the snow melts quickly.
|
Provost Amit Chakma will show the committee a budget statement much like the one he presented to UW's board of governors last week, indicating total income of $324.4 million for the current fiscal year. That's up from $316 million at the time the budget was approved almost a year ago -- largely because of new "quality improvement" funding from the Ontario government. The money was announced in principle in May 2005, but exact allocations to each university were confirmed only this month.
Previous provincial funding for "growth" has now been made part of the basic annual grant to the university. Add in some special-purpose grants, and UW is receiving a total of $161.8 million from the government in the current year.
Tuition fees total $128.6 million for the year -- less than had been expected, because enrolment is lower than predicted, particularly at the first-year undergraduate level. "Other" income for the university, including co-op and student services fees and interest on investments, is expected to hit $34 million by the time the books are closed on April 30.
Spending for the year will total $326.7 million, Chakma's figures show, meaning that UW is running a deficit of $2.3 million that will wipe out more than half the university's accumulated surplus. The provost calls that a "structural deficit" that has to be eliminated as the first step in building a budget for 2006-07.
| POSITIONS AVAILABLE |
|
On this week's list from the human resources department:
Longer descriptions are available on the HR web site. |
Chakma is determined to allocate some resources to improvements and new projects this fall, and showed the board of governors a list of items with price tags that would total $12 million if they were all done.
But he also showed quick calculations that with government grants at the expected level, and no new disasters hitting, UW coul face a deficit of several million dollars even if tuition fees go up by as much as 10 per cent.
The operating budget, which is described in those figures and which the senate finance committee will discuss today, makes up about two-thirds of UW's total financial picture. The rest is research funding (about $100 million a year) and business enterprises such as food services and residences (about $85 million). Today's meeting starts at 1:30 in Needles Hall room 3001.
![[Read]](/images/2006/0213read.jpg)
Read is currently manager of the UW bookstore. He was interim director of UW Graphics last year until the current director was appointed, and has a resumé that includes a stint as a residence life coordinator in the housing and residences department. He has an undergraduate business degree and a Master's in business administration.
"Those who know Chris," Walker writes, "will have experienced his commitment to students, staff, housing and the learning experience. . . . Chris brings to the job a passion for UW, sound management experience at UW, and a wealth of experience."
The University Housing Officer position was announced last fall as a change to the existing structure, which has been headed by Gail Clarke (director of housing and residence administration) and Leanne O'Donnell (director of residence life).
"The Department of Housing and Residences," Walker wrote then, "has doubled in size over the last ten years. The growth in residence facilities, residence life programs, residence network facilities, housing services and occupancy levels has been very extensive. . . . There will be four areas reporting to this new position: Residence Life, Finance and Facilities, Academic and Business Development, and Systems and Technology."
Pam Charbonneau, previously of the residence life staff, has been named to the post of director of academic and business development for the residences.
| WHEN AND WHERE |
|
Genealogy seminar sponsored by
UW Recreation Committee
12 noon, Davis Centre library conference room.
Stress relaxation session, second in the weekly series, 12:00, Math and Computer room 5158, sponsored by Employee Assistance Program. 'Personal Tax Strategies' workshop sponsored by Education Credit Union, 12:15, Davis Centre room 1302. Free noon concert: jazz trio (Michael Wood, Don Englert, Kevin Muir), 12:30, Conrad Grebel University College chapel. Career workshop: "Business Etiquette and Professionalism" 4:30, Tatham Centre room 1208, registration online. Trip to China with East Asian Studies 250R this summer, information session 6 p.m., chapel lounge, Renison College. Centre for International Governance Innovation presents Douglas Roche, chairman, Middle Powers Initiative, "Beyond Hiroshima: The Role of Canada in Nuclear Disarmament", 7 p.m., 57 Erb Street West, free tickets 885-2444 ext. 246. Warrior men's hockey quarterfinal game vs. Brock 7:30, Columbia Icefield, live on CKMS. Spiritual Health Education Network and Waterloo-India Linkage present Shiv Talwar, "Movie Review: What the Bleep Do We Know?" 7:30, CEIT room 1015. Women in Mathematics Committee workshop on post-doctoral fellowships with advice for graduate students, Thursday 12:00, Math and Computer room 5158. Teaching workshop: "Critical Thinking", Thursday 12 noon, details online. 'The End of Suburbia' documentary on oil depletion Thursday 3:30, Environmental Studies I courtyard, discussion groups with researchers afterwards, sponsored by UW Sustainability Project. Solidarity Association for International Liberation and Young Communist League present two internationally known activists -- Ward Churchill, University of Colorado, and Uri Davis, University of Durham, speaking on Israel and Palestinians, Thursday 6:30, Biology I room 271. Arriscraft architecture lecture: Larry Beasley, co-director of planning, city of Vancouver, "A New Approach to the Regeneration of North American Cities", Thursday 7 p.m., Architecture lecture hall. Art gallery reception for the opening of "The Black Notebooks" by Brigitte Radecki and "Inscriptions" by Jane Buyers, Thursday 7 to 9 p.m., East Campus Hall. Fantastic Staff, Faculty and Alumni Day at Warrior men's basketball game Saturday 3:00, Physical Activities Complex; half-time airplane toss and other events; free tickets 888-4973. |
![[Cover shows face and white flowers]](/images/2006/0206dimensions.jpg)
The latest issue
of UW's
Chinese-language magazine, Dimensions, includes memoirs
by two students about growing up in Canada while trying to balance a
traditional Chinese culture -- a challenge facing many Waterloo students.
The issue also includes an interview with two Hong Kong pop idols, as well
as advice on surviving an Ontario winter.
|
Students in first year and their final year at UW received a questionnaire by e-mail last week from the National Survey of Student Engagement, based at Indiana University. (I wrote the other day that distribution of the survey had been delayed, but the difficulty turned out to be resolved quickly.) As of early this week, says Bob Truman of UW's office of institutional analysis and planning, about 19 per cent of those surveyed had sent in responses. "A 40-50% response rate will be terrific," he said. "We encourage our students to complete the survey -- we want your input." A reminder message was scheduled to be sent out yesterday.
The "Leave the Pack Behind" contest has reached the half-way point -- "three weeks down, three more to go," writes Rosanna Morales in applied health sciences, one of the organizers. "The staff at Leave The Pack Behind would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all contestants for their accomplishments thus far and encourage them to stay committed to your deal. With reading week just around the corner, we wanted to remind contestants: Don't let a break from school break your commitment to your deal. Reading week is a time when many students return their home environments. For ex-smokers (and smokers cutting back), returning to an environment where smoking was a part of their life can be a potentially difficult time. For tips on how to stay smoke-free during reading week please visit our website."
Michael Higgins, president of St. Jerome's University, is no stranger to CBC radio, and will be heard there again on three weekly episodes of the "Ideas" talk program, the first one airing tonight. The title is "Stalking the Holy", and the programs are based on Higgins's recent book and the lecture he gave about it at St. Jerome's in November. "The broadcast will not actually be of Michael's talk at the St. Jerome's Centre," I'm told, "but will be a regular 'Ideas' program with interviews and commentary and with Michael as narrator." Coming later on "Ideas": the lecture given at St. Jerome's last month by Toronto theologian Gregory Baum.
Folks from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind will be in the Student Life Centre today (10:00 to 2:00) for the annual crocus sale, offering crocus plants at $4 and wooden pots at $10. . . . Polls are open electronically (and, from 9 to 4, in several campus buildings) today and tomorrow as the Federation of Students election continues. . . . I understand that dinner at Renison College will be lively tonight, with a "Renison Idol" competition bringing in alumni performers. . . .
Career services is advertising for volunteer Student Career and Marketing Assistants to get four hours' experience a week during the fall, winter or spring 2007 terms. . . . The Waterloo Regional Police will bring their impaired driving simulator to the Student Life Centre today (11:00 to 2:00) for anyone who wants to get a sense of what it feels like to drive drunk. . . . I wrote yesterday that a group from the UW Recreation Committee was going out to dinner last night at Philthy McNasty's, but unfortunately I was a week late. . . .
CAR