More than 650 riders, including this group from UW, took part in the Niagara Bike Tour, held last week as a fund-raiser for multiple sclerosis research. "Pledges are still drifting in for our team, Wheel Cycle for Wellness, but I estimate that we raised close to, if not over, $8,000," writes Linda Mackay of counselling services, who organized the Waterloo contingent. "Our team was awarded recognition for Most Team Spirit!"

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Residences ready for the crowds

Close to 6,000 new first-year students will hit campus this weekend, with the majority of them moving into UW's residences, and Pam Charbonneau of the housing and residences office says they'll find everything ready for them.

"Over 5,000 UW students will call UW Residences home this year," she writes, giving a figure that includes returning students as well as the newcomers. "We were full on June 12 (the residence guarantee deadline date) — more than the original 3,340 first-year students who were anticipated will be living in Village 1, Ron Eydt Village, Mackenzie King, UW Place and Columbia Lake Village.

"Several hundred first-year students are living off campus this year if they missed the residence guarantee deadline or received acceptance after the residence guarantee deadline dates, but the good news is that there is a surplus of housing available in the community this year, still hundreds of ads on the off-campus housing listing service. Approximately 1,300 upper-year students are living at UW Place, Minota Hagey and Columbia Lake Village for the fall, and already over 1,000 are slated to return from co-op placements to live in residence next winter."

The residences will also find room for 75 exchange students at Columbia Lake Village and some 395 graduate students (including almost 250 with families) at Columbia Lake Village. "If any vacancies become available in the first few weeks of term," she promises, "they will posted on the housing website."

Most housing and residences staff will be working this long weekend, as they do each year, to get all of the areas ready and the students moved in. Move-in for first-year students takes place Sunday and Monday on a careful schedule. On Sunday, it's the north and south quads of Village I and REV, the east wing of King, and parts of UW Place: Wellesley Court North, Waterloo Court North, odd-numbered floors in Beck Hall. Monday, it's the other areas (the east and west quads, King west, the south courts in UW Place and the even-numbered floors in Beck Hall, plus Columbia Lake Village.

In each case, students who live within three hours' drive of Waterloo have been asked to arrive between 8:30 a.m. and noon, and those who live further away are asked to arrive between 12:30 and 4:30. Orientation leaders will be on hand to help students move in. Dons in all areas will be hosting their first area or "floor" meetings at 5 p.m. Monday, a key event for most new students as orientation week begins.

Upper-year students living residence "are strongly encouraged to come after the 4th", Charbonneau says, although officially they can arrive any time from Sunday onwards, between 8:30 and 4:30.

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Two Olympians taking UW courses

by Patricia Bow

Sara Renner and Beckie Scott were cross-country ski-racing teammates who won silver for Canada in the 2006 Turin Olympics. But they have more than that in common, as freelance writer Jim Fox tells in “Olympic silver medallists going the distance at Waterloo,” his cover article in the July distance education newsletter, Connections.

Both women are UW distance education students. Sara Renner, a three-time Olympian and 2005 Alberta Athlete of the Year, lives in Canmore, Alberta. She will soon be training for the 2010 Olympics. At the same time, she’s working on a UW degree in science. “I am planning a push to the finish in the next year,” she says.

“Sara learned about the UW program when she graduated from high school,” the article continues. “Upon researching her options, including programs offered in Alberta, she decided on Waterloo.... The Waterloo program has provided ‘an exceptional opportunity to combine studies with high-performance sport,’ she said.”

Beckie Scott retired recently after nearly two decades of competitive skiing. She has won 15 World Cup medals and two Olympic : a gold in 2002 and last February’s silver. She is the first North American woman to win an Olympic cross-country skiing race medal.

Originally from Vermilion, Alberta, Scott lives in Bend, Oregon. Since 1995 she’s been studying for a UW arts degree in English; she chose distance education as the only practical way for a “24-hour athlete” to earn a degree.

“Her first distance education experience was with a western Canadian university but she found its ‘relaxed deadlines weren’t tough enough to keep me focused.’ Through word of mouth, she heard about the University of Waterloo’s comprehensive distance education program ‘with more structure and deadlines that are key to keep you going.’” And she was impressed by the range and quality of the UW course offerings.

Even though assignments had to be faxed and exams shipped to overseas hotels, Scott found the system suited her. “Being an elite athlete is definitely a very intense and structured lifestyle, and I think because we learn discipline so early on in our sport that it’s easier to carry that on into our studies as well,” she says.

The article continues: “Her career achievements off the snow are equally remarkable. A true icon for fair play and clean sport, Beckie’s pursuit of justice around her 2002 Olympic gold medal . . . captured the imagination of a nation. Her name is now synonymous with athletes’ rights and fair play. An advocate for drug-free sport, she is Canada’s representative on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athlete Committee.”

She was also one of two athletes recently elected by her peers to the IOC Athletes’ Commission for an eight-year term, and has joined the organizing committee board of directors for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Among other honours, she has twice won the John Semmelink Memorial Award as the snow-sport athlete who through sportsmanship, conduct and ability best represents Canada in international competition.

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And a little of this and that

Some of the students who settle into residence next week will be living in a new kind of environment, part of the fledgling Living-Learning program that the residences are creating. Planned this fall, says Pam Charbonneau of housing, are six "clusters" of 16 first-year students from programs in Accounting and Financial Management, Biotechnology/Chartered Accountancy, Computing and Financial Management, Mathematics/Chartered Accountancy. "In addition to living together," she says, "students will attend programs focussed on developing skills and knowledge that will help them succeed academically, i.e. learning styles, e-portfolio development, writing skills and dinner with a faculty member or alumni. All students living in a cluster will have a Peer Leader (upper-year students from the school of accountancy). Peer Leaders are expected to spend 5-6 hours per week in residence with their cluster. They will provide leadership and role modelling as well as facilitate the above-mentioned programs. As well online resources that compliment the programs are provided through UW ACE. We’re already in discussions with several faculties to add more learning communities for fall 2007."

A few days ago it was Dell that was recalling laptop computers to replace potentially risky batteries, and now Apple is doing the same thing. John Jaray writes from the Campus TechShop: "Apple has launched a battery exchange program to replace certain Sony-manufactured batteries that were used in a range of iBook G4 computers with 12" displays and PowerBook G4 notebooks with both 12-inch and 15-inch displays. The affected lithium-ion batteries could possibly overheat, posing a safety risk. People using the subject Mac notebooks are encouraged to check whether their batteries are among the range identified for the free exchange and proceed as directed at the Apple web site.”

Jacqueline Macpherson retired August 1, after ten years on UW’s staff; she’s been the administrative secretary in the department of anthropology. Retiring September 1 are a couple of other staff members. Hazel Kennedy (formerly Austin), research project manager in engineering computing, is winding up a UW career that started in December 1969. Heather Hutchin, who started at UW in February 1968, has been admissions assistant in the registrar’s office.

Communitech (the "Waterloo Region Technology Association") is one of several overlapping agencies that promote the Region and support local high-technology business. "We're very pleased to announce," says a news release this week, "Communitech and The Business and Education Partnership of Waterloo Region are now located in the Accelerator Centre." The offices were previously in the Centre for International Governance Innovation building on Erb Street; as of Wednesday, the address is 295 Hagey Boulevard, suite 16, Waterloo N2L 6R5. Coming next from Communitech will be Entrepreneur Week, September 29 through October 6, "a unique opportunity in Waterloo Region for entrepreneurs of tomorrow to form rich connections with mentors, professional service firms, investors, government and business organizations. More than twelve community and business organizations will come together to deliver a full week of events, speakers, and forums for you to connect and accelerate your ideas."

CAR

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