'The west campus' is what planners are now calling a section of UW's north campus along Fischer-Hallman Road and Bearinger Road. A draft master plan for the area was shown off at an open house in late June, and map panels, including this one, are on display starting later today, through July 17, in the Dana Porter Library. Comment forms will be available, says Tom Galloway of UW's plant operations department. "Development of West Campus will maximize pedestrian, cycling and transit use within a natural setting and will implement principles of sustainability," says a summary from the consulting firm of Urban Strategies Inc., adding that the area "could be the home of future university expansion, including academic/research institutes, professional schools, student housing, or collaborative R&T initiatives". The dotted arrow at centre reaches across the Environmental Reserve between the west campus area and the existing research and technology park, a gap that could be bridged by a trail but not a full-fledged road.

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New parking manager is introduced

Sharon Rumpel (left) has been named Manager, Parking Services, says an announcement from the director of security and UW police chief, Al Mackenzie.

"Prior to coming to UW," he says, "Sharon ended a 30 year career at McMaster University where she was the Business Manager, Parking and Security Services, prior to leaving.

"Sharon has extensive experience in the university environment and brings a good level of customer service skill to her new position. Sharon started at UW on June 18 and I know she is looking forward to meeting the members of the university community and working with our partners to continue to offer a good level of service to all members."

She has just a few weeks to get up to speed before the September rush, and in fact is urging students to act now if they need to apply for fall term parking passes. The process can be done online, she writes: "Why spend hours in line for a parking permit when you can arrange one at your convenience from your home? This permit application process is up and running year round and applicable for both graduate and undergraduate students."

Permits that are ordered online will be mailed out up to August 24, she said, and after that they'll be held for pickup at the parking office in the Commissary building.

Meanwhile, the annual report of the staff association includes notes from many committees on which staff are represented, including a message from Tom Kieswetter of the athletics department, staff voice on the President’s Advisory Committee on Traffic and Parking. He reports on a March meeting of that group, called “to voice the growing concern on campus, regarding parking availability for staff, faculty and students”.

Says Kieswetter: “The on-going construction of new buildings have, and will continue to have an impact on existing parking lots and limit the location of future lots. There is a strong desire from staff and faculty to be designated to lots that are relatively close to the buildings that they work in.”

Committee chairman Roydon Fraser of mechanical engineering, who was then president of the faculty association, “also inquired as to the status of our present Parking Plan, which will address these issues. Campus police director Al MacKenzie acknowledged these concerns and explained that since Elaine Carpenter retired as parking manager, the Parking Plan was on hold until the position is filled. However, the Plan will consider all the issues, including the idea for a parking structure and the possible location of such a structure, the suggestion to develop a shuttle system from the parking lots on North Campus.

“The Plan will also investigate ‘alternate ways’ of getting to campus plus, how to promote and develop incentives to utilize these ‘alternate ways’. The problems of parking on campus will continue to be significant as our campus grows and solutions are continuously being investigated.”

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Transfer credit offered for AP courses

UW has officially said that it will recognize some courses from high-powered high school programs — more advanced than the usual Ontario grade 12 diploma — as the equivalent of first-year university courses.

The university senate approved a document last month setting out transfer credit policies for students who have taken Advanced Placement courses (offered at many top American high schools), the International Baccalaureate (managed by an agency based in Switzerland, and available at schools in 125 countries), and Britain’s General Certificate of Secondary Education or “A levels”.

“We want to recognize the academic content taught in these courses in relation to the first year of undergraduate degree courses,” says Nancy Weiner, associate registrar for admissions. “We recognize that these courses offer excellent academic preparation for success at the university level.

“These policies also strengthen UW’s position with our competitors, who also recognize transfer credit for these courses. Also, all these courses are offered nationally and internationally, which builds on UW’s goals to attract high-quality students from around the world.”

The policy that was approved by senate indicates how many credits each faculty will allow for a student who comes to UW with the appropriate secondary school background. For example, arts and environmental studies will give as many as 4.0 credits (that’s eight one-term courses) to someone with appropriate A levels (and a grade of at least B in each of them). Science will give credit for as many as four one-term courses; mathematics, three.

For the IB program, arts and ES will again give as many as 4.0 credits (eight courses), while science will give 3.0 and math 1.5. For AP courses, the maximum is 2.0 credits (four courses) from arts and ES, 3.0 from science and 1.5 from math.

The credits available from the faculty of applied health sciences depend on which of its programs the student is entering. Senate was told that the engineering faculty “was engaged in the development of this policy but does not have a formal plan in place at this time”.

Says Weiner: “The number of secondary schools offering IB and AP course curriculum is increasing in Ontario and abroad, and we have found that these students have been very successful with their UW studies. UW recognizes that these courses offer an enriched academic background in preparing students for their university studies. For IB and AP, the Faculties of Arts and Environmental Studies have been granting transfer credit for several years now.

“For the A-level courses offered in the British educational system, UW recognizes that the students are very well prepared for university studies in that the curriculum is very rigorous and establishes a strong academic foundation. Arts and Environmental Studies have been granting transfer credit and now other faculties are recognizes transfer credit for these students.

“This provides the student with more flexibility in selecting their university courses which enables them to broaden their academic learning while attending university.”

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More notes for a summer's day

Geoff McBoyle is settling into his new office on the third floor of Needles Hall, after taking on the position of associate vice-president (academic) as of July 1. The previous occupant of that position, Gail Cuthbert Brandt, now holds the newly created office of associate VP (international). McBoyle will carry many of her former responsibilities, and also those of the associate VP (learning resources and innovation), a position that has been eliminated. That means he'll be responsible for the recently created Centre for Teaching Excellence, an amalgam of the old teaching resource office (TRACE), the learning technology centre (LT3), and other activities. His portfolio will also include the Writing Centre, as well as WatPort, the program for faculty recruitment and retention. And, I am told, a major activity for McBoyle over the next few months will be heading a project to rewrite and clarify the student discipline and grievance policies, where principles, procedures and appeal structures are jumbled together at present. A draft of new policies is expected in the fall.

While residence rooms are in tight supply for September, there's definitely space available for the winter 2008 term, according to the residence newsletter for July. "There are plenty of spaces in UWP, V1, CLV and MKV," it says. "Apply online. You will hear from us within two weeks of submitting your application." And a note of special interest: "If you have been accepted to UW's Pharmacy program for winter 2008, we have a place in residence for you! Pharmacy students will be placed together at UW Place in Wilmot Court South. YOu can apply online now for a one-term residence contract for winter. Make sure you select the pharmacy student checkbox."

The Daily Bulletin last Wednesday included some words about Smoke, the novel by Elizabeth Ruth that is this year's "One Book, One Community" selection for Waterloo Region. The story is set on an Ontario tobacco farm in the late 1950s, where, to borrow a sentence from the OBOC web site, "a night out with his buddies, too much booze and a lit cigarette changes Buster McFiddie's life forever." The UW-based literary magazine The New Quarterly is running a bus tour to tobacco country (around the village of Otterville) this Saturday as one celebration of Smoke. And Kathryn King writes from UW retail services to point out that it's also the UW Book Club selection for the coming month, with a gathering to talk about it at noon on August 2 in the bookstore, South Campus Hall. "I invite anyone who has read the book and enjoys the tour to join us to discuss this richly inventive story of identity and transformation," says King.

The Record newspaper reported a few days ago that two Waterloo landlords "have been fined more than $23,000 after university staff alerted the fire department to a missing smoke detector and other fire and building code violations." The story began late in 2003 when a tenant wanted to sublet a unit in a building on Lester Street and applied to list it on UW's off-campus housing web site. Housing staff went to check out the building and reported its condition. More than just a smoke detector was missing, the Record says: there was no certificate of electrical inspection, no building permit for the basement bedrooms, and other failings.

CAR

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