Another delay has hit the construction work on the second (main) floor of the Dana Porter Library. "We got word yesterday," writes communications librarian Nancy Collins, "that staff will not regain access to the floor until later in September now, with the official opening projected for early October. To date, all electrical and main structural work on the walls and ceiling has been completed. Remaining surface construction work includes carpeting, painting, and installing permanent fixtures, such as Browsers café, the information desk and the circulation desk. In the meantime, you can view the latest construction progress on the renos flickr page. Please note that all services will continue to be accommodated elsewhere — see a list of all relocated services. Additionally, our fall workshop series will not be affected. Thanks for your patience."

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Weekend move-in begins orientation

New students by the thousand will hit campus this weekend, moving into their residence rooms on a carefully paced schedule.

Half the group have been asked to move in on Sunday: those living in the north and south quads of Village I and Ron Eydt Village, the north quads of Waterloo, Wilmot and Wellesley Courts, the odd-numbered floors of Beck and Eby Halls, and the east wing of Mackenzie King Village. The other half will arrive Monday. And within those groups, “Students coming from within 3 hours of Waterloo will be asked to arrive in the morning, while students coming from further away can arrive in the afternoon,” the residences web site says.

Upper-year students who will be living in residence, including Columbia Lake Village, can arrive as early as this Sunday, which is August 31, but most will trickle in later next week. “You have until the first day of classes to move in,” the housing office says, noting that if somebody doesn’t show up by that time, or submit a Late Arrival Form, they’ll give away the space September 8 “on a first come first serve basis”.

The web site includes suggested lists of “what to bring” and, more urgently, “what not to bring”, including candles and incense, weapons, pets, “your own furniture”, heaters, air conditioners and cooking appliances.

The new students will no doubt meet their dons as they arrive, but organized floor meetings are set for 5:30 Monday, and that’s the beginning of orientation activities for most students. (Those in the four colleges, and involved in the “off-campus” orientation program, will be kept busy starting Monday morning.) Then students will gather from 7 to 8:30 p.m. to participate in team-building activities on the Village green.

The six-day orientation program offers a balance of academic information and social events. "We will introduce first-year students to a range of academic and social activities that will help them as they adjust to a new environment and new expectations," says Heather FitzGerald, UW's director of student life. "It's also an opportunity for the university and its federation of students to showcase their services. And it's a tremendous experience for the more than 1,000 student volunteer leaders."

While most activities are designed for students in particular faculties or departments and residences or colleges, there are some that target all first-year students. All are encouraged to attend one of next week’s nine showings of “Single and Sexy”, a play that raises issues ranging from sex to social responsibility.

Tuesday is largely an academic day. Students will meet their deans and other members of their faculties and departments, and will tour the campus and learn about the range of services, from athletics to counselling. The day finishes with a Village variety night, with movies and live performers at various locations across campus, beginning at 9 p.m.

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OSAP appointments held in Tatham

The beginning of the fall term means thousands of UW students doing the paperwork to get the money — the loans, grants and bursaries, mostly from government sources, that will make their studies possible this year. Rhonda Voskamp, assistant director of student awards and financial aid, sends these details about the procedures for the main source of such funding, the Ontario Student Assistance Program:

“The Student Awards and Financial Aid Office will be releasing OSAP funding by appointment only from Tatham Centre starting on September 2. An on-line appointment system is being introduced to allow students to select a date and time to pick up their loan funding. Appointments will be available between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day from September 2-19.

“Representatives from the National Student Loan Centre will also be on site at Tatham Centre during these hours to complete loan processing. On September 9, 11 and 17 appointments will be available between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

“We anticipate the on-line appointment system will improve the overall experience for students by decreasing the time required to pick up loan funding. An email will be sent to all OSAP students explaining the new on-line appointment system. Students may also check the web site for additional information.

“Students who receive funding from other provinces, part-time, or US funding should pick up their loans at the Student Awards and Financial Aid office in Needles Hall beginning September 2. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

“Students are reminded that they must have their fees arranged before picking up their funding. Students must also provide proof of gross earnings for their pre-study period and present their SIN card and government-issued photo ID (UW ID cards are not acceptable) at the time of funding pickup.”

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What's the buzz? Dragonflies, in part

Nobody seems to have complained, but the "Link of the Day" in Wednesday's Daily Bulletin was wrong — an exact repeat of the one that previously appeared on the day it was meant for, July 29. Just so you're not shortchanged, I'll note now that the Link that should have been published on Wednesday was to mark the 100th birthday of Lyndon B. Johnson, a name that's been mentioned a number of times in the course of this week's Democratic National Convention.

“Nancy Collins and I were walking toward Engineering II earlier this month,” writes librarian Christine Jewell, “and noticed a small cluster of students all looking at the brick wall to the left of the entrance. We joined them for a closer look and saw the focus of interest — a huge dragonfly!” The photo at left is one of several that they promptly took. “You can see the enormity of the insect, relative to the size of the bricks,” says Jewell. “The wings were a shimmering gold in the sun.”

"International undergraduate students are invited," says the Waterloo International website, "to participate in a research project entitled 'International Students in the University of Waterloo’s Co-op Program: Their Unique Challenges and Opportunities.' The researchers [based in the Centre for Teaching Excellence] are interested to hear from those of you who are enrolled in the co-op program to learn about your expectations of the program and questions that you might have about it. In order to do so, you are asked to complete a 16-item questionnaire that will be distributed during the following sessions (it should take around 20 min. to complete it). After everyone has completed the questionnaire and received a card with a number, there will be a random draw for a winner of an iPod!" The sessions are scheduled for September 10 (1:30), September 17 (11:30), and September 24 (4:30), all at Waterloo International on the first floor of Needles Hall.

Kate Jessop of UW's marketing and undergraduate recruitment office should be heading home today after a 12-day tour of India in the company of recruiters from 16 other Canadian universities. "India is one of our priority markets," says Jessop, adding that the tour concentrated on "independent school visits to the to schools in each city," from Bangalore to Pune. There was also an open house this past Wednesday at the Canadian Education Centre in New Delhi, open to "all prospective undergraduate and graduate students and their parents".

All orders placed on the UW bookstore's website by August 31 (which means today is the final day) are promised free shipping. • A team including half a dozen UW faculty and staff members, mostly from counselling services, raised more than $8,000 last week in the annual Wheelcycle event supporting multiple sclerosis research. • "A small group of volunteers" is heading to Pearson Airport both Saturday and Sunday, math student Gregory Mayer says, to greet newly arriving international students and transport them to Waterloo.

CAR

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