Not only architecture and civil engineering students get to build things. This view is from Speech Communication 324, where an exercise in group dynamics called for building “a structure that is free-standing, as tall as possible and as beautiful as possible”. Members of the team who call themselves Small Group, Big Hearts show off the result (and form heart shapes with their fingers): Marla Turner, Micaela Buchnea-Chew, Jessalyn Broadfoot, Mike Kelly, Anum Tariq, Leigh LePage.

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Finance launches central billing system

A new campus-wide "accounts receivable" system — software and procedures for collecting the millions of dollars that individuals and businesses owe to UW — "will benefit the university from a high-level perspective and from a departmental perspective", says Karen Hamilton, manager of student financials in the UW finance office.

"The university has never had an accounts receivable system or module," she says. "It was a completely manual system consisting of journal entries and Word documents," and has relied heavily on individuals in departments across campus to send out bills and see that the money is collected.

What's now being introduced is "an integrated AR system with the current Oracle Financials", Hamilton said. Oracle, introduced in 1996, is used to manage most other aspects of UW's finances, which see more than half a billion dollars a year going through the books.

She said finance officials don't find it easy to estimate how much money UW is owed at any one time — by students, governments, corporations and other entities — but there's no question that it's "a lot".

"At fiscal year end April 30, 2007," she reports, "it became apparent that a more robust, automated system needed to be implemented immediately. The university has contracted with a consultant from Trecata to facilitate and guide the project implementation. The project team consists of Margaret Stephenson from IST, Jen Connolly from the Office of Research, and myself."

Her expectation for the new system: "Institutionally, we will be able to better manage the cash flow of the university as a whole. Policies and Procedures will be in place to encourage best practices across campus right from the customer approval through to the collection cycle. Departmentally, revenue will be recognized in the period earned and therefore provide better reporting tools that reflect actual department activity in the proper period. Departments will no longer need to mail out invoices, statements or conduct any collection activities. It will all be handled at an institutional level. The new system can only create efficiencies and enhance the university's effectiveness within ourselves and with our customers."

Training sessions for those who need them will be held next week, she said, and the expected go-live date is November 3.

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GIS job puts student in New Zealand

In the Inside Scoop newsletter aimed at UW co-op students, Andrea Lorentz writes about a UW co-op student working for Trimble Navigation Ltd.

In Trimble’s New Zealand office, co-op student Christina Miceli (right) is working as an Assistant Tester in the Mapping and GIS Division. The Honours Geography major was plucked from a roster of 86 applicants, and was shipped off to Christchurch (a city of roughly 350,000 located on New Zealand’s South Island) accompanied by a hefty allowance of $3,000 NZD that was granted by the company.

“My primary motivation was to have the opportunity to work for Trimble,” Miceli says of why she opted to work abroad. “The fact that the opportunity was located in New Zealand was a bonus!” But before she could stuff her luggage and board a plane, she needed to apply for a work visa. “I had no idea where to start,” she says, reporting that Tony Munro, the field coordinator in Co-op Education and Career Services who specializes in international jobs. “pointed me towards several different options, and he even wrote one of the letters that accompanied my application. Now that I am in Christchurch, it’s comforting to know that he is never more than an e-mail away.”

Miceli’s job is to design, run, and document results of testing experiments. It requires some serious technological know-how and a willingness to undertake outdoor and physical work when required. “During the course of a week, I could be out in the field with a GPS handheld, organizing the inventory of GPS equipment, running through tutorials and installation guides, or writing and implementing test plans,” she says.

Miceli is helping to design several geodatabases for mock companies, based on several real companies. “A geodatabase can be used to store, query, and manipulate spatial data, for example, to find all hydroelectric poles that need to be serviced within one neighborhood,” she says. “These geodatabases will become testing grounds for a new software program.” When finished, the geodatabase will be able to test the new software’s scalability by creating customer-like schemas and populating it with as much realistic data as possible.

This project will be Miceli’s major contribution to Trimble, even as she is grappling with the challenge of having no previous testing experience, and learning exactly what is required to do the job and then doing it properly. “One of the most important things I need to remember is to not look at the program as a user, but as a tester,” she explains, accepting that this particular thought process is has been, up until now, foreign.

Speaking of foreign, Miceli has been learning to adapt to New Zealand living, and has appreciated the similarities in language, food, and culture. “Kiwis (people from New Zealand) have their own words and lingo that I am slowly starting to learn,” she says. “For example, my housemate asked me to get something on the bench in the kitchen, and I spent ten confusing minutes looking around — turns out a bench is what Kiwis call a countertop, and I was searching for something that was right under my nose.” But the biggest challenge, Miceli says, is the difference in the direction of traffic. “My first week in Christchurch was spent frantically looking both ways, crossing the street at the wrong time, and getting honked at a lot.” Now a few months wiser, Miceli has become more apt at predicting the flow of traffic. “I just hope I can drive correctly when I get back to Canada!”

Miceli does, on occasion, miss that feeling of being somewhere familiar: “Every time I do feel homesick, I just think about how lucky I am to have this opportunity, and I realize that I should make the most of it while I am here.” And of course, she stays in touch with friends and family by e-mailing and talking on Skype. “The 14-hour time difference means I have to plan my communications when we are both awake."

She would recommend the international work experience to anyone who wants to try something different. “You constantly find yourself facing new situations and challenges, and it’s extremely rewarding to be able to feel completely independent. . . . Four months goes by really quickly, and it’s amazing how much there is to see in a new place.”

Students interested in pursuing a work term outside Canada should contact their co- op advisor, who will introduce the process and then direct them to the appropriate International Employment Advisor to explore job opportunities. The majority of international positions are available in the United States, with the highest demand in fields with skill shortages.

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Not a word about Oktoberfest, not one

The associate provost (information systems and technology) has announced that Jason Testart (left) has been named to the just-created position of Manager, Security, in IST. "Jason has been Manager, Telecommunications Services, since June," writes associate provost Alan George, "and prior to that served as Technical Manager, User Support, in CSCF."" (That's the Computer Science Computing Facility.) "Jason will be making the transition to his new position over the upcoming weeks," said George, "and I look forward to working with him in his new role."

There's a federal election coming on Tuesday, and no, neither Barack Obama nor John McCain is going to be prime minister of Canada when it's all over. Many UW people are involved in the campaign and related activities, and presumably most of those on campus will be voting, either here in Kitchener-Waterloo riding or at "home" in the communities they came from. As always, the Federation of Students is keen to get out the student vote, which is why a memo yesterday announces that the Federation "is looking to hire students to staff a two-person information booth in the Student Life Centre on October 14. The Federation of Students will be helping students to get out their vote by transporting them from the SLC to their polling locations and back. FEDS is seeking volunteers to staff an information booth to educate students on how and where to vote. Volunteers will also be required to direct students to University vans parked in the SLC/PAC parking lot in accordance with their designated polling location." There are two four-hour shifts, which makes a total of four slots to be filled. Anybody interested can get in touch with Federation vice-president (education) Andres Fuentes.

The temporary arts copy centre in the Humanities building will close as of today, and Campus Copy Dana Porter on the second floor of the library reopens Tuesday following its extended renovations. • Thanksgiving dinner is offered tonight at Mudie's cafeteria in Village I (or for those who like turkey but not cranberries, there's turkey schnitzel at lunchtime at REVelation in Ron Eydt Village). • William Ott, director of laboratories in the electrical and computer engineering department, officially retired October 1, ending a UW career that began in April 1985.

Class enrolment appointments are under way (through October 18) for undergraduate students to sign up for winter term classes. • Organizers of the United Way campaign report that as of Tuesday night, $93,809 had already been received toward this year's $175,000 target. • Ranking of winter term co-op jobs for accounting students will open at 1:00 tomorrow and run through the long weekend.

CAR

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