Renovations at St. Jerome's University over the summer have been completed, including this "state of the art" teaching space for the mathematics department. It's described as the first of many classroom renewal projects planned for St. Jerome's.

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Spotlight on grad schools this week

Events in the Student Life Centre today, tomorrow and Thursday are aimed at students who might be thinking that what comes right after their undergraduate years isn't the world of employment. "Whatever your reasons for considering graduate or professional school, Career Services has an event for you," organizers promise.

Today, first of all, brings a Graduate Studies Fair, at which information will available from most of UW's academic departments about their master’s and PhD programs. Students can hear about admission requirements, research opportunities, and scholarships and funding, as well as purely academic matters.

Then Wednesday and Thursday, the SLC will see "Professional & Post-degree Days". Students will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from about 100 institutions from North America, Europe and Australia. This once-a-year event allows students to find out more about career options, graduate school admission requirements, program specifics, and the procedures and deadlines for applications. Some of the fields of study offered are Business, Chiropractic, Education, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Health Sciences, Law, Naturopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Rehabilitation Sciences, Social Work, Theology, and Veterinary Medicine.

All three days, the fairs will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the great hall of the SLC.

Elisabeth Adrian of Career Services, which is housed in the Tatham Centre, notes that in addition to organizing PPD Day, her department "also offers individual appointments to provide information about the grad application process, review of applications, and mock grad/professional school interviews on an ongoing basis. Book your appointment early, the easy way: online.

"If you are just starting to think about the next steps after your undergrad degree, you may also consider attending one of the Career Services workshops such as Snapshot of Grad Admissions, Are You Thinking about an MBA? or any of the presentations on medical and law school featured at the beginning of the Fall and Winter terms."

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PACS students get first-hand views

by Susan Fish, Conrad Grebel University College

Sarah Jutzi, Steve Rempel and Denise Whaley were among the students returning to classes at UW this fall, but they came back to school with unique perspectives on their studies.

Jutzi (left), Rempel (right) and Whaley are among the Peace and Conflict Studies students at Conrad Grebel University College who have had the opportunity to put their learning to work in real life situations and get credit for the experience through Peace and Conflict Field Studies courses in Canada and around the world.

Grebel, home to Canada’s oldest Peace and Conflict Studies program, began its Field Studies course in 1985. Then Director Ron Mathies wanted to allow students an option of putting classroom theories into action as interns, in a variation on the University of Waterloo’s celebrated co-op program. Since the Field Studies program began, nearly 200 students have worked in a variety of contexts in their home communities and in 48 countries around the world. Field study placements are in diverse organizations -- from social justice agencies to educational settings toreligious organizations, to multi-cultural groups.

Field studies are normally at least four months in length but can be up to a year. Students earn one course equivalent for their Field Study placement and can arrange for a Directed Readings course to conduct research related to their field study placement. PACS advisors help students find a placement, and provide supervision before, during and after the field study placement.

Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies program, Lowell Ewert, says “Students are inspired by the courageous people they encounter who see opportunity for peace where others only see danger, who see hope where others only see despair, and who persevere in the face of difficult obstacles when surrender may seem to be the easier option.Students are profoundly touched by these courageous peace-makers they encounter locally, nationally and internationally.”

Sarah Jutzi, whose field study placement was with a peace promotion program in Nepal, would agree. She says, “What I will take away from this trip regarding the peace process is an appreciation for its lengthy, complex and incredibly intense course of development in a culture that has been affected by years of violence, unrest and discrimination. Nothing is ever completely straightforward. If you want to truly understand a situation, you must look at it long and hard from the inside and from all sides in order to get a significant grasp on what is needed and what the next steps might be.”

Denise Whaley, who worked in the Kitchener-Waterloo community, learned similar lessons at the Kitchener-Waterloo community Centre where she assisted in various community programs, including programs for new Canadians and children, as well as in food distribution programs.

“In many cases, I was a witness to things unfolding, a compassionate ear to frustrations. My PACS study experiences have helped me to see how in most situations, conflict arises from many angles. I now see the subtler early stages of brewing conflict much more easily.The PACS program taught me how to listen more effectively to people and their needs, and bringing that to Sunnydale has allowed me to really get to know the people I met and better understand them. My experiences in the last few months have helped me step back from my biases and preconceived notions, look at them, and consider how they are affecting how I interact with others.”

Enrolment in the Peace and Conflict Studies program is growing rapidly, especially since the introduction of the PACS Major, and a steady number of students are participating in the Field Studies program. Lowell Ewert says, “Field studies are almost always life changing as students deeply partake in another culture, usually for the first time in their life.”

PACS major Steve Rempel recently returned from a year in Bangladesh where he worked as a Peace Coordinator with a Taize community. He reports that he comes back with a “multitude of questions” and a sense that “the world is a complex place. I feel as if I have a better working knowledge of some of those complexities and that I understand myself better.”

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Other notes on a Tuesday (not Monday)

This statement from UW Media Relations was released Friday. “The University of Waterloo welcomes today's promise of $50 million to support the research efforts of the university's Institute for Quantum Computing. ‘This is a wonderful pledge of support for UW's world-recognized Institute for Quantum Computing,’ said President David Johnston. ‘This would build on a lead gift by our Chancellor (Mike Lazaridis) and the contribution by the Province of Ontario who committed grants of $50 million each to IQC and PI (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics), as well as the federal government's contribution of $50 million to the PI.’ Johnston said this emphasizes the significance of Canada working smarter and investing in 21st century science & technology and talented people. He said it also reinforces UW's leading role in quantum computing and nanotechnology research, with a $160 million building currently under construction to house our world leading efforts in quantum computing.”

Caryl Russell (right), director of the UW Well-Fit program based in kinesiology, is one of seven women who were honoured on Thursday as K-W Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year. She received the Health and Wellness Award. From the citation: "For the past 25 years Caryl has demonstrated, promoted and championed mental and physical health and well being with her various roles within the KW community. This is demonstrated with her involvement with the community program Hearty Hearts (active Board member for 20+ years) and the UW program Well-Fit (spearheaded the program). Hardy Hearts is a program dedicated to helping those who are recovering from heart attacks or who have undergone bypass surgery. Well-Fit is a unique program of strength training for those undergoing cancer treatment.

The new Accountancy wing of Hagey Hall must be nearing completion, with the announcement that Bondfield Construction “will start site cleanup and preparation for landscaping” today. “Some existing asphalt walkways will be removed, and granular bases for curbs will begin,” says Don Haffner of the plant operations department. The doors to the existing building that are closest to the construction site will be blocked off for “three to four weeks”, he says, or at least restricted to being emergency exits only.

The office of Organizational and Human Development “is pleased to announce,” says a memo from Mark Lisetto-Smith of OHD, “that the E.D.G.E. brochure for the fall 2008 courses is currently available online. Highlights of the fall course offerings include Serving a World of Customers, Effective Presentations, Financial Planning, as well as OHD's popular core programming. The digital brochure is a PDF that can be filled out and submitted back to the OHD via email. Hard copies of the brochure have been mailed out to those staff that do not have access to e-mail. As well, hard copies of the brochure are available upon request.”

A notice to UW Staff Association members that online voting to elect the 2008-2010 directors is now open. Information about the candidates has been sent to all members. You may request a paper ballot by emailing staffasc@uwaterloo.ca, phoning ext. 33566, or (starting Wednesday) visiting Davis Centre room 3603.

It rained last Wednesday, you’ll recall, but still 36 people showed up to take part in the Keystone Campaign’s second annual Run/Walk for Excellence around the ring road. That included 22 runners and 14 walkers, says Ryan Jacobs of the development office, who sends the organizers’ thanks not just to them but to departments that helped make the event happen, including food services, the UW police, and athletics and recreational services. Fastest runner was Steve Formaneck, graduate student in management sciences, who made it around the loop in 8 minutes 16 seconds. Fastest woman on the route was Julie Cassaubon of applied health sciences (11:20) and fastest walker was Fatima Costa of development and alumni affairs (23:06).

St. Jerome’s University got some attention on CBC television (both English and French) last week, says Elisabeth Kolenko, who’s handling communications there these days. “SJU was selected by Bell,” she writes, “to participate in a project that would profile the integration of our voice and data wireless technologies in residence.” The resulting video is now available online.

Also from St. Jerome’s University is news of a recent student fund-raising exercise, as summarized in a memo from residence manager Glen Lombard: "You may have heard the various Residence Floor Competition festivities taking place throughout the week of September 29 – October 2. A hallmark event during the week, Penny Pinchers, has traditionally raised approximately $1,000 for a local charity or not-for-profit organization. Lunchtime on Friday October 3, marked the end of this year’s Penny Pincher campaign. The final push to donate and outdo their competitors meant unprecedented gains for all four Floor Competition teams. I am proud to say that St. Jerome’s residents have exceeded all expectations to raise $3,441.50. All profits will be donated to the Red Cross of Canada to help families affected by Hurricane Ike. Please join me in congratulating the Residence Council Executive, Philip Bulsink, Dave Drewery and Jennifer Pepper for their efforts. A special thank you goes to the Residence Council Activities Coordinator, Zach Budd and Laura Keck, for their hard work in organizing and coordinating the week’s festivities.”

CAR

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