At a celebration this month, Graham Brown, principal of St. Paul's College, applauds the official opening of a $1 million renovation to food service and lounge space at the college. Donors Jeanne Elgie-Watson and Bill Watson, a Toronto lawyer who currently heads UW's Alumni Council, were honoured at the unveiling, reception and dinner on October 2. "It is a great privilege to name the new student centre after Bill and Jeanne," said Brown. "Our many committed alumni would agree that the Watsons perfectly exemplify the importance of student community."

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Police charge 591 as term begins

a release from the Waterloo Regional Police (as also reported in the Record newspaper)

During September, members of the Waterloo Regional Police Service in partnership with the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, City of Waterloo By-law Enforcement, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission and Waterloo Fire Department participated in Project Safe Semester aimed at ensuring the highest level of community safety.

“There is a great deal of enthusiasm and exuberance in our community at this time of year , and our police service is among many who welcome the arrival of thousands of new members to our community,” said Division 3 Superintendent Dave Mazurek. “Through Project Safe Semester, our Service along with our community partners, attempts to ensure a smooth transition as our new residents settle into their new homes and start benefiting from the high quality of life we enjoy in Waterloo Region. We encourage everyone to commit to a lasting spirit of cooperation , courtesy and mutual respect.”

Throughout September, teams consisting of police officers, community partners and student volunteers proactively visit ed over 1,500 homes meeting with residents to address matters of mutual interest and provide important information relating to safety and community resources.

As part of our focused enforcement efforts, Regional Police in conjunction with our partner agencies conducted enhanced patrols on foot, bicycles and vehicles with the goal of ensuring public safety through strict enforcement and early intervention of potentially disruptive activities , while investigating and resolving complaints and concerns. As a result of these efforts the following charges were laid:

• Liquor Licence Act 380 (336 in 2007)
• Highway Traffic Act 97 (135 in 2007)
• Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act 10 (none in 2007)
• Trespass to Property Act 2 (10 in 2007)
• Environmental Protection Act 6 (19 in 2007)
• City of Waterloo By-Law 81 (162 in 2007)
• Criminal Code 8 (38 in 2007)
• Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 7 (2 in 2007)
• Total 591 (702 last year)

Project Safe Semester supports an ongoing multi-faceted approach to encouraging public order and peaceful co-existence among all residents living, working and studying in Waterloo Region through proactive education and awareness, relationship building and focused enforcement.

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UW ranked 129th, and more notes

Waterloo is in the 98th percentile of the world's universities, judging from rankings published this month by the British newspaper The Times. The annual Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings put UW in 129th place among some 600 institutions rated, and those in turn are the cream of the world's estimated 10,000 universities. Waterloo was ranked 30th in the world for engineering and information technology, 42nd for the natural sciences, and 108th in social sciences. The world's top university, according to this round of rankings, is Harvard; Canada's elite include McGill (20th in the world), British Columbia and Toronto.

The money is starting to roll in for UW's United Way campaign, organizers say: as of Wednesday night, gifts and pledges adding up to $124,280 had been received. The goal this year is $175,000, so that's 71 per cent of what's needed, says Joanna Niezen in the United Way office. On the other hand, only 7.1 per cent of staff and faculty have pitched in so far, "so keep on doing what you're doing," she urges volunteers. Today's a "dress down day" for the cause, and next Friday will be the very opposite, a "formal day" to attract attention and $2 contributions to the kitty. Other special events include a bake sale today in the housing and residences department, a departmental tea (with "goodies" Monday in the pure mathematics department, and a silent auction in the registrar's office that winds up Tuesday. The campaign supports some four dozen local agencies, which means there are a variety of possible answers if anybody were to ask what a $250 gift will do: "250 comfort kits for victims of a disaster" through the Red Cross; "a rollator walker" for someone who needs mobility to continue living independently, through the March of Dimes; or computer training, workbooks and related resources for one individual through the Literacy Group of Waterloo Region.

Theologian and author Ada Maria Isasi-Díaz comes to St. Jerome’s University tonight to give this year’s Teresa Dease Lecture (7:30 p.m. in Siegfried Hall). She’ll speak on "Justice in the 21st Century: Reconciling Dialogue”. Isasi-Díaz is professor of ethics and theology at Drew University, New Jersey, and the author of numerous articles and books, including Hispanic Women: Prophetic Voice in the Church (2005) and Mujerista Theology: A Theology for the 21st Century (1996). Since the 1970s she has lectured around the world on the importance of developing a prophetic theology to address social and political injustices facing poor and marginalized communities. Focusing primarily on the plight of Latina women, Isasi-Díaz is known for her role in developing a “mujerista” theology that stems, an announcement explains, “from the everyday lives of Latina women and their prophetic cry for liberation. . . . She is writing a book on justice as an act of reconciliation rooted in care and tenderness. . . . A core component of this process of reconciliation is an in-depth dialogue based on a shared worldview and a commitment to create conditions and institutions in which no one is excluded.”

Warrior Weekend events are scheduled tonight and tomorrow night in the Student Life Centre — crafts, food, and movies, including the latest Indiana Jones tonight at 9:00 and "Made of Honor" at 11:00, "Get Smart" and "What Happens in Vegas" tomorrow night. And there's more, says Katie Warner of the student life office, who organizers these things: "We had a mixup with our Drag Show event and it had to be moved to Saturday night when it was scheduled for Friday." That edgy event, sponsored by GLOW ("the Queer and Questioning Community Centre"), will start at 8:00 Saturday evening.

China Week is about to begin on campus, with Chinese movie nights, a by-invitation literary symposium, and a talk October 24 (11:45 at Renison College) by China's ambassador to Canada, Lijun Lan. • Fans of the Warriors can "kick for tuition" at tomorrow's football game or "shoot for tuition" at the men's hockey contest tonight or women's hockey on Sunday afternoon. • The Ontario government has given McMaster University additional funding for its branch medical school at the UW health sciences campus in Kitchener, with the result that 21 students will be admitted each year in future, up from the present 15.

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Teen girls introduced to engineering

from the UW media relations office

More than 100 girls in Grades 7 through 10 will gather at UW on Saturday for Go Eng Girl, an annual event that encourages young women to consider a career in engineering. (Registration for the event is now closed.)

Go Eng Girl is designed to spark an interest in engineering at a time when many female students abandon mathematics and the sciences. The program introduces the students and their parent or guardian to the range of undergraduate programs and careers that follow after graduation.

"Many young women aren't sticking with math and science throughout high school, so they are missing out on the opportunity to even consider engineering when it comes time to think about university," said Devon MacDonald, one of the event organizers with UW's faculty of engineering. "The overall goal of the event is to help students and their parents understand that engineers have a huge impact on society, something women are usually attracted to, and to think about this before they decide to quit math and science."

Last year, 115 girls participated in the event, along with 97 parents. MacDonald expects close to 250 people to attend this year.

The day begins at 9 a.m. in the J. R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall with registration, followed by welcoming remarks from Amit Chakma, UW's provost, at 9:30 a.m. Cat Coode, a Waterloo engineering alumni and a senior manager at Research In Motion, will also welcome the participants.

At 10:20 a.m., the students will be paired with female undergraduate students to work on one of two projects, either creating an earthquake-proof structure or a renewable energy windmill. Meanwhile, parents and guardians will learn about admissions, co-op and other topics. After a free lunch, members of an undergraduate student panel will share their experiences. An information fair will showcase various student groups and offer further information about admissions and co-op.

CAR

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