Future students get their first look

An all-day event at UW this Saturday will offer an in-depth look at the university and campus life for prospective students and their families.

Close to 4,000 visitors are expected at the fall open house — mostly on the main campus, with some at the school of architecture in Cambridge. The event is held as students are making up their minds about which universities best suit their needs, looking ahead to the main January 13 deadline for applications for admission next fall.

"Visiting the campus is the best way for people to see for themselves what Waterloo has to offer," says Kim McKee, manager of the visitors centre. "The day showcases the university's academic strengths, world-leading co-op program, student life and leadership opportunities. Visitors can take a walking tour of the campus and speak with our student ambassadors about their personal Waterloo community experience."

The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with tours starting from the Student Life Centre. Information booths there will be open all day long. More detailed academic presentations will be offered by the six faculties in buildings around campus, and parents can stop by the parents' corner in the SLC for tips on how to help with the process of applying to universities.

The day includes residence tours and visits to the colleges. The future students are invited to eat in the the campus's food services outlets and browse in the bookstore and the Waterloo Store for souvenirs. Free parking is offered all day in half a dozen main campus lots.

Visitors are being encouraged to bring their cameras and upload their pictures to a UW marketing office web site "for a chance to win Waterloo gear. Photos will be featured in the campus photo gallery."

Students who favour UW and decide to apply will also be encouraged to attend the spring open house on March 16, which is aimed mostly at young people who by that time have applied to their choice of universities and are considering whether to accept a Waterloo offer.

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Talking development, tonight and tomorrow

A leading international development entrepreneur will discuss solutions to help millions of people escape poverty during a public talk tonight that's partly sponsored by the new environmental school UW is launching tomorrow.

The speaker is Paul Polak, founder of International Development Enterprises, who will give his lecture, "Out of Poverty: What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail", at 7:30 p.m. in MacKirdy Hall at St. Paul's University College. IDE is a global non-profit organization that has improved the lives of an estimated 17 million people in developing countries.

The lecture is sponsored by St. Paul's, home of UW's international development undergraduate program, in partnership with the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), which will hold a day-long launch celebration Friday.

In his talk, Polak will debunk what he calls three myths: that we can donate people out of poverty, that national economic growth will end poverty, and that big business, operating as it does now, will end poverty.

"Paul Polak challenges us to rethink our approaches to water, agriculture, markets and design," said Larry Swatuk, director of the international development program. "More fundamentally, Paul inspires us first to listen to poor people and understand the specific context in which they live. Only then can the richest 10 per cent of the world bring about long-term change by creating opportunities that encourage local entrepreneurs to become active participants in a market-driven economy."

So far around the globe, IDE has successfully developed and distributed 200,000 of the world's first drip-irrigation systems for small farms — costing farmers as little as $3 each — and two million $25 treadle pumps. His new organization, D-Rev, is developing affordable products for the world's poor, including a $10 solar lantern to illuminate homes, a $4 household water filter and a $50 gasifier for generating heat.

Tomorrow comes the launch of SEED, described as North America's first school focusing on environmentally responsible business and development. SEED, centred in Waterloo's faculty of environment, will provide sustainable solutions to key local and global environmental, social and developmental challenges through education, research and training.

"SEED provides solutions to sustainable development-including local and global environmental, social and economic challenges," said Steven Young, its interim director. "Students will graduate with real-world experience and training that will empower them to initiate and lead creative and influential projects in Canada and around the world."

As part of its launch Friday, SEED will present a provocative, day-long symposium, entitled "Business Not As Usual". Participation is by invitation. Federal industry minister Tony Clement will give the opening plenary talk, followed by feature panel debates on two topics: "Is Green Enough?" and "Local Versus Global". The closing plenary speaker is Stuart Smith, former chair of Canada's National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. The event will be held at Federation Hall beginning at 8:45 a.m. and will be webcast on the SEED web site.

Over last 40 years, Waterloo's faculty of environment has claimed a leadership role in dealing with resource, ecosystem, policy and sustainability issues. The faculty's programs have been widely cited as a model for how the environment and business should be integrated in an academic setting. SEED integrates the faculty's expertise in environmental sustainability, business management and economic development.

The new school offers two undergraduate programs: Bachelor of Environmental Studies in environment and business and BES in international development. The existing graduate program in local economic development will be complemented by additional master's degrees and training programs in environment, business and development, starting in 2010.

SEED expects to have more than 800 students and 15 to 20 faculty members by 2012. The school will produce the largest number of graduates with combined business, development and environmental expertise of any school in North America.

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Architecture student's strawbale summer

by Magdalena Milosz, from the latest issue of the Inside Scoop newsletter for UW co-op students

A couple of summers ago, I decided to spend my co-op term outdoors, learning practical construction skills and trying to figure out just how a building gets put together. As an architecture undergraduate, I’d already had some co-op work terms in the private sector. Those experiences motivated me to seek out work in a non-profit setting, ideally a hands-on green building internship.

When I started my search, I scoured sites like idealist.org, and prepared a few applications before finally arranging to spend my summer at Heathcote Community as a natural building intern. Heathcote is an intentional community (members share responsibilities and re- sources) near Baltimore, Maryland, whose members were in the process of building a new strawbale residence.

Soon after my arrival, it became obvious that I’d learn more than just practical building skills. Being an intern at Heathcote meant fully participating in community life, including weekly meetings, nightly dinners, recreational activities and gardening work that provided much of the fresh food we ate. I worked at the building site three days a week, performing more manual labour than I’d ever done in my life.

This opportunity was fantastic; it allowed me to learn practical skills, get in shape and meet many interesting people. My jobs included everything from plastering, cleaning and painting, to making a cob stove. I learned about lime and earthen plasters, strawbale construction and natural paints. I studied the architectural plans to connect the ideas on paper to the physical, built reality.

In addition to the work on the house, there were other aspects of the Heathcote internship that meshed well with the UW co-op program. Once a week, the interns, our supervisor (who was also working on the house) and the other workers met to discuss progress, goals and inspiration. These meetings were a good chance to check in and make sure the experience was going well for everyone. The scheduled Intern Night each Monday was a well-attended event, during which interns and other community members would gather to go on hikes, have a bonfire or play games. I also chose to attend a weekly meditation group.

Every Thursday, I had the opportunity to listen in on the details of community life at Heathcote’s community meeting. Not only did I get to know the residents of Heathcote, I also learned how the community is structured socially, financially and politically. It was here that I learned about the practical details of organizing a community building project, as well as other aspects of community life, such as consensus-based decision making.

At the end of the summer, I had learned much more than just how to find my way around a construction site. Living at Heathcote taught me to see the world in a different way, one in which I could become a direct participant in the change I wanted to see. The house I worked on was the result of much hard work, by many committed individuals, and it was wonderful to be able to participate in such a community-oriented project.

CAR

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