Sick enough to miss test? See a doctor

A memo issued by Bruce Mitchell, associate provost (academic and student affairs)

The Office of Academic Integrity, established in the fall of 2007, has been working on joint initiatives with the faculties to enhance various procedures related to academic integrity.

One issue is handling Verification of Illness Forms (VIF). The university’s decision to not require the submission of a VIF, in these extraordinary times when the onset of flu due to H1N1 is expected to be widespread, coincides with Senate’s approval of a regulation, Accommodation Due to Illness. This regulation is intended to be applied during normal times once the current pandemic is over and for absences now that are due to illness or injury not related to H1N1. It underscores that students be treated fairly across campus and that a set of common guidelines is established for all instructors to follow.

Update: Absences Due to Flu (H1N1). On September 21, the provost stated that “the University is considering a protocol whereby students self declare their absence if they are seeking accommodation from an instructor for missed assignments, tests and the like. The method for doing so will be announced soon.” The Registrar’s Office and IST are giving top priority to the development of the self reporting vehicle that students will use and the dissemination of this information to faculty members. Instructions will be forthcoming soon.

Accommodation Due to Illness. Effective October 2009, VIF forms will only be accepted for serious illness requiring bed rest at home or hospitalization, or for an infectious disease, except H1N1, for which self-quarantine is warranted. In all cases, the student must attend UW Health Services or the family physician during the illness so as to receive appropriate medical care and an accurate diagnosis. The UW Verification of Illness Form must be completed by the physician during the student’s medical appointment. Only the UW Verification of Illness Form will be accepted by the University. Should a student forget to take a copy of the form to the appointment, s/he must make arrangements to have it completed by the physician. Any resulting fees are the responsibility of the student. A VIF form will not be accepted unless the student has seen a physician during the illness. If a student is ill enough to prevent him/her from completing assignments or writing tests or exams, s/he should be under the care of a physician.

A student unable to present a VIF is not entitled to special consideration, and may receive a zero grade for the appropriate assignment, test or exam. The VIF form may be retained in the student’s home departmental file for future reference; practices vary among faculties.

Consistent application of this regulation ensures that:

• students receive appropriate and timely medical care for their health condition(s);
• instructors are not put in a situation in which they are asked to make a judgement call on health matters;
• physicians recommend appropriate medical care based on a personal assessment and professional judgement;
• students are treated fairly.

The text of the regulation is available online. Questions may be directed to Faye Schultz, Administrative Assistant, Office of Academic Integrity (ext. 38562 or fschultz@ uwaterloo.ca).

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Open house for 5 stores; other notes

An open house and grand opening event today and tomorrow will celebrate the new brands for UW’s retail stores and the opening of the new ESmart store in South Campus Hall. It’s a spinoff of what was formerly TechWorx and has now been rebranded WriteStuff — the little sibling of the Bookstore and the Waterloo Store (formerly UW Shop). ESmart will carry some of the same merchandise as retail services’ larger electronics store in the Student Life Centre, known as CampusTech. So that makes, let’s see, five retail outlets in total, and all are participating in this week’s celebration. “Over the course of both days,” says Kathryn Fedy of retail services, “there will be several events going on (including demonstrations of the Espresso Book Machine, laptop clearance sales, a sidewalk sale and free giveaways). We are running a passport contest where ballots will be available for pick up in all of our store locations, and completed passports that are stamped at all five stores and dropped off at ESmart by 4:59 p.m. on Wednesday will be entered into a draw to win a Lenovo IdeaPad S10E, valued at $399,” as well as some smaller prizes.

A couple of events of general interest are happening tomorrow at noontime. First, there’s a brown-bag seminar sponsored by the marketing and undergraduate recruitment office. “Are you a staff or faculty member who knows a student who is planning to apply to university?” a flyer asks. “Join us for a brown bag lunch session and learn more about the process of applying to universities in Ontario. Speakers will cover topics including the university application process, housing and residences, financing their education, and the UW tuition benefit. UW recruitment and admissions staff will also be available to answer your questions about UW's undergraduate programs. Registration is not required. Availability is based on room.” The event starts at 12:00 tomorrow in Needles Hall room 1116.

Maybe the participants in the “application process” seminar will see participants in another key event tomorrow give them a wave as they jog past Needles Hall on the ring road. It’s this year’s Keystone Run/Walk for Excellence, the third annual event of its kind, which will start at 12:15 from the Davis Centre (“rain or shine”) . An explanation from Lisa Kakvoort of the UW development office: “Join your fellow runners and walkers (faculty, staff, retirees, and students) for some exercise and some fun. Or, be challenged to beat the course record set in 2008 by Steve Formaneck from Management Sciences, with a time of 8:16. Not a runner? Come out and walk! Grab a friend and walk and chat.” There is no charge to participate, “but we suggest a donation of $2,” and handout of numbered bibs starts at 11:45 tomorrow in the Davis lounge. Oh yeah: “There will be prizes and snacks!”

A trio of 2008 graduates from UW engineering are behind The Sentinel Project, a Canadian non-profit organization that stands to receive a share of $10 million in funding from Google to support its “technologically-focused global early warning system” to detect and prevent genocide. The idea is one of 16 finalists, chosen out of more than 150,000 submissions received for Google’s “Project 10 to the 100th”. The firm has invited the general public to vote on the ideas and will fund up to five of the most popular ones. “Human nature has been stable over the ages,” explains Taneem Talukdar, co-director of The Sentinel Project and a BASc graduate in systems design engineering. “However, today we have the benefit of technology and history, and by combining our knowledge in these two areas, we are developing a system to track communities around the world and quickly determine genocidal risk.” Public voting on Google’s choices will close on Thursday.

UW’s School of Pharmacy has announced “an exciting new program specially designed for the general public. UW’s Mini-Pharmacy School is a unique opportunity for 160 participants to discover and explore fascinating topics in pharmacy and healthcare today.” Participants will attend for six Tuesday evenings, starting a week from tonight, and hear pharmacy faculty members talk on such topics as “The Facts about Recreational Drugs”, “A Journey Through the Human Heart”, “Sexuality in the Elderly: What’s Up”, “Epilepsy: The Sacred Disease”, and “Natural Health Products, to Take or Not to Take”. Listeners will “learn directly from the experts in a relaxed, informative and entertaining atmosphere. Participants will be encouraged to get actively involved by asking questions and interacting directly with presenters and students from the School of Pharmacy. Attendees will also receive a reference binder with speaker notes and a certificate of completion at a short ‘graduation’ ceremony on November 17.” There’s a $100 fee for the series (seniors and students $75) and it all happens in the lecture hall of the Pharmacy building in downtown Kitchener.

And . . . Maggie Liang of UW's international student office sends along this photo of students from Germany, China, Japan, Germany and Malaysia, who were among more than 400 people attending a beginning-of-term reception on September 17. "They enjoyed chatting and playing games with students from all over the world," she reports. "Leo Rothenburg, associate vice-president (international), gave a welcoming speech."

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Smile: it's a sustainable community

a news release from Alternatives magazine, published in UW’s Faculty of Environment

Research undertaken by the UK-based New Economics Foundation found relationships with family, friends, co-workers and neighbours account for a good deal of our happiness. In other words, sustainable communities aren’t just good for the environment; they bring a smile to our faces too.

Canada’s Governor General Michaëlle Jean recently visited Afghanistan. There, she asked children what they wanted for their future. According to Jean, these kids, many having experienced more grief and terror than any youngster should, wanted security. They didn’t request money. None asked for Nike shoes. Instead, they longed to feel safe.

And so it is in our communities. We want to feel safe, connected and a part of the towns, villages and cities in which we live or border. As described by Ray Tomalty in his epic article in the latest issue of Alternatives Journal entitled “Urban Tipping Point,” Canadians now recognize that conventional urban “planning” has resulted in “traffic congestion, rising fuel costs and disappearing countryside.” Tomalty advocates for a new movement called sustainable-community planning, which “raises the radical possibility that in order to preserve the things that most people cherish — a liveable environment, a healthy lifestyle, meaningful employment and a rewarding life — we might have to change how we plan, design and build our cities.”

But achieving any form of sustainability is far from easy. In fact, according to Victoria lawyer, Deborah Curran, it’s a “wicked” problem. In her groundbreaking thesis, “Wicked,” Curran explains why sustainability often eludes us. “Many solutions lead to new problems, bylaw changes can create new complications, and policy updates can result in the need for more policy updates.”

Difficult, but not impossible, says the Natural Step Canada’s Kelly Hawke Baxter. In “Stepping Stones: Seven insights into community sustainability,” Hawke Baxter divulges what her organization has gleaned from its efforts to assist towns and villages to develop the new planning process as suggested by Tomalty.

Rounding out the issue is a stunning black and white photo essay by Jonathan Taggart depicting life inside Whole Village, an ecovillage in the Caledon hills, an hour’s drive north of Toronto. In “Slumdog Sustainability,” Mark Redwood explains the International Development and Research Centre’s success in bringing about sustainability in eight select developing-nation cities, and Jennifer Taylor gives readers a glimpse into Abu Dhabi’s shiny, slick experiment into sustainable communities.

With 38 years of experience delivering award-winning environmental journalism, Alternatives offers thoughtful analysis and intelligent, peer-reviewed debate on world issues, the latest news and ideas, and profiles of Canadians who are making a difference.

CAR

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