Fee increases on board agenda tomorrow

Current students will see their tuition fees go up by 4 per cent starting in the spring term, if the board of governors gives approval tomorrow to a recommendation from the vice-president (administration and finance).

Fees for new students will rise by 8 per cent in “deregulated” programs, including engineering, computer science, pharmacy, optometry and architecture; 4.5 per cent in “regulated” undergraduate programs, including arts and science; and 3 per cent for all graduate students and all international students.

The result will be a per-term fee that could be as low as $2,577 for a Canadian student in fourth-year applied health sciences, or more than $16,000 for international students in some professional fields.

The university is taking something of a risk by getting fees approved at this point, but it’s necessary, says a report by the vice-president, Dennis Huber. He reminds board of governors members that “The Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities (MTCU) introduced a revised tuition framework in 2006 which established distinct tuition levels for each new cohort of incoming students. This has resulted in a significant increase in the number of assessable tuition rates which are now based on program, year of entry, and year of study. . . .

“MTCU's current tuition framework expires at the end of this academic term (Winter 2010). Although extensive discussions have been occurring with MTCU regarding the tuition framework for 2010-11, MTCU is not expected to announce the tuition framework for 2010-11 until sometime later in the year. In the meantime, a significant number of undergraduate (primarily those in co-op) and graduate students will be registering in April/May for the spring term and fees need to be assessed.

“In the absence of receiving MTCU's 2010-11 tuition framework, UW will increase tuition fees based on the current framework.”

The vice-president is also asking the board to approve an increase in the co-op fee, from $587 a term up to $609 starting this spring. Those numbers include the special $25 assessment to help pay for construction of the Tatham Centre; the main part of the fee, which covers costs of the co-operative education program, is going up by 4 per cent.

In a separate agenda item for tomorrow’s board meeting, officials are asking for a 3 per cent increase in most residence fees, effective in September. The exception is the monthly rent for a townhouse in Columbia Lake Village, which would go up by 2.1 per cent, from $1,093 to $1,116.

With the 3 per cent hike, the fee for two terms in the Student Villages or UW Place, the largest residences, would range from $4,613 to $6,138 depending on the style of room. Monthly rent for a single room in Columbia Lake Village would be $612.

Tomorrow’s board meeting will hear a report from provost Feridun Hamdullahpur about the state of the university’s 2009-10 budget and planning for 2010-11, as well as general reports from the president and other vice-presidents. Special presentations are planned about the faculty and staff benefits plan, and the work of the VeloCity “technology incubator” residence.

The board of governors is the university’s top governing body, responsible especially for financial and legal matters. It meets four times a year, most often in the board and senate room in Needles Hall. However, tomorrow’s meeting, which starts at 2:30 p.m., is to be held in room 2009 of the Research Advancement Centre, 475 Wes Graham Way on the north campus. Board meetings are open to the public but usually end with a brief confidential session.

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Architects' sketch book: 'how to see'

A news release issued by the self-publishing firm Volumes Direct

For nearly four decades, Anupam Banerji and Michael Elmitt have been deeply and distinctively involved in the evolution of the University of Waterloo's renowned School of Architecture. Banerji, originally from Kolkata, India, joined the faculty in 1970; Elmitt, a native of the United Kingdom, arrived at the school one year later. Both have been recognized internationally for their contribution to the world of design including architecture and both now serve the school as professors emeritus.

They have taken their years of collaboration and notable achievement and have produced Between Lines: From Doodles to Composition, a newly released publication that celebrates the often misunderstood art of sketch work. The publication is not a "how-to" work; instead, it honours the artistic, expressive ink-on-paper creative process that so often lies at the foundation of great art and notable architecture.

Between Lines does not concern itself with the "rules" of such artistic creation; it deals, rather, with the notions of artistic freedom and imagination and the need to cut the psychological ties that can bind and restrict the creative artistic expression. To that end, the authors acknowledge the words of George Santayana, the noted Spanish essayist, philosopher and poet-novelist, who wrote, prior to his death in 1952 at the age of 88: "There is a painful pregnancy in genius, a long incubation and waiting for the spirit, a thousand rejections and futile birth pangs, before the wonderful child appears, a gift of the gods, utterly undeserved and inexplicably perfect."

The respect with which Banerji and Elmitt are held within the international design and architectural community is made obvious by the commentary and acknowledgment of world-calibre professionals such as Alberto Sartois of Switzerland and Oscar Niemeyer of Brazil. There are two reproductions of Sartois sketches within Between Lines — and there are dozens of similar reproductions from other globally recognized architects, among them Canada's A.J. Diamond, whose works of international repute include, among many others, the Jerusalem City Hall, the Jewish Community Centre in Manhattan and the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Between Lines is a publication that belongs on the bookshelves of every architecture and sketch book enthusiast, but it is also a work with significantly broader appeal. It is a book that literally takes a reader "behind the scenes," placing the reader inside the soul and the imagination of the architectural creator. It offers a generous, thorough bibliography, it offers equally generous notes on the careers of the publication's contributors — and it offers true insight into the genesis of some of the planet's great architectural works of art. As the authors observe in their foreword, Between Lines will appeal to anyone who is curious about what they see.

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Other lines in the pattern of the day

The career services office will hold a workshop today (12:00, Tatham Centre room 2218) on "Making the Job Fair Work for You" — in preparation, of course, for Wednesday's job fair, co-sponsored by UW and three other educational institutions. "Partnerships for Employment was created in 1994 to better serve our students, alumni and employers through a sponsorship of annual Career Fairs and Job Fairs," the umbrella organization says on its web site. "These events have now become the largest of their kind in the country!" Wednesday's event will run from 10:00 to 3:30 at RIM Park, on the east side of Waterloo. "This Fair is not open to the general public," the web site notes. "Admission is free for degree/diploma students and alumni of the sponsoring institutions (University of Guelph, University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College)." As of late last week, 162 employers were registered to take part.

The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing has signed an agreement to expand its work to the West African nation of The Gambia. The agreement with the Youth Care Foundation includes five years of support to help facilitate math teacher training programs, assist with contests like the Great Olympiad Mathematics Competition, and encourage the formation of clubs and summer projects in mathematics. "This is an outstanding step forward," says math lecturer Ian VanderBurgh, the director of the CEMC. “We are very excited about the new ways in which we can make a positive contribution to mathematics education in Africa.” Abraham A. Joof of the West Africa Examination Council says The Gambia will greatly benefit from the new arrangement. “Mathematics contests will enhance the interest of students in the subject and improve performance at large,” said Joof. “It will also increase comradeship in competing schools and students. It will help the school administrators, teachers and parents to step up their inputs into the system.” CEMC staff have gone on two visits to the region, where they met (left) with YCF leaders, local educators, examiners, education officials and embassy staff. Their next visit is expected in April for math teacher training workshops. The CEMC, which has operated at UW since 1995, began with the Canadian Mathematics Competition, and now has expanded its activities to include additional contests, web resources, publications, and face-to-face workshops for students and teachers in schools around the globe.

Two Warrior athletes and two coaches will be part of the delegation that will represent Canada at the world university golf championships in Antequera, Spain, this June. Waterloo’s Carla Munch and Dave Hollinger are to be two of the assistant coaches backing up team leader Ray Chateau of Humber College at the 13th FISU world championships, officials announced last week. Tiffany Terrier of the Warriors will be a member of the five-person women’s team, and Garrett Rank is among six golfers named to the men’s team. Both are first-time participants at the world event, which will run June 7 to 11. Canada has been taking part in the FISU championships since 2002, but has yet to reach medal status; the United States is the defending men’s champion and Japan is women’s champion.

Here's an invitation sent out by  Victoria Sakhnini, a postdoctoral fellow in the school of computer science: "You are being invited to participate in a research to empirically compare the effectiveness of EPMcreate, and power-only EPMcreate as innovative creativity fostering techniques. This research will require about 2.5 hours of your time, divided into 2 meetings. During the first meeting you will sign the consent form, you will fill the general information form, and you will write the Williams Creativity Test. The goal of the test is to help the investigator to explain and analyze the outcomes of the requirements elicitation session. During the second meeting you will participate in the elicitation session to generate ideas for the computer-based system using your assigned creativity fostering technique. Your participation in this research is completely voluntary.  If you decide to participate, you will receive $20 cash for your time and trouble." More information: e-mail her at vsakhnin@ uwaterloo.ca.

Finally . . . hey, sweetie, today is the last day to order chocolate chip "treat-a-grams", a seasonal promotion that supports the Keystone Campaign. "For only $3," says the Keystone web site, "send five scrumptious chocolate chip cookies, baked using a new and improved recipe and packaged in an environmentally friendly container. Treat-a-grams will be delivered to Waterloo offices, residences, university colleges, Centre for Extended Learning, the School of Pharmacy, and the School of Architecture. Treat-a-grams will be delivered on Thursday, February 11. Send a cheery message to colleagues and friends while at the same time supporting scholarships for Waterloo students. Include an additional $20 donation to help make an even bigger difference." Details and an order form are on the web site.

CAR

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