2+2 students arrive from China

More than 90 students from top universities across China will be arriving at Renison University College next week to begin the six-week English For Academic Success program (EFAS).

These are students in the 2+2 program, a joint initiative between Waterloo and several Chinese universities. Students complete two years at their home university and two years at Waterloo, earning a degree from each of the two universities.

They complete the EFAS program before beginning their two years of study at Waterloo. EFAS is designed to help them improve their academic English as well as acclimatize them to student life in this country.

About 60 of the 2+2 students will study in the Faculty of Science at Waterloo, while another 30 or so, who come from Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, will study in the Faculty of Environment.

They will live in residence at Renison and St. Paul’s for the duration of the EFAS program.

New from arts: conditional admission for students “just shy” of the ELR
EFAS is open to anyone wishing to study English as a second language. A student who would normally have to pass one of a variety of English language proficiency tests, such as TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB, before being admitted to the university, is also considered to have fulfilled their English Language Requirement (ELR) if they have successfully completed the advanced (400) level of the EFAS program.

Starting this fall, the Faculty of Arts is making a change in the way it admits students whose first language is not English, and who are applying to arts honours programs or social development studies. If a student who meets all other admission requirements has taken the TOEFL or IELTS and is “just shy” of a high enough score, the faculty will grant them conditional admission. That is, they will be admitted on condition that they first complete the advanced level of the EFAS course.

Just three or four students will be affected by the new policy this year, says Tanya Missere Mihas of the English Language Institute. They will take EFAS through the fall and, if successful, will be admitted to arts for the winter 2011 term.

Back to top

Saudi visitors connect; Marnie Tatham passes

The 25 faculty members from King Saud University (above, in workshop with Waterloo staff) who arrived July 12 are about halfway through an instructional development program at the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE).

Overall, the experience has been a success, says Donna Ellis, interim director of CTE, which developed the program especially for the visiting KSU faculty. “The participants are engaging in thought-provoking discussions, sharing many of their own ideas and examples, and being very open to the variety of learning materials and activities that we are providing for them. They have been commenting on the high quality of the programming and [expressing] a desire for even more examples.

“They are connecting well with our staff members as well as one another: most did not know one another that well before coming here," Ellis says. "One of our goals is to have them come to recognize their group as a ‘community of learners’ that they can continue to draw upon when they return to KSU. The event has also pulled all of our staff together to focus on one event, which has created good synergies and learning for us as well.”

But it hasn’t been all work, adds Mark Morton, senior instructional developer, emerging technologies. “The KSU faculty members are enjoying Waterloo Region in their leisure time. On the weekend some visited Niagara Falls, some went to Toronto (where popular venues included the Ontario Science Centre), some to Grand Bend, and others to African Lion Safari.”

Retired Waterloo coach and Hall of Fame member passes

Marnie Tatham, a Warrior and Athena diving coach in the 1970s, died Sunday, July 18, 2010 in London, Ontario, at the age of 82. Under her watch as swimming coach (1973-1980), the Warriors and Athenas had five CIAU divers of the year, also winning 14 provincial medals and 12 national medals. She led the Warriors and Athenas to four National Championship titles.

She was “widely respected as one of the best and most committed diving coaches in the country,” says a news release from Waterloo Athletics. “She exemplified this when building a diving tower on her property. This platform was attached to an Ontario Hydro tower and allowed the diving team to have an opportunity to train off multiple-height platforms. … Her experience extended into Pan-Am and World Championship events and Marnie also found the time to judge diving on the international stage.” She was inducted into the Waterloo Warriors Hall of Fame in  1987.

Friends and family will be received at the Longworth Funeral Home, 845 Devonshire Ave., Woodstock, on Thursday, July 22, 7-9 p.m. A memorial service will be held in the chapel at the same location on Friday at 11 a.m.

Back to top

Thursday will be a happening day

The campus will be abuzz this Thursday. Here are some of the events set to happen:

Not new but not least, the UW Farm market is held Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Student Life Centre lower atrium. Bring your own bag and take home beautiful fresh local vegetables, fruit, and preserves, as well as home-baked bread and cookies.

These Shads putting their heads together, brainstorming for their design project, are among 48 high school students taking part in the month-long Shad Valley program. “The project theme this year is Designing for Canada's Aging Population,” says program manager Kim Boucher. To find out what solutions they come up with, everyone is invited to an open house on Thursday, 1:30-4:30 p.m., in the Great Hall of Conrad Grebel University College. (Photo by Eric Kennedy)

Snow cones and snowballs will magically appear in the Student Life Centre Courtyard Thursday, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., as the housing and residences department promotes residence living for the next winter term. It’s presented as an opportunity for students to learn more about residence and the application process, which has now begun online.

The R+T Park Charity BBQ this year has an international theme. “Around the World in 90 Minutes” takes place at TechTown, 340 Hagey Boulevard, Thursday, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. The $6 cost covers draws, wine tasting, swag, and a menu that includes Korean beef burgers, Italian pancetta chicken, Mexican chorizo sausage, Middle Eastern vegetarian spicy burgers, Greek salad, Hawaiian mandarin and macadamia coleslaw, and other dainties. Proceeds go to the R+T Park Tenants Fund at the K-W Community Foundation.

Music student recital takes place Thursday, 12:30 p.m., in Conrad Grebel UC chapel. Free, all welcome.

KW-Otesha’s Drop 'n' Swap lets you meet new people and eat free local food while you exchange old clothes, shoes, or accessories for “new” ones. To donate, email uw.otesha@gmail.com with your name and the number of items you are donating. Then drop off your donated items at the UW Sustainability Project office in Student Life Centre room 3102. Finally, come to the Drop 'n' Swap this Thursday, 2 – 5 p.m., in the SLC Courtyard. Everyone is invited!

And on Friday, a sea of voices
The A Cappella Club's end-of-term concert takes place this Friday in the Modern Languages Theater. Doors open at 7:45 p.m., the concert starts at 8. Tickets are $5, for sale in FedS office; leftover tickets will be available at the door. The concert brings together all of the a cappella groups on campus: the Water Boys (all-male), Unaccompanied Minors (mixed group), AcaBellas (all-female), UW-ACE (mixed group), and Quartet (men's barbershop group).

CPA staff

Back to top