'Individuals have unique and particular needs'

Six “Principles of Inclusivity” are being proclaimed across the campus “to acknowledge, communicate, and promote an understanding of the complexity and uniqueness of the University of Waterloo’s campus community”.

The principles — and publicity that uses the metaphor of crayons, each with its own deeply-felt bright colour — come from the office of organizational and human development. They’re based on work by a committee that was created last year “to develop a framework to meet the diverse needs of our campus”.

The principles, says OHD, present “the ideals by which campus members should engage one another – with sensitivity, respect, and fairness. The Principles speak to the Waterloo workplace and support the Sixth Decade Plan and its international goals for recruitment and retention of the best students, staff and faculty.”

Here they are:

• Acknowledge individuals have unique and particular needs in the learning and work environment.
• Respect each individual’s right to express and present themselves relative to their religion, culture, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender-identity, physical and mental ability.
• Promote inclusivity by reasonably adjusting procedures, activities and physical environments.
• Focus on the capability of the individual without assumptions or labels.
• Be inclusive in all forms of communication.
• Serve all with sensitivity, respect, and fairness.

To help introduce the six points, OHD is presenting San Diego-based Sondra Thiederman, “an expert in the field of diversity and bias”, as this fall’s speaker in its series. She’ll appear October 20, a Wednesday, at 10 a.m. in the Humanities Theatre, with a workshop to follow in the afternoon.

OHD says Thiederman “will introduce the Principles of Inclusivity and give some insights about dealing with diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. . . . An invitation will be sent to all Waterloo employees along with instructions on how to register for this event.”

The morning keynote talk “will be exploring culture, diversity, and how to be more inclusive, and why a diverse workplace is important to all,” says OHD’s web site. “Sondra will address that there was a time when the practical benefits of both diversity and inclusion were presented in soft terms, or more vaguely, was perpetually referred to as ‘the right thing to do.’ As valuable as these benefits are, we now have the luxury to talk about not only the human benefits but the practical gains to be had if we create and sustain truly inclusive workplaces and universities. This presentation is designed first to survey the latest research on the benefits to organizations of diversity and inclusion and then to discuss the barriers — bias among them — that slows our progress toward achieving these important goals.

“Following the keynote, an optional workshop will be held to further explore the discussion topics, including how we develop a bias and steps to overcome such biases. Space for this event will be extremely limited.”

OHD’s speaker series “gives those who may not be able to attend the annual Staff Conference in April an opportunity to hear expert keynote speakers at other times,” the web site also explains. “The series was created as a direct result of feedback that many staff are remaining behind in the office so that other colleagues can attend the Staff Conference. Speaking engagement in the series will be scheduled once per term, such as July 2010, October 2010, and February 2011. The last speaker in the series will be part of the Staff Conference in April.”

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More than 100 international students got a happy start at Waterloo on September 4 and 5, as they were greeted at Toronto's Pearson Airport by volunteers and brought back to Waterloo by chartered bus. Maggie Xiaohui Liang of Waterloo International says it's the fourth year the office has sponsored greeters for new arrivals, as well as bus transportation, which this year served 108 students over the two days. Fourteen volunteers took part this year.

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Special convocation honours VIP from India

a news release from the media relations office

The University of Waterloo will hold a special convocation today to honour A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, a highly regarded space engineer and former president of India.

This morning at 11:00, Kalam (left) will be presented with an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree during a ceremony in the Humanities Theatre. He'll also give a convocation address. The ceremony is open to the public and some seats are still available.

A notable aeronautical engineer, Kalam is widely regarded as one of India's greatest presidents and popularly known as the People's President.

"Dr. Kalam is recognized as one of India's most progressive mentors, innovators and visionaries for his scientific and humanitarian work," says David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo. "We are very pleased to confer the honorary degree doctor of engineering, honoris causa, on Dr. Kalam."

Later today, Kalam will deliver a public talk, entitled "Strategic Policy Development in the Canada-India Corridor". That lecture will take place at 3 p.m. in the PAS (psychology, anthropology and sociology) building, room 1229. Admission is free.

Kalam previously spoke at Waterloo in April 2008, when he shared his insights on the growing ties between his country and Canada in furthering global development.

As the 11th president of India from 2002 to 2007, Kalam made it a top priority to turn India into a developed nation by 2020. He has long sought to engage young people in the country's national development. As chair of a national technology council, he worked with 500 experts to draw a road map — Technology Vision 2020 — to transform India from a developing country into a developed one.

He has served as the principal scientific adviser to India's government and was responsible for crafting policies, strategies and missions for development. In 2001, Kalam became a professor of technology and societal transformation at Anna University, one of India's premier engineering and technology schools. He is author of four highly respected books: Wings of Fire, India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium, My Journey and Ignited Minds. As one of India's most distinguished scientists, Kalam has been awarded two coveted civilian awards, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, along with the highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna.

CAR

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