Art at Grebel: is it “Just Food”?

from a Conrad Grebel University College news release

Food is essential for life. With food comes vitality, community and celebration. Without it, there is hunger, conflict and death. Hunger around the world suggests that our food systems are unjust. Is the abundant food available to some of us "just" food when others go without?

Nineteen visual artists from around the world add their voices to a growing number of people connecting the right to food with a faith-based response to hunger in an exhibit now on display at Conrad Grebel University College. The exhibit of 38 pieces of art is a project of the Mennonite Committee on Human Rights, based in Winnipeg, and now travelling across Canada.

The artists commissioned to produce work specifically for this exhibit were divided into six groups of three. Each group was asked to create their artworks as a response to a set of quotes given to them. Each grouping's quotes included one declaration statement and biblical texts from the Old Testament.

Artists were chosen to, broadly, create an exhibition that circles the globe. One Canadian artist and two international artists were included in each group. Three of the international artists now live in Canada but each received their formal training in their homeland.

The artists represent a wide range of cultural, economic and faith backgrounds. For example:

• Jossias Sitoe was once a child living on the street, acquainted with hunger and need.
• Alejandro Aranda has worked on behalf of marginalized groups in Mexico for years.
• Bert Monterona continues to be motivated by justice issues in his Philippines homeland.
• Tibebe Terffa was imprisoned and tortured under the Mengistu dictatorship in Ethiopia.
• Isam Aboud comes from the Sahara Desert of northern Sudan where temperatures hit 50 degrees in the summer. (His painting, “Waiting for Rain II,” is above.)
• Hashim Hannoon, a refugee from Iraq, knows the effect war has on food production and security.
• Annelies Soomers is a Dutch artist who has advocated, through her art, for the least among us for years.

The show began July 4 and continues through September 27, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the atrium and adjacent hallways in Conrad Grebel University College. The official opening, Thursday, July 21, 4 to 6 p.m., is open to the public. For more information, call 519-885-0220.

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Provost sends update on copyright

July 14 memo to the university community from Geoff McBoyle, vice-president, academic and provost

As indicated by Bruce Mitchell earlier this year (see Daily Bulletin, January 11), for some years, and on behalf of Waterloo and all Canadian universities, except for those in Quebec, the Association of Colleges and Universities (AUCC) negotiated a photocopying and course pack licence with Access Copyright.

The last licence ended on December 31, 2010. In the spring of 2010, Access Copyright proposed to the Copyright Board of Canada a tariff for 2011-13 which included some contentious changes, most notably a significant increase in royalty payments. In response to this proposal, AUCC and others filed objections with the Copyright Board, and the Copyright Board will be considering these objections over the next several years.

In late December 2010, the Copyright Board issued an interim tariff pending consideration of the above objections and the eventual certification of a final tariff for the 2011-13 period. At that time, Waterloo decided to continue to conduct business with Access Copyright by operating under the interim tariff for at least the immediate future.

This memo is to inform the broader University of Waterloo community that, effective August 31, 2011, the University of Waterloo and the federated and affiliated universities and colleges will no longer operate under the interim tariff. As a result, some common University copying practices may no longer be authorized, and it will require that in some cases we modify the way we make copies for teaching or administrative purposes.

Courseware production is one area which will be significantly affected after August 31. It is important that faculty and instructors contact the Bookstore immediately about courseware packages required for the fall term.

We are committed to providing support and advice to assist faculty and staff as we move into a new “copying” environment. Over the next few weeks and into the fall term, we will among others things:

• Update the Waterloo Copyright web site
• Release on the web site an updated Waterloo Copyright FAQ
• Distribute and mount on the web site, “Copyright at the University of Waterloo: A Guide for Instructors”
• Provide information on new Fair Dealing Guidelines
• Provide updates at various committees and councils such as Senate, Senate Undergraduate Council, Senate Graduate and Research Council, and other fora as appropriate and as opportunities arise
• Introduce new and better ways to obtain information for teaching, research and administrative purposes

In the interim, should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me, or Bruce Mitchell, Associate Provost, Resources, or Mark Haslett, University Librarian.

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Air gun incident; fire risk notice

Two students are facing criminal charges following an incident on campus early Thursday morning. It appears to have started as a verbal dispute between two groups of Waterloo students in the Student Life Centre at 2:30 a.m. Students on one side of the argument later returned to confront the other side, with one person reportedly carrying what turned out to be a BB air pistol.

The university appreciates the speed with which Waterloo Regional Police Service responded. Police were at the Student Life Centre within minutes and quickly had the campus cordoned off. No shots were fired and the incident ended without injury.

Additional information about the incident, including the identity of those involved or charges, would be available from Waterloo Regional Police Service.

The university is taking care of any students who may have been impacted by this incident. Counselling Services is available to all who were victims or witnesses. Associate deans have the names of students involved, to assist with consideration of course requirements, co-op interviews or other commitments that students may have over the next several days.

The university’s vice-president academic and provost, Geoff McBoyle, will decide what action, if any, the university will take with the students facing charges. Policy 71 deals with student discipline and places the decision with the provost. The provost receives input from a number of sources, including University of Waterloo Police and the associate dean of the student’s faculty, and will weigh a student’s right to an education against the right of other students to be and feel safe on campus.

Notice from Kevin Stewart of the university's Safety Office:
"Conditions are becoming quite dry in Waterloo Region. Vegetation and mulch is becoming quite susceptible to fire. Members of the campus community are advised to exercise caution with any sources of combustion. In particular, smokers must ensure that cigarettes are completely butted out.

"If you notice vegetation or mulch smouldering or on fire and you cannot easily extinguish it, contact 911 to summon fire services."

CPA staff

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