Waterloo Fire Rescue's fire prevention division shows how fast a fire on the kitchen stove can spread. The fire simulation trailer will be in operation Wednesday (11:45, 1:15 and 2:15) at the Village green across the ring road from the Physical Activities Complex. "Unattended cooking is the leading cause of fires in the home," says the fire department's John Percy, noting that distractions ranging from drugs to doorbells can be enough to let a pot on the stove become a blaze. "The fire explodes into a huge fireball, and grease spreads inside the trailer," he explains.

City's warm welcome for arriving students

The City of Waterloo “extends a warm welcome to all the post-secondary students who are making their way into this community for the start of the new school year,” says a news release that was issued a few days ago.

“Students play a dynamic role in our community, and we hope they enjoy their time here – whether it’s just during their school years or later if they decide to settle here,” said mayor Brenda Halloran. “There’s so much to see and do in Waterloo. We encourage students to embrace this community and all it has to offer.”

Each year, it says, the city “takes a multi-faceted approach to help students integrate into the community. This includes enforcement of the property standards and noise bylaws as well as more officers on patrol throughout September and on weekends.” The campaign to welcome students to Waterloo also includes a “door-knock program” in which representatives from the universities, police and the city visit the neighbourhoods surrounding the two universities to share information about living in this community. That’s scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

“We want to remind students that Waterloo is their home, and that being part of a community comes with responsibilities, including being considerate of neighbours and following local bylaws,” said Jim Barry, the city’s director of bylaw enforcement.

The bylaw team also will be educating students about the rights they have when renting a home or apartment, the city’s release said: “For instance, the city can step in if landlords refuse to rectify such unsatisfactory living condition as broken steps, missing locks or unwanted pests.”

It quoted Kaye Crawford, manager of community relations: “Students bring so much to this community. We want them to enjoy being part of Waterloo, but to always keep in mind there’s a balance between having fun and being responsible.”

The city works on a number of these initiatives with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, Conestoga College, the student councils and the Region of Waterloo.

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Nominating committee looks at VP (research)

The process of deciding whether the university’s current vice-president in charge of research should serve for another three years is officially under way, the president said in a campus-wide memo Friday.

Biology professor George Dixon (right) has been VP (university research) since 2007, and is eligible for another term.

Said the memo from president Feridun Hamdullahpur, addressed to all faculty, staff and students: “This is to inform you that the Vice-President, University Research Nominating Committee, constituted under the terms of Policy 68, is now in place and has held its first meeting.

“You are encouraged to provide your comments/views concerning the reappointment of George Dixon for a term of three years (commencing July 1, 2012), or the vice-presidency in general by October 11, 2011 to any member of the Nominating Committee (see below) or to the committee secretary, Rebecca Wickens (rebecca.wickens@ uwaterloo.ca). All comments will be held in complete confidence.”

Hamdullahpur chairs the nominating committee, and the memo listed its other members:

• Lutz-Alexander Busch, lbusch@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 35229
• Joseph Cheriyan, jcheriyan@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 35591
• Rick Culham, culham@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 37543
• Brent Doberstein, bdoberstein@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 33384
• Jim Frank, frank@ uwaterloo.ca, 519-884-8111 ext. 28279
• Tadeusz Górecki, tgorecki@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 35374
• Robbie Henderson, rob.dehenderson@ gmail.com, ext. 35130
• Sue Horton, sehorton@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 33439
• Michael Makahnouk, mak@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 37277
• Michelle Manios, michelle.manios@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 37776
• Kelley Moran, kmoran@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 37093
• Richard Wells, wells@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 33069

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Notes on the first day of fall classes

It's the first day of fall term classes, and students and faculty alike are skipping (or trudging) towards their morning lectures. For quite a number of people, and not just first-year students for whom everything is new, there's a special puzzlement: their schedules show classes in "EV3" and "M3", buildings that don't appear on the campus map. Both are brand-new: Environment 3 (joined at the hip with Environment 2) and Math 3 (joined by an overpass from the north side of Math and Computer).

It's also the first day of Welcome Week, sponsored by the Federation of Students to get the term started with a bang. It's especially aimed at upper-year students, who might be suffering withdrawal pains without an orientation week to provide their dosage of good times. Says a memo from the Feds' communications coordinator, Kirsty Budd: "The week's events are all free and we have something for everyone, from Bomber breakfasts and lunches to photo scavenger hunts." Right now on Monday morning, until 11 a.m., pancakes are free (for undergraduate students, who are the membership of the Federation) in the Student Life Centre courtyard. Climax of the week, the organizers promise, is an "epic outdoor concert" Friday night on the Matthews Hall green, featuring "Down With Webster" and "Creature".

The bookstore in South Campus Hall (as well as the adjacent Write Stuff and Waterloo Store outlets) will be open until 7 p.m. today through Thursday to allow for heavy beginning-of-term shopping. Regular hours for those three stores are 9 to 5 Monday through Friday, 12 to 4 Saturday. The nearby E-Smart shop, as well as Campus Tech in the Student Life Centre, are open 9 to 5 Monday to Friday only. The libraries begin their full fall term schedules today, with Dana Porter open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. The Davis Centre library opens at the same hour but stays open until midnight every day. The Physical Activities Complex and Columbia Icefield are open Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 to 11:30. And food services outlets are back on their full schedules; that includes 24-hour operation for the Tim Hortons outlet in the Student Life Centre, from 7:30 Monday morning to 9:00 Friday night (plus from 11 to 9 on Saturday and Sunday).

“The Executive Committee nomination deadline of Thursday, September 15, is fast approaching,” said a  memo to staff association members sent a few days ago by association president Trevor Grove. “Please take a moment to consider running for one of the available positions: three Directors — all of which are two-year terms. You can access the nomination form on the UWSA homepage. The only qualifications you need to run are: be a member of the UWSA, and have a passion for representing and advocating for staff. To help you learn more about the UWSA Executive Committee, available positions, and time commitment involved, we are hosting two Brown Bag Lunch Information Sessions in September.  (Drinks and cookies will be supplied at both sessions.)” One event is today, 12:00 in Davis Centre room 1304, and the other is tomorrow, also at noon, in Hagey Hall room 373. “If you want to learn more about running for a director position but are unable to attend one of our Brown Bag sessions,” Grove added, “you are welcome to contact me. I would be happy to speak with you to help answer any questions.”

The annual WatITis (Waterloo Information Technology and Information Systems) conference will be held on December 6, says a note from conference co-chair Lowell Williamson, IT specialist in applied health sciences. "This one day conference will again bring IT professionals from across campus face-to-face to exchange knowledge and experience. We would like to invite you to actively participate as a speaker/ presenter or panelist for one or more of our sessions in the areas of Teaching, Research, Institutional Support, Security, Green Initiatives or General Interest. We also invite you to submit your ideas for session topics which you feel would be of interest to other IT professionals. Please submit a brief synopsis of your topic and/or idea to llwilliauwaterloo.ca by October 7."

And . . . I made a mistake in Friday's Daily Bulletin that I also made back in June. I referred to Kieng Iv, valedictorian at one of the Convocation sessions and speaker to first-year students at Friday morning's orientation event, as a BA graduate from economics. He's not; the degree he received last spring is Bachelor of Accounting and Financial Management.

CAR

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