Staff employment policy revisions continue

Work has continued on the initiative to revise Policy 18, the university’s staff employment policy.

A subcommittee of the Staff Relations Committee that includes UWSA representatives Trevor Grove and Jeremy Steffler and Human Resources representatives Michelle Hollis and Kenton Needham is undertaking the renewal.

And progress has been made. The committee’s initial survey, conducted in March, met with 360 responses, representing about 15 per cent of staff.

The survey results were used to formulate scenarios that were then presented at roundtable sessions that were held in April, and Staff Association president and committee member Trevor Grove reports that about 125 people attended. “We received excellent feedback, and through the external facilitator common themes emerged to help direct the policy writing,” says Grove.

The subcommittee then worked to develop the framework for a revised Policy 18 and began filling in details. The draft was brought to the Secretariat in July for a legal review.

The subcommittee is presenting a policy preview for those who attended the April roundtables. This will be based on the draft that will be submitted to the Staff Relations Committee meeting in September, scheduled for September 7. The first such preview was held yesterday and once is scheduled for next Wednesday.

Following the September meeting of the staff relations committee, feedback and comments will be received, processed, and incorporated as appropriate into a revised draft to be presented in October. From there, pending approval, the Secretariat will guide the document through the university’s Executive Council and other senior offices.

The current draft is available for public commentary on the revision initiative’s Sharepoint site, with final redrafting to be completed in time for the September meeting of the Staff Relations Committee.

“People are welcome to view and comment on the work in progress,” says Grove.

 

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Registration open for CTE workshops

The Centre for Teaching Excellence has released its roundup of events for instructors at the University of Waterloo for Fall 2012. Registration is open through myHRinfo. Of interest: Session 0040 of CTE656, Getting Started in LEARN, is scheduled for Wednesday, August 29 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the library's FLEX lab. And students may not be surprised to find the course number for Using LEARN's Quiz Feature is quite appropriate: it's CTE 666.

Additionally, Focus on Teaching Week is scheduled for October 15-19, 2012, with a week full of workshops on teaching, including CTE642, Course Design.

 

A full listing of events and conferences is available on the CTE website, as well as resources for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

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Today's notes: fee deadline, football, fore!

In the spirit of giving last-minute reminders, the deadline to become "Fees arranged" looms today. Becoming fees arranged is a prerequisite for gaining access to LEARN in the Fall term. It's kind of a big deal.

Tomorrow, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will arrive for their public practice on Warrior Field. The festivities run from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Tiger-Cats will hit the field at 10:00 a.m. to practice before inviting fans onto the turf for an on-field autograph session. The event will include appearances by the Tiger-Cats cheerleaders and mascots, interactive inflatable games for kids, the latest Ticats merchandise and food for sale on-site. Spectators are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to the event, which will benefit the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.

And finally, this Friday the Waterloo men's golf team will be getting into the swing of things as they kick off their 2012 season in style with a friendly international match against the University of Stirling from Scotland. The Stirling golf team and the aforementioned Warriors will meet at the Whistle Bear and Deer Ridge golf clubs.

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