Students pump up the volume for Unsilent Night

by Christian Aagaard.

Students at the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture have unleashed their creativity for Unsilent Night in downtown Cambridge. The event gets underway at 7:00 p.m. tonight.

Their work (pictured above) will be among the installations along a noisy, festive—and free—tour that begins at Cambridge City Hall. Participants simultaneously play a piece of music downloaded from New York musician Phil Kline.

Last year, the event drew about 2,000 attendees. The school has taken part since the city’s first Unsilent Night in 2008.

“The wow-factor is the out-of-the ordinariness of what they do,” Colleen Lichti, the city’s recreation co-ordinator, says of the students’ work. “They’re able to look at locations and say, ‘This project we’re doing would fit perfectly here, or perfectly there.’ They are able to tailor things to a space.”

Working with cardboard, wood and lighting, teams from the school create works of art that are meant to play with the mind.

But it’s one night only. The installations come down when the music stops and the streets become silent again.

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Sustainability is a series of tubes at SJU

with material from St. Jerome's University

When it comes to being green on campus, St. Jerome's University (SJU) wants to lead the way.

Mindful of its mission and dedication to teaching and learning excellence, leadership, and responsible citizenship, the institution is finding innovative ways to include the conscientious and sustainable use of resources as part of the fabric of campus life.

Take water for example. Even with the measures SJU already has in place to reduce water costs and the environmental costs of water use, as much as 20 gallons of hot water are used every hour in the preparation of meals and for cleaning.

To address this, Facilities Manager Jim Robson has been working with North American Solar Solutions to complete SJU’s most recent sustainability project by having solar thermal evacuated tubes installed on the roof.  The tubes are heated on the roof and the water is piped into a heat exchanger where hot water is fed into the system to heat the water.

“In all our activities and practices we function within the context of the Roman Catholic tradition," says Robson. "It’s crucial that we are good stewards of our resources and lead by example. We have an obligation to embrace innovation and generate a culture of awareness, not only on how we can reduce our costs but also taking into account how our actions affect the environment around us." 

The installation of these solar tubes helps reduce SJU’s energy costs and extends the life of their water heater by lessening the demands on the system. The tubes were chosen rather than traditional solar panels because of their low maintenance requirements and simple and efficient technology, and the system is modular so it can be expanded and relocated as necessary in the future.

Additionally, vacuum tube systems are able to perform all year-round because the vacuum seal prevents heat loss, allowing the system to maintain efficiency well below freezing temperatures.

Robson is excited about the ongoing opportunities to stay far ahead of the government-regulated guidelines and requirements, and credits SJU's Vice-President, Administration Darren Becks as well as the senior administrative team for making resources available for these priority initiatives.

"I'm excited to get to work every day, even on Mondays," says Jim.

St. Jerome’s University has developed an official Sustainability Plan, which is a step forward to ensure that SJU is committed to creating a culture of sustainability across the entire institution and to educating ecologically responsible citizens for a sustainable future.

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Attend town halls? Don't? Take this survey!

Students, faculty, and staff are all being invited to take a short, anonymous survey regarding the Town Hall meetings that are held twice a year. The last meeting was held on Tuesday, November 20.

A memo from the president was circulated to students, faculty and staff Friday that encouraged members of the university community, whether they attended Town Hall meetings or not, to provide feedback. Staff and faculty are being asked to complete the employee survey, while undergraduate and graduate students are being asked to complete the student survey.

The Town Hall meetings, open to members of the university community, were established in the fall of 2008 and have been held twice annually since then. The meetings provide students, faculty and staff with an opportunity to hear directly from the President and Provost on a number if key issues of interest, and in turn to put questions to senior administrators about issues and concerns in an atmosphere of transparency.

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