The puck stops here: Civil and Environmental Engineering's Jim Veldhuis (left) and Caleb Horst (right) celebrated the return of winter weather Thursday with a quick one-on-one game on Columbia Lake's frozen surface. Photo by Steven Kim.

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Fundraiser today for crash victims

a media release from Renison University College

Renison University College will host a fundraiser today in support of the families of those involved in the tragic crash in Hampstead last Monday. Donations to support the Migrant Workers Family Support Fund will be gratefully accepted.

The event will take place from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in Renison’s Great Hall Extension. Guests are welcome to bring their own lunch, purchase lunch from Renison’s cafeteria, or just pop in for a moment to show their support. Guest speaker Pablo Godoy will speak on human rights and workplace safety.

There will also be s screening of the hour-long film “El Contrato,” which follows a father of four living in Central Mexico on his annual migration to southern Ontario to do seasonal farm labour.

This event is open to the public, and donations received will be donated to the fund established by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) which states that “100% of the collected funds donated will be donated to the benefit of families of the injured or killed workers, who include 13 agriculture workers, as well as the driver of the colliding vehicle.”

This tragedy is particularly poignant as twelve Renison students will be leaving for Mexico on February 17 for the Mexico-Canada International Experience, a weeklong "learning experience" that includes engaging Mexican migrant workers in discussions about their experiences in Canadian agriculture to develop a deeper understanding of international issues.

Donations can be made in person at the fundraiser or online (Area of Giving: Renison; Project/Fund: Other, Migrant Workers Family Support Fund). Donations of $20 and above are eligible for a tax receipt and will be received until Monday, February 20, 2012. The event is being run with support from Renison’s School of Social Work, the Department of Social Development Studies, and the Renison Institute of Ministry.

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Engineers without Borders founder to speak

with material from a St. Paul's University College press release

George Roter, co-founder and CEO of Engineers Without Borders Canada and uWaterloo alumnus, will be presenting a lecture at St. Paul's University College Thursday entitled "Stop helping those poor people in Africa: An argument for a systemic approach to supporting international development."

Roter will dissect and examine both our perceptions and standard approaches to poverty reduction and development in sub-Saharan Africa. He will argue that simple actions—like building a well or a school—are both insufficient to achieving poverty reduction and get in the way of more effective approaches. A different way forward is needed—focusing on systemic change—in order to drive economic and social development, and transform the institutions and relationships that will underpin greater justice for those living in poverty.

Roter received a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Waterloo in 1999, and in 2000 he co-founded Engineers Without Borders (EWB) with friend and classmate Parker Mitchell. EWB has grown from an "idea scribbled on a napkin" to a global organization with 3,000 active volunteers, 50,000 supporters, 35 chapters in Canada and teams in Malawi, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Zambia.

Roter will be speaking at St. Paul’s University College in lecture hall 105 at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, February 16. Admission is free. Parking is available at St. Paul’s University College on a first come first serve basis and is free after 4:30.

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CTE open house and other notes

Mark Morton, senior instructional developer at the Centre for Teaching Excellence writes: "We’ve finally settled into our new office space, and would like to welcome instructors, staff, and students to stop by during our Open House, set for February 14 from 2:30 to 4:30 pm in EV1 325. There will be cake (chocolate), beverages (non-alcoholic), and a contest (multiple-choice)! Knowing the answers to questions such as the following might win you a coveted book prize: Who said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”? A. William Butler Yeats. B. Trevor Holmes. C. Yoda. Come marvel at CTE’s new(ish) carpet! Feast your eyes on our freshly-painted walls! Behold our filing cabinets! But, seriously, do drop by: our delightful staff members would love the opportunity to chat and show you our new space."

From Associate Provost, Students Bud Walker comes the following: "Throughout December 2011 and January 2012, thousands of employees of the University of Waterloo heeded the call to complete the training required under the Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) to meet the compliancy requirement outlined by the Government of Ontario. As you are all aware by now, the AODA is an Act that provides accommodation for persons with disabilities, with the first component specifically focusing on Customer Service. The additional four key areas will be coming into play over the next few years."

"Given the complexity of rolling out the AODA training for faculties and departments along with a looming deadline, I would like to thank those in our campus community who were swift to act when called upon to do so, and to those who assisted the university in meeting compliancy.

"Those few who have yet to complete the AODA training need to act quickly to do so. If there is anyone in your area who has not completed the training, please have them go to aoda.uwaterloo.ca for instructions.

"If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact Victoria Lehmann (ext. 35753). Victoria and the Office of Organizational Human Development are helping to assist departments meet this requirement.

"Thanks once again for your help."

And Janet Passmore, Associate Provost, Human Resources, writes: "Neil Murray, long-time director of staff and labour relations, will be retiring later this year, having reached the 25 year milestone of service to the university. Currently he is working on key projects and transfer of institutional knowledge to enable an orderly transition. Colleagues and friends will be invited to a celebration of Murray’s career at the university later this year."

"Human Resources is using this opportunity to refocus resources to meet the needs of our campus community. As part of that initiative Human Resources will be under the leadership of one director, Kenton Needham (kneedham@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 33911). Supporting Kenton is Michelle Hollis, (mhollis@ uwaterloo.ca, ext. 31127) who was recently promoted into a new role as Assistant HR Director, Client Services, accountable for the HR Advisors and front line client support."

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