Attention bookworms: Library Day tomorrow

The Library is inviting the campus community to its annual Library Day event on Wednesday, October 31 from 10:00 a.m.  to 12:00 p.m. Stop by the Dana Porter Library, Davis Centre Library, Musagetes Architecture Library, or the Witer Learning Resource Centre for refreshments, to say hello to library staff, and to take part in the day's activities.

Participants will have the opportunity to collect all ten student-designed library buttons, and can enter a draw for a gift bag from Retail Services.

Of special note this year, the Geospatial Centre, located on the third floor of the Dana Porter library, will be having its public open house during Library Day. Visit the Centre for a range of Halloween and geo-inspired activities, including a geo-inspired photo booth, with participants' images to be photoshopped into the location of their choice, a challenge to guess the location of historical aerial photos, and Hallowe'en-inspired Google Earth displays.

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A word about storm closing procedures

There's nothing like high winds and driving rain, with the threat of flooding and power outages that lasted from the dinner hour to after dark to spark a conversation about how the university decides to close during inclement weather.

Beginning in October 2009, the university ended its practice of following the lead of the local public school board in determining whether or not to open for business in the face of severe (or potentially severe) weather conditions. The decision is now made in most cases by the Vice-President Academic & Provost after consultation with the Director of Police and Parking Services, the Vice-President Administration and Finance, and the Director of Custodial and Grounds Services.

The storm guidelines provide for a complete closing of the university “when normal operation would pose a significant danger to students, staff and faculty, or would prevent large numbers of them from coming to campus”. But they also say: “When UW does not close in inclement weather, faculty, staff and students are reminded that they are responsible for determining when weather conditions make their travel unsafe and should consider public transportation because it may well be the safest option and cleared parking spaces may be in short supply.”

When a decision about the university's opening or closing in the face of severe weather conditions, a notice will be posted to the university's homepage by 7:00 a.m. (and will remain in effect until 7:00 a.m. the following day), and a message will be sent out through the university's Twitter accounts. The university's info line (1-866-470-0910) will be updated to announce the closure. A storm closing call list exists to inform the members of the university's Executive Council, faculty and staff association presidents, federated and affiliated college administrators, and satellite campus contacts of the decision in the early morning. The Daily Bulletin will also be updated.

Regular updates of storm-related conditions on campus, including things like power or service outages, will be posted to the university's homepage, the Daily Bulletin, and through Twitter as needed. Of course, things tend to get complicated when the homepage goes down, as it did last night around 6:00 p.m. when many buildings at the university, as well as many neighbourhoods on Waterloo's west side, lost power for a few hours. But social media picked up the slack, with regular tweets from a host of official accounts keeping people informed. That power outage, believe it or not, was not thought to be Sandy's fault.

In any event, either this week or as autumn gives way to winter, look for messages to appear at the top of the university's homepage that will inform you of the university's status when the storm clouds gather, and be sure to follow @uwaterloo on Twitter for real-time updates.

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Volunteer abroad program seeks participants

Waterloo International is offering a Volunteer Abroad Program in Peru from August 1 to 14, 2013.

The University of Waterloo has partnered with Solidarity in Action Inc. (SIA), an international Canadian based not-for-profit social justice organization, to provide a service learning trip aimed towards social justice, spirituality, and community development projects in the developing country of Peru.

Pictured above are Waterloo students and staff during last year's trip to Peru.

More details about the program, including information on volunteer placements, cultural activities, costs, application procedures, and FAQs, is available on the program website.

The application deadline is Monday, November 5.

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"Sandy, you just can't walk out of a drive-in!"

Notes as Hurricane Sandy makes it rain on prom night:

AZURE, a bi-monthly design and architecture magazine, has published its annual rankings of design schools in North America in its November/December issue. The ranking lists, among other things, the top 5 schools of architecture, and in alphabetical order they are: Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Southern California Institute of Architecture and the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. The issue hit newsstands last week.

"We are very happy and very proud to be the only Canadian school ranked," writes Rick Haldenby, director of the School of Architecture.

"You still have time to contribute to the University of Waterloo’s United Way Campaign," writes the Federation of Students' Jacqueline Martinz, "but getting your pledge form in by the end of today will make sure your name is in our last draw of the campaign for lunch with President Feridun Hamdullahpur at the University Club."

Pledge forms, as well as information on other ways to donate, are on the United Way's website.

"The campaign’s goal for this year is $230,000 and we’re at 80 per cent ($182,751) so far," continues Martinz. "With your help, whether it’s through a one-time gift or monthly payroll deductions, we can reach our goal and provide much-needed support for the community programs supported by the United Way that transform the lives of children and adults in our community."

One way you can do so is by bailing out a felon. Mark "Midnight Re-Caller" Haslett is going to be "arrested" as he attempts to make his escape from the Dana Porter library at 10:30 a.m. this morning and will be thrown in the hoosegow until supporters raise $250 for the United Way campaign.

Mark will be sporting the latest in black and white striped prison garb, complete with ball and chain, as he serves a term in the "Dana Porter Correctional Institute" on the main floor.

"Donations over $20 can be tax receipted," writes the Library's Laurie Strome. "Mark will have forms you can complete to ensure your request for a tax receipt is submitted to the United Way appropriately."

No word on whether or not a hardboiled library detective was responsible for bringing the fugitive to justice.

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