Campus invited to a group hug on Saturday

 

First-year students are being encouraged to hug it out Saturday morning with a mass embrace around the ring road —and other university community members are invited to join in.

"Orientation leaders and Dons will be encouraging students out of their residences around 9:15-9:30 a.m., gathering everyone up and getting them excited to be a part of our great community!" writes Becky Wroe, orientation and special events manager. "Everyone will make their way down to the inner sidewalk of Ring Road around 9:45 a.m., each residence, college, and off campus community with a specific area to line along the Road."

Wroe continues: "Anyone from the larger uWaterloo community who is interested in being a part of this great event is welcome to join in the fun - just find a spot that suits you and join the crowds!"

Between 2,000 and 2,500 people are needed to encircle the ring road.

"Once we're connected (facing inward with your hands over your neighbours' shoulders) we'll be giving our campus a big old group hug!" writes Wroe. "Orientation leaders with radios will announce the approach of a video camera (in a car) so that each section can cheer when the car is approaching - be sure to wear your black and gold and show your campus pride."

Saturday marks the conclusion of Orientation Week, but there's still a lot going on between now and then, with scavenger hunts for Engineering and Math students, a Science Luau at Fed Hall, AHS Olympics and Community Service Day for students at St. Jerome's University. The Black and Gold Day carnival gets underway Saturday at 11:00 a.m. on Warrior Field, leading into the Black and Gold Day game later that afternoon as the Warriors confront the McMaster Marauders.

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Kitchener-Waterloo goes orange

And speaking of hugs, there were likely many handed out last night, celebratory and consoling alike, as the results of the hotly-contested provincial by-election in Kitchener-Waterloo rolled in.

The New Democratic Party's Catherine Fife will be heading to the Legislature with 39.8 per cent of the vote, or 18,559 votes.

Fife's electoral victory brings to an end a 22-year hold on the riding for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Former MPP Elizabeth Witmer had represented the area since 1990 and served as education minister, health minister and deputy premier in PC governments. She had resigned in April to after being appointed head of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

The PC candidate, Tracey Weiler, finished in second place with 31.8 per cent of the vote, or 14,823 votes, while Eric Davis of the Liberal Party came in third with 24 per cent, or 11,204 votes. Stacey Danckert of the Green Party received 1,516 votes, or 3.3 per cent of the total. There were 6 other candidates contesting the riding. Official results are available at the Elections Ontario website.

This is the first time the NDP has won in the Kitchener-Waterloo riding. Back when the riding had slightly different boundaries and was known as Waterloo North, the NDP's predecessor party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, held the seat from 1943 to 1945.

The contest in Kitchener-Waterloo was one of two by-elections yesterday. In Vaughan, the Liberal party retained the seat vacated by Greg Sorbara.

One other note: Paupers Party candidate John Turmel, who holds the Guinness Book of World Records for number of elections contested at 77 and losses at 76, continues a losing streak rivalled only by the Washington Generals. He came in 10th place, with 23 votes.

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Orientation, half a world away

by Livia Fama, student support manager, Waterloo UAE Campus

With the summer heat still in full effect, it was one hot orientation for 77 first year students at the Waterloo UAE campus this past week. The two-day event saw students from math and engineering get acquainted with all aspects of campus life in Dubai through participation in lively activities where they learned about academics, co-op and residence.

Above: Waterloo UAE orientation took place on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

“It was a great opportunity to meet with new students and I think it was an excellent occasion for students to get to know the campus and their classmates,” said second year FARM student, Amir Syed.

During the two-day event, students participated in a host of events with an academic twist; from civil engineering students earning their hard hat to math students earning their pink tie to a serious talk on academic expectations presented in the form of a talk show, given by Director Dr. Peter Douglas, and Deputy Director, Surya Banerjee.

It wasn’t all academics – fun was had by all at the Monte Carlo and desert safari events, where students came out of their shell while getting a true taste of Dubai.

The Monte Carlo event was semi-formal and was held at the students’ residence. They enjoyed a buffet dinner while being entertained by fellow students who sang, danced, and showed off their talents into the evening.

The highlight of orientation though, according to most students, was the desert safari, where students went dune bashing, saw Middle-Eastern dancers, and enjoyed a barbecue under the stars.

“The sunset {in the desert} really captured the moment for me,” said first year civil engineering student Gloria Kimuli, from Uganda. Kimuli’s favourite part of orientation was making friends, and getting to know the city better through events like the desert safari. “It was different from other orientations which are usually all about dos and don’ts,” she said. “Here it was fun and different, and I learned that co-op is another great thing here; there are very few universities that do this, it is different, and I like that… getting the work experience is really cool!”

Overall, the orientation served as a good introduction to academics at Waterloo UAE, as well as to the exciting city that is Dubai.

"Orientation this year was an exciting 2 days for Waterloo UAE students,” said Employment Manager Ralon Nazareth.  “With such a diverse group of international students from countries all over the world, our aim is to build a sense of Waterloo community in the UAE."

Nazareth, who supervised orientation for the second year in a row, said he was particularly proud of the student driven orientation committee, consisting of 3A students departing for Canada, and the orientation leaders, consisting of 2A students.

Shamis Imran, a second year FARM student who was one of these orientation leaders, felt the activities and games planned for the students made them feel comfortable and familiar with each other. ”This is definitely a positive in the long run as it makes it easy for  the students to cope with the high standards of education here at the  
University of Waterloo,” he said.

 

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Cry (academic) Freedom and other notes

Yesterday, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) co-hosted a conference entitled "Perspectives on Academic Freedom" at the Waterloo Inn.

Moderated by the Globe and Mail's national affairs columnist Jeffrey Simpson, representatives from a range of academic, stakeholder and philanthropic organizations shared their perspectives on the maintenance of academic freedom and integrity in the context of university partnership agreements. A special segment focused specifically on the governance structure of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, which has catalyzed sustained debate within the broader academic community.

Keynoting were two distinguished academics, Robert O'Neil, Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Virginia, and Professor Gary Rhoades, Director of the University of Arizona's Centre for the Study of Higher Education. Both speakers highlighted the fact that partnership agreements are highly complex arrangements that benefit tremendously from the kind of dialogue facilitated by the Perspectives conference.

In his closing remarks as co-host of the conference, University of Waterloo president Feridun Hamdullahpur expressed his pleasure with the excellent turnout for the event, which filled the large Regent Room at Waterloo Inn.

Today is Associate Provost, Human Resources Janet Passmore’s last day at the university.

Passmore (left) started work as associate provost in July 2009. She is a Waterloo graduate and had had a career in insurance and human resources, including positions as President and CEO of Cowan Insurance Group. She was a member of the university’s Board of Governors from 2004 to 2009 before joining the university as associate provost.

Over the last three years, Passmore has lead the transformation of the Human Resources group as it repositions itself to support the university’s needs. She championed the growth in attendance at the annual staff conference, with participating doubling over the last three years, and spearheaded work in the area of strategic workforce planning, ensuring a smooth transition as a future wave of retirees approaches. She also played a very active role in the Mid-cycle Review process and in establishing the Leadership Forum for senior leaders.

Bruce Mitchell, Associate Provost, Resources, has agreed to take on the role on an interim basis while a search for her successor is conducted.

Renison University College is hosting a public celebration in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee on Sunday, September 9, taking the opportunity to recognize several individuals associated with Renison that have been awarded the Diamond Jubilee Medal for their service to community and country. The celebration will include a free BBQ lunch for all in attendance, a performance of the National and Royal Anthems by the 80 KW Spitfire Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron Band, and an additional performance by Michael Bridge. A bouncy castle, professional face painter, and other children's activities will be available. The event will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

 

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