Federation Orientation Committee at the ready

by Jacqueline Martinz

When thousands of first-year students arrive at the University of Waterloo next week, they’ll be moving into their new home-away-from-home and getting excited for Orientation. Yet they aren’t the only ones waiting in anticipation for the days of special programming that lead to the start of the term. A select group of upper-year students who belong to the Federation Orientation Committee (FOC) will be counting down.

FOC consists of 32 upper-year students from all faculties. FOC members are responsible for making many of the decisions for Orientation including what events to host. They’re hired by a panel that includes staff members from the Federation of Students, Student Success Office, and the Faculties in the winter term, and work for months to present the best week imaginable to first-years.

FOC member Kaitlin O’Brien revealed why she’s eagerly awaiting Orientation. “I understand that students will come into university feeling apprehensive and a little shy, but I am hoping the activities will tear down that nervousness,” said the fourth-year literature and rhetoric major. “The students shouldn’t take themselves too seriously, and should be interacting with each other. It’s very rewarding to see them having fun.”

Like other FOC members, a typical day for Kaitlin this summer involved checking social media for questions from first-year students, discussing events for Orientation with the group, and helping with logistics.

“The most challenging part of being a FOC member was juggling the workload alongside all my other commitments,” she said. “It was difficult for me to realize there are only so many hours in a day to get everything done. I needed to work harder to manage my time.”

Kaitlin has advice for any other students considering becoming FOC members in 2015. “I have come to realize the impact the role of a FOC member has on leaders, but more importantly on first-year students,” she said. “You help first-year students walk away feeling supported and equipped with the resources and information needed to be successful in university.”

Photograph by the Federation of Students.

 

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Awards to fund landmark aging research

A landmark study aimed at improving the food intake, health and quality of life of older adults in long-term care homes is among three projects at the University of Waterloo receiving close to $1.5 million in grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Professor Heather Keller, of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Waterloo, and a Schlegel research chair in nutrition and aging, will receive $979,000 over two years to investigate why many Canadians living in long-term care homes are poorly nourished. The project marks the first research into factors impacting food intake in long-term care settings.

“We know that food intake in long-term care tends to be poor, and that residents have poor nutrition as a result. But what we don’t know is why,” said Professor Keller. “Is the food unappealing? Is the setting institutional? Are residents having physical trouble eating?”

To conduct the complex study, teams of researchers will monitor the food intake patterns of 800 randomly selected residents in 32 long-term care homes located in four different provinces. The pioneering project will evaluate how factors like meal quality, food access and mealtime experience impact food consumption.

“It’s not just one thing impacting food intake. If we can understand broadly what is happening, what are the big deterrents to food intake, we can successfully intervene on a large scale,” said Professor Keller. “Poor food intake is both preventable and treatable.”

The study’s findings are expected to help optimize health-care practices and enhance the quality of life of Canada’s aging population.

Two other Waterloo researchers are recipients of CIHR grants.

Professor Colleen Maxwell, of the School of Pharmacy in the Faculty of Science, is investigating frailty, medication use and related health outcomes for older adults receiving home care and long-term care services across Ontario. The grant will fund a project to help develop measures to predict those most at risk for sub-optimal medication use and poor health outcomes.

Professor Suzanne Tyas, of the School of Public Health and Health Systems in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, will investigate the impact of early-life factors such as education, academic performance, linguistic ability and genetics on cognitive resilience. The findings will inform public health interventions and public policy targeted in early life to maximize cognitive health throughout the lifespan.

 

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Monday's notes

The Registrar’s Office and Student Awards & Financial Aid will be closed from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26 for an office event.

While we're on the subject, here's a reminder that the Math Undergraduate Office in MC 4022 will be closed for three days starting today through to Wednesday, August 27, reopening on Thursday, August 28 at 9:00 a.m.

 

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