Lectures begin with a snowy cold snap

Just when we thought we were out, a polar vortex pulled us back in.

First things first: The University of Waterloo is open today. Weather conditions will be monitored throughout the day and any changes will be posted to the homepage and to the Daily Bulletin.

Deep freeze or no, campus is springing into action for the Winter 2014 term.

Lectures begin today, and students who counted themselves lucky that they were spared the worst of last week's cold are in for a chilly walk to their lecture halls this week.

Today is also the first day of the co-operative work term for many students.

The add period for online courses ends on Friday, January 10, and the add period for regular courses ends Friday, January 17.

Extended hours are the order of the day for the university's Retail Services locations. The Book Store, Waterloo Store, and Write Stuff will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. today through Thursday, and on Friday, January 10 will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. They will be open on Saturday, January 11 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Into next week, they will be open Monday and Tuesday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday through Friday, January 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Saturday, January 18 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Food Services operations have also ramped back up this week. Check their website for locations and hours.

The libraries are back to regular operating hours, as are the athletics facilities.

Winter Orientation is in full swing today with campus tours starting from South Campus Hall.

Welcome back, students!

 

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Brushing snow off the closing guidelines

Now's as good a time as any to review the university's Weather/Emergency Closing Guidelines.

The decision to close or remain open is made 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.

When a decision about the university's opening or closing in the face of severe weather conditions is made, a notice will be posted to the university's homepage and audience pathway pages by 6:00 a.m., 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.

Such closures will remain in effect until 6:00 a.m. or later the following day.

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.”

Closings mid-day are handled in a similar fashion. Quoth the guidelines:

"A decision to "close" during the day will be made by the Provost, in consultation with as many of the following as can be reached: the Director of Police & Parking Services, Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Director of Custodial & Grounds Services. Such a decision will specify whether the closing is "immediate" or at a stated hour and will be conveyed to departmental offices as expeditiously as possible, as well as being posted to UW's homepage and conveyed to local radio stations. Unless otherwise specified, the closing continues from that hour until 6:00 a.m. the next day. At the designated hour, staff and faculty (except those providing "essential services") are entitled to leave, without loss of pay. As seems reasonable, a Department Head may give permission, for staff and faculty to leave sooner. A class or examination that would continue past the specified closing hour is cancelled in its entirety, as are scheduled evening classes."

 

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Nominations open for student senate seats

The Secretariat has issued its formal Call for Nominations for undergraduate students to serve on Senate.

Nominations are being requested for the following undergraduate student seats:

Faculty Seats

• One student elected by/from the full-time undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts, term 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2016.
• One student elected by/from the full-time undergraduate students in the Faculty of Environment, term 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2016.
• One student elected by/from the full-time undergraduate students in the Faculty of Science, term 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2016.

At-large Seats

• One student elected by/from the full-time undergraduate students of the university, term 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2016.
• One student elected by/from the full-time undergraduate students of the university, term 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2015.

Each nomination form shall be signed by the required number of members from the constituency from which the member is to be elected:

• For undergraduate students elected from a single faculty, the required number is 25.
• For undergraduate students elected at-large, the required number is 100.

The number of signatures required for a nomination form to be considered valid was changed in November 2013, after the relevant amendments to Senate Bylaw 5 received approval.

Completed nomination forms should be submitted to the Chief Returning Officer, Secretariat, Needles Hall, Room 3060, no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 17.

Elections, if necessary, will coincide with the annual Federation of Students elections.

Information about Senate and its committees/councils can be found online.

The Secretariat is also reporting that the following undergraduate student senators are completing their terms of office as of April 30, 2014:

• Renishaki Kamalanathan (arts),
• Diego Almaraz de la Garza (environment),
• Nicollette Zaptses (science),
• Sean Hunt (at large) and
• Chanakya Ramdev (at large).

With the exception off Mr. Hunt, all are eligible for re-election, in accordance with the policy that states members of Senate shall be eligible for re-election save that an elected member shall serve for no more than two consecutive terms.

 

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Retirement, integrity, and virtual snowpeople

Friends and colleagues of Professor Nancy Theberge (right) of the Kinesiology department are being invited to a retirement celebration in honour of her 38 years of service to her faculty and the university. The reception will be held at the University Club on Wednesday, January 15 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. RSVP to Cheryl Kieswetter by Friday, January 10.

Graduate students are reminded that they have until February 28 to complete the Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM), an online course required for all new graduate students that can be completed through Waterloo LEARN. Students must read the information about academic integrity and then receive a mark of at least 75 percent on an online quiz. The quiz must be successfully completed within the first 8 weeks of the term.

Finally, if you want to build a snowman but have had enough of the cold temperatures, try this virtual (and warmer) alternative offered by Creative Services and add your creation to the gallery.

 

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