Renison plans English language hub

Plans are underway at Renison University College to break ground on a new expansion that will be home to Renison's English Language Centre and English Language Studies. The complex will house eight new classrooms, a student lounge, a meeting room, a glassed-in atrium capable of hosting small events, and office space for 15 staff and faculty members.

The new wing is being built largely to house the quickly expanding programs in the English Language Studies (ELS) department. Last year, English Language Studies taught over 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students in its classes.

"With the Faculty of Mathematics now requiring its students to take communications courses early in their program to prepare them for co-op and post-graduation employment, there will be a significantly larger demand for ELS courses," says a statement from Renison. "This emphasis on developing communication skills will replace the English Language Proficiency Exam that all Math students currently have to pass in order to graduate. Besides better employment, the goal is to build communication skills that will make them better students, friends, and citizens as well."

The Faculty of Mathematics initiative could bring an additional 500 students into the English program.

Another new initiative supported by the English Language Centre (ELC) is the Bridge to Academic Success in English (BASE) program. BASE is for students who have exceptional academic high school marks but are slightly below the English language admission requirements. In BASE, students are admitted to their undergraduate program and complete one to two terms of intensive English language courses as well as one academic university credit course. The content taught in the English courses is directly relevant to the academic credit course that the student takes. These English language courses are taught by the ELC.

“The university is in a time of transition, and the Math faculty is the first to prioritize the development of language competence over language testing. Renison is supporting this initiative and creating unique programs to allow students novel pathways into the university,” says Julia Williams, director of ELS.

Renison plans to have the new building completed by mid-December 2014, and open officially for winter term in January 2015.

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CanBuild winners named

by Victoria Gentile.

Thanks to all 12 teams that participated in the University’s first ever campus wide food drive, UWaterloo CanBuild! Thanks to the generosity and creativity of our teams, we were able to collect approximately 3,000 cans of products to benefit the Feds Food Bank and The Food Bank of Waterloo Region.

If you missed your chance to contribute but would still like to be part of the University’s overall donation to The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, a convenient online donation can be made by clicking on the “Support the Foodbank” button.

Congratulations to the following winners of the CanBuild Cup awards:

Best Meal Award

Co-operative Education & Career Action

Ingenuity Award

Student Success Office

Most Cans Award

Stratford Angry Tuna

Spirit Award

WatPD (pictured above)

Judges’ Award

Velocity

People’s Choice Award

WatPD

Visit the CanBuild site to see all our amazing builds!

A special thanks to our team of esteemed judges: 

• Tim Jackson, Vice-President, University Relations
• Wendi Campbell, Executive Director, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region
• David Collins, President of the Federation of Students
• Jennifer Cameron, Feds Food Bank Representatives
• Stephanie Wong, Feds Food Bank Representatives

CanBuild was only the beginning! We are proudly sponsoring two Waterloo student teams as part of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region Canstruction taking place at Conestoga Mall from March 8-16! Support our amazing student teams from the Faculty of Engineering and the School of Architecture by voting for them in the People’s Choice Award category from March 8 to 16 at Conestoga Mall or online at the Canstruction website.

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Student Life Centre Survey: Space is the Place

What would undergraduates like to see inside the Student Life Centre?

The Federation of Students wants to know, and launched the SLC Space Survey on February 28 to find out. The results will help the Feds executive determine what will play a key role in defining the purpose and mission of the building.

The survey will remain online until March 14, and all undergraduates who complete it will be entered into a draw to win an iPad mini.

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Notes on Pancake Tuesday

International Women's Week continues today with a Bust Casting event in the Women's Centre office (SLC 2102) from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Later this month, the Waterloo Arts Distinguished Lecture in Economics will feature Randall Wright from the University of Wisconsin who will deliver a talk entitled “Innovation and Growth With Financial and Other Frictions.” The lecture will take place on Wednesday, March 26, at 3:00 p.m. in Biology 1, Room 271.

"The Federation of Students is hosting its March General Meeting on the March 24 at 12:00 p.m. in the SLC Great Hall," writes the federation's Jacqueline Martinz. "Students are able to submit agenda items to lmmcintosh@uwaterloo.ca by 4:30 p.m. on March 7, 2014." The meeting is open to all undergraduates, who are "strongly encouraged to do so" by the friendly federation. "Important issues such as the use of space in the SLC and other agenda items students deem significant will be presented at the meeting, and in some cases voted on," writes Martinz.

Here's today's Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" from Health Services dietician Sandra Ace. Whether you celebrate Shrovetide, Paczki Day, Mardi Gras, Fettisdagen, or if you just plain love carbs, you may find the next one enriching.

Myth: Bread lasts longer if it’s stored in the refrigerator.

Fact:  Keeping bread in the refrigerator actually makes it go stale more quickly. Bread from the grocery generally stays fresh for about 4 days when left on the kitchen counter. If purchased directly from a bakery, bread may go stale a little more quickly because it is often baked without preservatives. If you want to store bread longer than a few days, close the package tightly and keep in the freezer for up to a month.

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