City-campus relations the talk of Town & Gown

by Laura Janzen.

Four post-secondary and city representatives discussed relations between the City of Waterloo and its three major post-secondary institutions in the 2014 Town and Gown Symposium on Tuesday, May 13 at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in uptown Waterloo.

The 10^th Annual Symposium centered on a theme of Collaborative Community Building. The Presidents’ and Mayor’s panel consisted of Brenda Halloran, City of Waterloo mayor; University of Waterloo’s President Feridun Hamdullahpur; President Max Blouw of Wilfrid Laurier University; and John Tibbits, president of Conestoga College. With a city of over 45,000 students, the event clearly resonated with the diverse audience in attendance.

President Hamdullahpur stressed the importance of the role of post-secondary institutions in investing in people, with universities attracting and retaining skilled students, academics, and knowledge workers for the community. The strong economic impact of post-secondary institutions on the community was touched on by many of the panelists, however Halloran stated that maintaining the infrastructure necessary to support a student population of over 45,000 can also be an economic challenge for a Town and Gown community.

Getting students involved in the community outside the University was encouraged by all panelists, but also cited as a challenge. Mayor Halloran commented that it’s often not until students’ upper years that they have the fullest opportunity or likelihood of engaging with the broader area they live in.

On co-operative education, Hamdullahpur stated that as post-secondary institutions “we need to be ahead of the game” and create experiential learning opportunities so “[students] can link their studies to the world outside the university.”

Throughout the panel discussion, student participation in co-operative education was hailed as a positive contribution to the local community, and a valuable link between post-secondary institutions and the region of Waterloo.

 

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Emergency system test set for Tuesday

A message from Information Systems & Technology (IST).

A test of the University’s emergency communication system is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. This test is limited to updating the main University of Waterloo homepage with the relevant information that would be displayed in the event of a campus emergency.

There are two different types of content that will be tested to ensure that our single activation tool works correctly with our home page. This will result in the homepage being taken over while the test is in progress.

Please be advised that this is just a test and the message displayed will read “This is a test of UW’s emergency communication system. Go to the home page for information.”

If you require any assistance, please contact Police Services at 519-888-4911, or extension 22222.

 

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New joint research review for Waterloo, WLU

a message from George Dixon, Vice-President, University Research

The Research Ethics Committees (REC) at the University of Waterloo and the Research Ethics Board (REB) at Wilfrid Laurier University have established an alternative review model for research involving investigators from both institutions. The establishment of this co-ordinated joint review process is in accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement, 2nd edition (TCPS2) which outlines that institutions may adopt an alternate review model for multi-jurisdictional research. Each institution will however remain responsible for research undertaken within its jurisdiction or under its auspices irrespective of where the research is conducted.

The objective of this co-ordinated review process is to streamline the ethical review process for Waterloo and Laurier researchers by providing a single point of contact at their home institution. The co-ordination of simultaneous review is expected to eliminate the need for consecutive review at both institutions, and reduce the time researchers experience obtaining ethics clearance for multi-site research.

It is expected that the Waterloo-Laurier co-ordinated joint review process will continue to evolve over time. Future changes to this process will be made by mutual agreement between the REB and the REC and review of this agreement will be undertaken annually.

A researcher submitting an application for the co-ordinated joint review process agrees that all information provided, or later requested to be provided, can be freely shared between the REB and the REC.

Research eligible for the Waterloo-Laurier joint review process must be research deemed to be minimal risk as outlined by both institutions’ standard operating procedures and as defined by the TCPS2.

For more information, please review the Waterloo-Laurier joint review process located on the Office of Research Ethics website. The ORE will be exploring opportunities for joint review with other institutions in the future, so please watch this web page for announcements.

Questions about the Waterloo-Laurier joint review process may be directed to Julie Joza, Senior Manager, Office of Research Ethics. For Laurier contact Paul Barnard, Research Compliance Officer.

 

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Thursday's notes

The polls have opened for the 2014-2015 University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) president and president-elect positions, and will remain open until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 26.

Candidate information, voting instructions and the online ballots are located on the staff association's website.

A reminder for students that Friday, May 16 is the last day to add classes for the spring 2014 term. Students who have questions are encouraged to contact their academic advisors for more details.

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