King Warrior gets excited about the upcoming Job Fair on Wednesday, February 4 at RIM Park. Held exclusively for all undergraduates, graduates and alumni at Waterloo and our partner schools the Fair will feature more than 180 employers on site looking to hire students for full-time, summer, co-op, contract and part-time jobs.  Dress to impress (business attire is recommended) and bring your résumés.    A free shuttle service will run from Hagey Hall to RIM Park and back every 30 minutes between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.  For more information and to register visit the event website.

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Snow worries, we're (mostly) open today

Rescue crews may have had to dig Wiarton Willie out so he could prognosticate on the changing of the seasons today (hilariously, he says spring is just around the corner), but it's business as usual at the University of Waterloo today after a storm struck much of southern Ontario last night and this morning.

Up to 29 cm of snow was measured in northwest Waterloo overnight, but other parts of the province got it worse: Hamilton endured winds of up to 75 kilometres per hour and more than 35 cm fell in some places. A winter storm warning remains in effect for the area. The list of elementary school and bus cancellations and post-secondary closings is lengthy, with Waterloo the last one standing.

The Stratford Campus has indicated that they are open today as well.

There are a few exceptions:

• The School of Architecture in Cambridge and the Musagetes Library are closed today;
• the Bright Starts Daycare is closed today and will reopen at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow;
• the PAC conditioning room and pool are closed, at least until 11:00 a.m. today; and
• the Federation of Students' offices and business operations are closed today. A Feds executive election forum today has been cancelled and will be rescheduled (International News and the Turnkey Desk, however, remain open)

As usual when the weather is poor but the University is open, students, faculty and staff are reminded that they are responsible for determining when weather conditions make travel unsafe. Students should consult their class and exam schedule in LEARN. Staff and faculty who choose not to come to work when the campus is open should make alternate arrangements with their supervisor.

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Order Treat-A-Grams while there's still time

There are only four days left to buy your Treat-a-Grams. Be sure to submit your order by noon on Thursday, February 5.

Treat-a-Grams are the perfect way to say “thank you” to a friend or to recognize the hard work of a colleague. This year, we are offering delicious gourmet cake pops!

Choose from the following options:

• 1 gourmet chocolate cake pop for $3
• A bouquet of 3 cake pops (chocolate, vanilla and red velvet) for $5.
• Vegan/gluten-free option: a white chocolate and cranberry Rice Krispy square.
• If you want to send a treat to someone who you know would prefer to forgo the dessert or who is often away from campus, consider sending them a postcard instead!          
  

Order yours now by visiting the Keystone Campaign: Treat-a-gram 2015 site.

All proceeds from the sale of 2015 Treat-a-grams will support student physical and mental health through the General Student Wellness Fund.

Treat-a-gram is brought to you by volunteers of the Keystone Campaign, which engages and inspires the    campus community in philanthropy. Every year, our family of faculty, staff and retirees donate over $1 million    and countless volunteer hours to support the University of Waterloo.

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New open-door programs for Arts advising

The Advising team in the Arts Undergraduate Office is piloting two new outreach projects for undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts.

Arts has partnered with the Campus Resources in REZ program to offer Arts academic advice sessions on a drop-in basis in Village 1's room 191 (the Campus Resources in Rez room) from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Students with questions about grades, majors and minors, co-operative education, exchanges and more are invited to drop by.

The Arts Undergraduate Office has also established Walk-In-Wednesdays at its office in PAS 2439. Students are able to drop in and see an advisor without an appointment on Wednesday, February 4, February 11, February 18 and 25. All advisors will see students on a first-come, first-served basis.

Based on the success of the Walk-In-Wednesday program, it will be expanded into March.

Contact the Arts Undergraduate Office for more information about the programs.

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Technophobia might be bad for your health

This piece was originally published on the Applied Health Sciences news page.

Despite showing interest in web or mobile apps to help manage their Type 2 diabetes, only a small number of older adults actually use them, says a new study from the University of Waterloo.  Approximately 2.2 million Canadians are living with Type 2 diabetes, 2 million of whom are age 50 or older.

The study, which appears in the online edition of the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, found that although more than 90 per cent of research participants owned a computer or had daily Internet access, just 18 per cent used applications on this technology to help manage their diabetes. While almost half owned smartphones, only 5 per cent used them to manage their disease.

“There was a strong association between age and confidence—confidence about technology use really dropped off in the oldest age groups," said Professor Peter Hall, of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Waterloo and senior author of the paper. "This drop in confidence was mirrored by a corresponding drop in intentions to use the technology in the near future.” 

Earlier research shows that people who use smartphone and web apps to manage chronic diseases follow their doctors' recommendations more closely and make positive changes in their health, at least among those already positively inclined toward such technology. In diabetes management, technology can provide platforms for glucose logs, dietary and physical activity journals, and create opportunities for scheduled prompting or interventions.

“It may be that older adults are unaware of apps available, they had low confidence about using them regularly, or both,” said Kathleen Dobson, a graduate student and lead author on the paper.

Despite the low use of assistive technology among older adults, the majority of study participants felt that adopting Internet or smartphone applications to manage their diabetes was a good idea. More than two-thirds intended to adopt assistive technology moving forward.

"Successful diabetes management improves quality of life, reduces risk of complications and generally extends life expectancy," said Professor Hall. "My hope is that we can find ways to encourage adoption of these new self-management tools, even among those older adults who don’t consider themselves to be especially tech-savvy."

The development of senior-friendly apps that are easier to see and use along with encouragement from health-care practitioners to use assistive technology could help increase the number of older adults who use their phones and computers as tools to better manage their diabetes. Raising awareness about existing applications and boosting confidence is also key in increasing the use of assistive technology among older adults.

A future phase of this research will involve seniors who aren't tech-savvy to determine their receptivity to different types of applications.

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Board will vote on fees tomorrow

The University's Board of Governors has its first meeting of the year tomorrow in NH 3001. The meeting will begin with a special guest speaker: Ajay Agarwal, the Peter Munk Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management at 12:30 p.m.

Governors will vote on the 2015-2016 residence fees, effective in the Fall 2015 term. Fees in the Student Villages, UW Place, Columbia Lake Village and the Minota Hagey residences are set to increase by 3.5 per cent, and the family residences in Columbia Lake Village will see an increase of 1.6 per cent.

Governors will also vote on the Recommended Tuition Fees for 2015/2016. The Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities (MTCU) introduced a new tuition framework in March 2013 that applies to tuition set between 2013-2014 and 2016-2017 that limits the overall average tuition fee increase across all domestic programs to 3 per cent per year with other limits imposed based on program or year of study.

Undergraduate students (domestic):

• Regulated programs (year 1) - 3 per cent
  
• Regulated programs (upper years) - 3 per cent
  
• Deregulated programs (year 1) - 5 per cent (with exceptions)
  
• Deregulated programs (upper year) - 4 per cent to 5 per cent
  
• Deregulated AFM, Biotech/CA. CFM, Math/CA
  • Year 1 - 3 per cent
  • Upper years - 1 per cent
• Accountancy Diploma - all years - 3 per cent
• Global Business & Digital Arts - all years - 1 per cent
• Pharmacy - all years - 1 per cent

Graduate Students (domestic):

• Specifically identified master and diploma programs - 1 per cent to 5 per cent
• Research Master and PhD programs - 1 per cent

International Students:

• Undergraduate programs - 9.2 per cent
• Graduate programs except research programs - 5 per cent
  
• Graduate research programs - 3 per cent
• Specifically identified Master and Diploma programs - 1.2 per cent to 10 per cent

Why the variability in tuition increases, you might ask? It is driven by the relative competitiveness of Waterloo's current tuition rates with its Canadian peers, the overall 3 per cent MTCU cap, a 3 per cent cap for regulated programs and a 5 per cent limit for deregulated programs, and a 1.2 per cent increase for international undergraduate and master's programs to offset the MTCU-imposed $750-per-student International Student Recovery and the $75-per-student Grant-in-lieu of taxes reduction.

Also up for a vote are some incidental fee changes, including an increase to the Applied Health Sciences Undergraduate Members Society Fee, the Graduate House Fee, and the Co-op fee (a 3.8 per cent increase there).

The Governors will receive an update on the 2014-2015 operating budget and will be asked to approve a project budget of $8.35M to design and construct a 13,825 square foot infill addition to Hagey Hall, a project initially approved by the Building & Properties Committee in 2013. In addition, they will vote on approving two small easements to Waterloo North Hydro totalling 143.5 square metres to service a new electrical loop from a transformer at St. Paul's, and to house guy poles and anchors for a reconstructed hydro line on Bearinger Road. Electrifying stuff.

A wide range of reports from other University committees and senior administrators will be presented for information.

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Monday's maelstrom of mews

The University of Waterloo’s Ecohydrology Research Group will welcome 175 students from four local schools for an exclusive morning workshop as part of World Wetlands Day today.

World Wetlands Day is an annual celebration commemorating the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an international treaty with 168 contracting parties committed to protecting more than 200 million hectares of designated wetlands. Fun fact: Canada comprises 25 per cent of the world's wetlands.

“Wetlands are vital for a healthy local environment and economy,” said Philippe Van Cappellen, Canada Excellence Research Chair and head of the Ecohydrology Research Group at Waterloo. “It’s important we pass on this knowledge to our future generation of citizens and decision makers.”

Professor Van Cappellen will speak to students about the importance of wetlands, including the numerous services they provide, such as water purification, flood control, recreation and biodiversity. For Waterloo Region alone, the value of these services is estimated to be several hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Afterwards, students will rotate through a series of hands-on activities that demonstrate what scientists know about these often threatened habitats. In one such activity, the Web of Life, each student represents an organism, plant, animal or microbe, or a non-living component, like water or soil. They then have to connect to each other in order to interact as an ecosystem. Scenarios like deforestation or wetland drainage are then introduced to teach students how human activities can impact wetlands and their services.

“We encourage everyone to take a look at the wetlands in their ‘backyard’ and learn more about the benefits they provide and how to protect them,” said Van Cappellen.

In addition to the morning workshop, the Ecohydrology Research Group is hosting an afternoon research symposium featuring the latest in wetlands science and policy followed by an evening public lecture by Stockholm Water Prize Laureate Professor William Mitsch.

Also today, Student Awards and Financial Aid is launching its EnRICHed Start program with an event at 3:00 p.m., in the Theatre of the Arts. The event will also be streamed live in the Student Life Centre. EnRICHed Start is a video-based learning program that teaches young people how to manage credit, save money effectively, and invest wisely. Designed to help students get out of debt, it will also open doors for students to become successful entrepreneurs and investors.

The special launch event will media mogul (and former Dragon from CBC's Dragon's Den) Bruce Croxon and EnRICHed Academy co-founder Kevin Cochran.

If you happen to notice more than a few spent Nerf darts lying around campus, and hear a few more moans than usual this week, that's because this week is the latest round of Humans vs. Zombies, or HvZ for short.

Participants have signed up to join either the Nerf gun and balled sock-toting human or the slavering zombie factions in a campus-wide game of tag (or manhunt, if you prefer) that involves zombies chasing down humans in order to turn them to their side, and the humans using their weapons to temporarily stun their enemies and beat a hasty retreat.

The game began this morning and will run until Friday, February 6 at 11:59 p.m. There is a Facebook group, and Imprint will be blogging the battle as the week progresses in a series appropriately titled "Bite me."

You've been warned.

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