Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Tuesday, April 15, 1997

The provost finds some money

UW provost Jim Kalbfleisch yesterday circulated a draft budget that would put some money into individuals' pockets (even if there are no salary increases) and turn what had been an operating deficit for the university into a surplus. He'll present the draft to the senate finance committee on Thursday morning; it later goes to the senate and board of governors for approval.

"The preliminary budget does not include a budget cut, and there is an unallocated balance of $1.95 million," the provost writes. "However, since salary negotiations have not yet been completed, it has not been possible to include the cost of any salary increases to be awarded in 1997-98."

A surplus of nearly $2 million is a happy change from the deficit of about the same amount that was showing in Kalbfleisch's last draft, a few weeks ago. Where has the money come from? Two places, mostly:

A "life insurance reserve", some $4.4 million, "established many years ago and no longer needed". It will go to reduce the accumulated debt of $13.5 million, which was created mostly by the early retirement program, and so reduce the annual payments on that debt (from $4.5 million to $3.3 million per year).
"Subject to Board of Governors approval," premiums to the pension plan are being cut in half, both for individual employees and for the university as employer. "This will produce savings of between 2.4% and 3% of salary for each member of the pension plan," Kalbfleisch notes, "as well as savings of $3.3 million in the operating budget."

The budget documents don't go into detail, but I suspect the provost will tell the committee on Thursday that the pension fund is earning money so fast that it's bumping up against government limits on the maximum surplus a registered pension fund can have. The documents also don't say how long the premium reduction will last. Staff and faculty members who are in the pension plan pay between 4.9 per cent and about 6 per cent of their gross salary as pension premiums.

As for the more routine things in the budget, they're pretty much as expected: tuition fees up, total enrolment down "slightly", more money going to scholarship funds and student aid, departments spending less on salaries since the early retirement program and more on non-salary items.

The latest estimate is revenue of $176.1 million for UW in the coming year, up about 1 per cent from the current year, and expenditures of $174.2 million -- plus whatever salary increases are finally agreed to.

Graphic services surveys customers

The new "marketing department" in UW's graphic services department is looking for responses to a survey that asks customers what they think about the printing, photocopying and other services they get. A questionnaire asks about "ease of submitting requests", accuracy, "responsiveness for rush jobs", hours of operation, "ability to follow special instructions", and even how often the self-service photocopiers are out of order.

Says Colette Nevin, the marketing manager: "Our goals are to serve our customers well, in a variety of locations, meeting needs for creative materials in the best possible manner. We want to know your goals and whether we meet them with our services. Your evaluation of our present service to you, is important to us."

The survey is available on the Web at http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infograp/survey1.html. Printed copies are available on request -- call ext. 6172.

Says Nevin: "We want you to be honest, even if you feel our present service is flawed. We are aiming for a seamless service that supports the excellence of the UW experience.

"If you prefer to be one of our core group of respondents, we will conduct a personal survey with you at your convenience. Please contact Mike Jack at ext. 6172, and Mike or I will come to see you at your location. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete with all answers strictly confidential."

Completed surveys are due by May 9. "All respondents have a chance to win a dinner for two people, courtesy of our sponsor, The Document Company Xerox."

Workshop on injury prevention

Thirty-some people from industry are on campus today and tomorrow for a workshop on "Ergonomic Aspects of Injury Prevention" being run by UW's kinesiology department. They're here, says Patrick Neumann of kinesiology, "to discuss common problems and look for possible solutions when trying to create ergonomics change in the workplace. This event is part of the Ergonomics Initiative in Injury and Illness Prevention, an industry funded research and education effort operating out of the occupational biomechanics labs."

Bob Norman, who is an ergonomics researcher as well as dean of applied health sciences, will give the opening address this morning ("Initiatives in Ergonomics") and wind things up Wednesday afternoon ("Where Do We Go from Here?"). In between, the workshop has a mixture of case studies, group discussions and presentations, with an emphasis on "successful change" and "roadblocks to success". Partners in sponsoring the event are General Motors, A. G. Simpson, the Woodbridge Group, and UW.

And these other notes

Simon Fraser University has announced that John Waterhouse, who last year finished a term as director of the UW school of accountancy, will be its next dean of business administration. He goes to the British Columbia institution September 1. Waterhouse is currently a visiting scholar at the Harvard Business School.

John English, Member of Parliament for Kitchener, has announced that he won't run for another term and will return to the UW department of history, from which he's on leave. His announcement leaves the Liberal Party looking hurriedly for a new candidate in Kitchener Centre riding. (Federal ridings in this area have been redistributed for this election; the campus and the city of Waterloo are in the riding now called Kitchener-Waterloo.)

A group called "Touring Players" hits the Humanities Theatre today and tomorrow (10:00 and 1:30 both days) doing a children's show based on the hugely popular books of Robert Munsch. Watch for big yellow buses.

The alumni affairs office is sponsoring a lunch Monday with Timothy Collings, a 1984 engineering graduate who's suddenly famous as the inventor of the V-chip for blocking "unacceptable" television programs. Tickets for the lunch, in the Laurel Room of South Campus Hall, are $20, and today's the deadline for registering -- call ext. 4973 to make the arrangement.

Here's a reminder that there will be no nurses available at health services this morning (until 1 p.m.), Wednesday morning and Thursday morning.

Finally . . . check the comics pages today for the inevitable gags about the income tax deadline, which is indeed April 15 in the United States. But it's April 30 in Canada, so breathe easy, all ye procrastinators.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY April 15, 1993: James Downey becomes president of UW.

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca -- (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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