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University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Wednesday, May 21, 1997

Staff get 1% pay raise

This year's salary settlement for non-union staff was approved by the board of governors executive committee yesterday -- a last-minute addition to the agenda. Here are the highlights:

A 1 per cent increase in salary scales, effective May 1, 1997.
The usual merit program, which means that individuals' pay increases won't necessarily be 1 per cent, but may be higher or lower depending on their performance appraisals and on where they are in the salary range.
One extra paid holiday, namely Tuesday, December 23 (which previously was the last working day before the Christmas and New Year's break).
The staff training and development fund continues at its present level, $115,720 per year. Also continuing: the special arrangement by which staff who are within three years of retirement can exchange one week of vacation time for a special 2 per cent pay increase.

The staff compensation committee, which recommended the salary settlement, notes in its report that "The University continues to operate in a difficult and challenging financial climate and the workloads of staff continue to increase."

Although the pay increase goes into effect now, the compensation committee will take another look at it "at any time during 1997-98 in the event that the financial position of the University substantially changes or in light of more favourable settlements reached by the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo or the Canadian Union of Public Employees".

Catharine Scott, associate provost (human resources and student services), says the salary increase won't be processed in time for this month's paycheques, but "with luck" the paperwork can be done before payday at the end of June.

Staff policies being changed

Two UW policy documents -- Policy 6, Staff Vacation, and Policy 54, Definition of Staff -- are under revision, and the staff relations committee has invited comments on the proposed changes.

"In both cases," says a memo from the committee, "changes have been made to reflect minor editing for purposes of clarification, the new appointment categories approved in 1996, and current interpretation practices." Trenny Canning of the university secretariat, who is secretary to the committee, says there are no changes of substance to either policy.

Drafts of the revised policies are available on the secretariat's web pages. Comments are being requested, with a deadline of June 2.

By the way: coming soon to a web page near you will be a new draft of UW's Policy 73, on intellectual property. A first draft of Policy 73 was presented for discussion last September.

Retirees will meet today

The UW retirees' association holds its annual meeting this afternoon, at 1:30 in room 102 of Ron Eydt Village (Village II). Says the association's newsletter:

Have a chat, a drink, a snack, and find out what others have been doing now that they are retired! Regardless of the job you used to do at UW, you're bound to see someone you used to know. Jim Downey, President of UW, will be there to share a few of his current thoughts about the University. The UWRA Executive will briefly report on the year's activities, and answer members' questions.

Dave Copp, formerly of the co-op education department, is the current president of UWRA. He reports in the newsletter that the association now has an office on campus, in 156 Columbia Street; the phone number, with voice mail, is ext. 2015.

Future UWRA events include a June 12 trip to the Shaw Festival, and membership chair Esther Kipp is looking to organize other outings, such as a trip to Niagara Falls (including the new Butterfly Conservatory).

Candidates hit campus tomorrow

With the federal election less than two weeks away, tomorrow will bring the all-candidates' meeting that introduces UW to the people who are seeking to represent Kitchener-Waterloo in the next Parliament. Elections Canada is still listing seven candidates in the K-W riding, although newspaper reports say that one Independent candidate has dropped out and a couple of newcomers have filed nomination papers. The major party candidates are Andrew Telegdi (Liberal, the incumbent), Lynne Woolstencroft (Progressive Conservative), Mike Connolly (Reform), and Ted Martin (New Democrat).

Tomorrow's all-candidates' meeting, sponsored jointly by the Federation of Students and the Faculty Association, runs from 12:30 to 2:30 in the Theatre of the Arts. Everyone is welcome.

This week's Positions

The human resources department is listing three jobs in the weekly Positions Available:

Coordinator, student financial aid, office of the registrar -- grade USG 10, definite three-year term contingent upon funding.
Research scientist, computer science -- grade USG 12, expert knowledge of compiler and database systems, part-time, one-year appointment.
Undergraduate secretary, earth sciences -- grade USG 4.

The full descriptions are available on the Web and are being circulated to departments, since there isn't a Gazette this week.

On the Waterloo scene

The staff association subcommittee on pensions, benefits and staff compensation is holding an open meeting tomorrow at noontime, and all staff members are welcome. Discussion will concentrate on proposals for flexible pensions and pension enhancement, says Stephen Sempson, the subcommittee's chair. Tomorrow's meeting starts at 12 noon in Matthews Hall room 1040.

Sign-up sheets are available in the career resource centre, on the first floor of Needles Hall, for students interested in career development workshops and programs.

The conference business just keeps rolling along in Ron Eydt Village. Running today through Saturday is the Rotary Club's "Camp Enterprise", with about 60 participants.

Co-op students working in Ottawa are invited to a reception tomorrow, Thursday, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Citadel Inn downtown. This event is hosted once each term by the co-op department, and this term it's sponsored by Nortel, says Dan Beaupre in the co-op department. Alumni in the Ottawa area are also invited. (Beaupre tells me that "quite a number of our co-op students here in Ottawa regularly check out the Bulletin," so hello to anyone who's reading from the national capital.)

Heating and cooling fan coils will be shut down for a time in Village I -- today in the red dining hall and administrative areas, tomorrow in the green dining hall and great hall -- as renovation work in the Village continues.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY May 21, 1996: Computer animation genius (and Waterloo graduate) William Reeves speaks in the Theatre of the Arts, three days before receiving the J. W. Graham Medal in Computing and Innovation from 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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