Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Friday, May 23, 1997

TGIF under a blue sky

The four-day weeks always seem longer than the regular working weeks, don't they? Today we have a gorgeous spring morning, even if clouds are on the way by the time the staff association bus sets off tomorrow morning for its annual Niagara wine tour.

Show me the money -- when?

Staff members can look forward to more dollars appearing bit by bit in their paycheques, as the paperwork catches up with changes that have been announced. Here's what to expect on end-of-the-month pay slips:

May (next Friday): Pension premiums drop to half of their previous level, in a three-year adjustment to keep the pension fund within legal limits.

July: The May 1 salary increase of 1 per cent kicks in. It can't be processed any sooner than that, says associate provost Catharine Scott, what with the reduced number of staff in human resources, the time people are having to put into the human resources management system, and the work of getting the pension premium change made.

August: A lump sum shows up as retroactive payment for May and June.

Faculty members? They'll see the change in pension premiums this month too, but any change in salaries is awaiting a settlement in negotiations between UW management and the faculty association. UW provost Jim Kalbfleisch said yesterday that a chair for the faculty salary committee has been found -- Bob Kerton, of the economics department -- and initial negotiation meetings have been held.

Now, about those appraisals

Individual staff members' pay increases depend on their performance appraisals, and Scott said yesterday that you shouldn't expect to see a pay increase in July unless your appraisal has been finished and filed with the human resources department. Some 200 appraisals still aren't done, although they're more than two months overdue, she noted.

She also requested that -- to help get the paperwork done on staff members' increases -- any department heads who expect to be away for long periods during June should have a word with human resources before they leave.

Local volunteers are wanted

The Volunteer Action Centre is looking this week for people to fill these roles:

Board members for an agency that provides support to people with Alzheimer disease and support to their families; business experience or knowledge of small business issues is especially wanted. Listing 128-1177.
"Befriend a quiet, elderly couple by playing a leisurely game of bridge with them once a week," Tuesday or Thursday afternoon. Listing 027-1929.
Canadian Mental Health Association volunteers for the distress centre -- "comprehensive" training in listening and interpersonal skills provided. Listing 011-823.

Fuller information: the VAC is at 742-8610.

Workshop for teaching assistants

A workshop on "facilitating effective discussions", aimed at teaching assistants, starts at 12 noon today in Engineering I room 3516. You're supposed to have registered for it days ago, but last-minute information might be available at ext. 3132.

Says a summary from facilitators Donna Ellis and Linda Schmoll:

Class discussions allow students to articulate their ideas, respond to their classmates points, and develop skills in evaluating the evidence for their own and others positions. Initiating and sustaining lively, productive discussions are among the most challenging activities for an instructor. In this workshop, you will participate in small group discussions on issues such as how to start and guide a discussion, how to prevent the discussion from deteriorating, and how to encourage student participation. Groups will share their responses so we can all benefit from each others experiences. Handouts from the literature will also be available. So please bring your ideas and join us for this interactive workshop.
The workshop is open to all teaching assistants across campus, so please pass on this notice to your colleagues. Remember to bring your lunch. Juice will be provided.

Other notes and events

Job posting #3 for fall term co-op jobs will expire at 8:00 tonight. "Do not forget," says Kathy Grant in the co-op department, "to hand in one copy of your resume package to the co-op drop-off slot."

An open house sponsored by information systems and technology this morning will explain the department's new structure. The event starts at 10:00 in Davis Centre room 1302.

Conrad Grebel College is today hosting a one-day conference on family-owned businesses. "Minding Your Business: Keep It in the Family" is the title of the event, which stars John L. Ward of the Family Business Institute. ("In the next ten years 50% of family businesses will face a succession of another generation of business owners. 70% of these businesses will not survive into the hands of the second generation. Even more important, 90% of the families facing succession have no documented succession plan.")

The Ewald Academy of Dancing is using the Humanities Theatre for a concert Saturday night at 7:00 and Sunday afternoon at 2:00.

As the Rotary Club's Camp Enterprise winds up at the conference centre at Ron Eydt Village, in comes another group. The annual conference of the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada brings some 120 people to the Village for the weekend.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY May 23, 1968: Senate approves offering four physics courses by correspondence. The Math and Computer building is officially opened.

May 24, 1989: For the first time, spring convocation stretches over four days to accommodate all the graduates.

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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