Daily Bulletin

Thursday, November 20, 1997

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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UW surveys the present . . .

All members of the university community are invited to attend a "State of the University" meeting at 3:00 this afternoon in the Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages building.

The program will consist of three presentations: by Paul Mitchell, chair of the board of governors, on the work of the board; by Jim Kalbfleisch, vice-president (academic) and provost, on "UW's financial circumstances"; and by James Downey, president, on "the general state of the University".

. . . and past and future

"A giant coffee break" is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2, as the last event in UW's 40th anniversary celebrations. The refreshments will be served from 9:30 to 11 that morning in the Davis Centre great hall.

"While you're sipping on your java and enjoying a complimentary pastry," an invitation says, "you'll also witness history in the making."

How? Through "the launch of WatNext, UW's electronic time capsule". Everybody will have a chance to make predictions about the year ahead for Waterloo, and they'll be sealed away in computer memory until UW's next big anniversary, the 50th, in the year 2007. Watch for more news about how to get involved in predicting Wat will be Next.

Facing the mail strike

A postal strike started yesterday afternoon with a wildcat walkout about 3 p.m. in some cities, including Kitchener, and then, before dinner time, with a full national strike.

A Canada Post truck usually comes to East Campus Hall around 4:00 each day to pick up the outgoing mail, but that didn't happen last night, as the Kitchener postal workers were already off the job. The result is that "Canadian mail only will be sitting in our mailroom," says Carmen Jaray of central stores. Her office had already announced special arrangements to keep UW's mail moving to and from the United States and other countries.

And the human resources department has provided special arrangements for submitting health and dental claims while the postal strike continues.

Step right up, take a chance

The "Dollars for Scholars" raffle is getting rolling. "Give our UW scholars some booster dollars and at the same time give yourself twelve chances to win some booster bucks!" the organizers are saying. "By buying a Dollars for Scholars raffle ticket, you can do both."

The raffle is aimed at raising as much as $40,000 for UW scholarships. Tickets are $60 apiece, with no more than 1,000 to be sold. Ticket sales run October 27 through December 8. First prize is $2,500, with the winner to be drawn December 15. After that there will be eleven more draws, each for $1,000 -- one a month, on the third Monday of the month, January through November 1998.

Sure does sound like fun: "Treat yourself to the excitement of winning a cash prize each month! You can even share this excitement with a special friend by purchasing a ticket as a gift that can be unwrapped every month for the next year! . . . Tickets can be purchased from a ticket seller in your department or from the Office of Development & Alumni Affairs, SCH. And there are flexible payment options to make it easier to afford -- cash, Visa. MasterCard, cheque, and two post-dated cheque options -- two $30 cheques or six $10 cheques. For further information, call the Dollars for Scholars Raffle line at ext. 2988."

Work in peace and development

Students can check out positions in the community, including some in other countries, at the fall internship fair today organized by the peace and conflict studies program.

Among the available opportunities are spending a summer in community development in Ontario, taking a term off and volunteering in Africa, or working abroad during a co-op term. The fair will be held from noon to 5 p.m. in the cafeteria of Conrad Grebel College.

"Many people talk about internships as the 'wave of the future' and as one of the best ways to 'get your foot in the door' in your field of interest," says Matthew Dick, a student volunteer in PACS. At the fair, students will find pamphlets and application forms from a variety of organizations and reference books on how to live and work overseas. They will also be able to talk to several coordinators from internship and voluntary service programs.

Local volunteers wanted too

"Give a helping hand," the local Volunteer Action Centre is suggesting. How? Some current opportunities:

"Drivers and shoppers -- this agency is looking for warm and sincere people to assist seniors with shopping errands and in getting to and from appointments. Also needed is a Ukrainian-speaking person to visit and assist a senior who is new to the area."
"Male volunteers 19 years of age or older are needed to provide friendship for boys 6-14 years old. Or if planning and organizing events is of more interest, join their fundraising committee and share your expertise."
"If you are physically fit and would like to participate in fitness events, assist with organization and promotion of the program, this agency has several challenging opportunities."

To find out just which agency is involved in each program, get more details, or hear about other volunteer openings, you can call the VAC at 742-8610.

The rest of the story

Today is Black Thursday, so designated by the Federation of Students as part of "Week Without Violence" -- a day for people to wear black to symbolize their opposition to violence in general.

Co-op students who are still looking for winter term jobs are reminded that tomorrow is the last day to hand in a "continuous phase registration form" along with 15 copies of their résumé. "If you don't hand it in by this day, your status will be changed to "On own -- self-imposed" unless you obtain employment by December 22."

The University of Toronto gave an honorary degree yesterday to former United States president George Bush, after several dozen faculty members walked out of the convocation ceremony in protest. Outside Hart House, a shouting, scuffling crowd also expressed contempt. How big a crowd? The Sun this morning says 500 students, CBC Newsworld says 1,000, the Star says 4,000.

A sales and marketing seminar featuring Jerry Goodis of McMaster University runs today and tomorrow, sponsored by UW's continuing education office. The fee: a cool $295.

A seminar on "21st Century Radar Technologies" begins at 12 noon in Davis Centre room 1302. The speaker is Peter Scarlett of Raytheon; it's sponsored by the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute and the Institute for Computer Research.

The architecture school's Arriscraft Lecture series continues tonight with a talk by artist and architect Mira Nakashima of New Hope, Pennsylvania. It starts at 8:00 in the "green room" of Environmental Studies II.

Starting tomorrow, UW's libraries will have extended hours for the exam period. Until December 18, the Dana Porter Library will be open 8 a.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday. The Davis Centre will open at the same hour as Porter each day and stay open one hour later than Porter.

Next Wednesday, November 26, will bring a special event on "international partnerships in the software industry and electronic commerce", sponsored by the InfraNet Project. There's a $40 fee for part of the program, namely lunch, a seminar by Randall Howard of the software firm MKS, and a "networking opportunity". Then comes the free part of the day, a 2:30 p.m. seminar by Christian Trudeau, a vice-president of Bell Emergis. Preregistration: ext. 5611.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY November 20, 1981: The Canadian Industrial Innovation Centre, which began as a part of UW, has its official opening as an independent agency at 156 Columbia Street.

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