Daily Bulletin

Suddenly it's a September morn

I want to thank Barbara Elve for looking after the Bulletin in my absence. It's been interesting to read about Waterloo from afar -- to hear about the professor who nearly won the Stevie Wonder award, the new Bridges program to provide support for first-year students, the delay to renovations at South Campus Hall, and so on.

And now we approach the fall term with rocket speed. There are, in fact, just three more days for students to register without paying late fees, thanks to a new set of registration rules that were announced earlier this year. Everybody was urged to register by mail, but those who didn't should hasten over to the cashiers' office in Needles Hall.

"Late fees for the fall term begin September 8," says a memo from Carmen Roecker in the registrar's office, who adds a warning that "The absolute last day to pay fees for the fall term is September 30."

UW sets aside pension premiums

That way, several million dollars won't be in the fund when it is officially valued on December 31, 1998, explains Jim Kalbfleisch, UW's provost and the chair of the pension and benefits committee. As the employer of staff and faculty, UW puts $1.37 into the pension plan for every $1 deducted from individuals' pay for pension premiums.

"Revenue Canada requires any employer to stop contributing to a defined pension plan if a pension plan valuation is filed showing a funding excess greater than 10% of its liabilities," says a statement from the P&B committee, made public in the human resources department newsletter in August. "The Pension and Benefits Committee has concluded that, in order to satisfy the Revenue Canada requirement, UW contributions for June through December should be accumulated outside the pension plan and transferred to the plan in January, 1999."

Kalbfleisch said UW hasn't actually filed a statement with Revenue Canada. If it did, based on the current surplus in the pension plan, it would be ordered to stop making contributions altogether. Instead, a statement will be filed based on figures from December 31, 1997, when the plan was within the 10 per cent limit (allowing for money set aside to pay for this spring's pension plan changes).

After that, another filing with Revenue Canada won't be due until the year 2000, Kalbfleisch said, and that will give some time for UW to find ways of keeping the surplus within the 10 per cent limit. "The market may do it for us," the provost commented, noting that the big surplus in the plan is mostly the result of a boom in stock prices, which might not last forever.

NSERC visit is September 16

The morning, from 9 to 11 a.m., will see "a workshop on how to prepare an application and general information session to which faculty in all disciplines are invited", says a memo from grants coordinator Liz Vinnicombe. "The site visit committee will spend the afternoon with members of the departments of earth sciences, physics, chemistry and geography."

The dean of science, John Thompson, is "the named site visit coordinator", and detailed arrangements are being made by Lisa Dowsett in the dean of science office.

Vinnicombe's memo, sent to faculty members early in August, confirms the NSERC announcement that all existing research grants are being increased by 10 per cent. "NSERC is asking grantholders to use the new funds to raise stipends, train more students and fellows and create a better environment for research training."

Also in late summer, NSERC announced that four of its 11 Networks of Centres of Excellence are being renewed, with "more than $35 million in continued funding". They are the Health Evidence Application and Linkage Network, the Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures Network, the Sustainable Forest Management Network, and the TeleLearning Network of Centres of Excellence.

And a few other announcements

And I guess retail services really likes the letter X, because another note from Alemany advises that "Artworx is set to open for the fall 1998 term in its permanent location in East Campus Hall." That's the retail services outpost that has artists' paints, paper, canvas, ink, clay and so on -- mostly for fine arts students, but also of some interest to those in architecture and planning.

Here's a note from Wish Leonard in the Davis Centre library: "The library has issued notices letting people know that books borrowed on term loan are due back September 9. However, to avoid lineups on and before the 9th, those needing to return or renew books are encouraged to do so well before that date. As of August 10, books borrowed or renewed for the term are due back January 6, 1999."

Iris Strickler of graphic services sends word that the colour passport photo service offered at Graphics Express will be relocated to the Dana Porter Library copy centre for a month, starting today. And the self-service area in Graphics Express, including a self-serve photocopier, will be temporarily closed for a time later this month, tentatively starting September 14. Says Strickler: "These changes are required to accommodate our busy course note season and we sincerely regret any inconvenience. We have simply run out of physical space. We will offer these services again as soon as the rush is over."

CAR

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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