[UW logo]
Hungary's national day


Daily Bulletin



University of Waterloo | Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Yesterday's Bulletin
Previous days
Search past Bulletins
UWevents
UWinfo home page
About the Bulletin
Mail to the editor

Friday, August 20, 1999

  • Lectures challenge "new order"
  • TRELLIS upgrade begins today
  • Volunteer help wanted


Lectures challenge "new order" -- St. Jerome's broadens debate on IT

"An antidote to the pervasive mood of self-interest and hard-heartedness that has marked the last decade of this century" will be offered by the St. Jerome's Centre for Catholic Experience1999-2000 lecture series.

Compassion and Solidarity: The World We Want, is the theme of this year's talks which bring together "scholars, artists, and activists" to address ways of working for the common good "through social work, global justice, education, ecology, peace or information technology."
[dig]
Ring Road reconstruction from the University Avenue entrance, circling west to Needles Hall is underway, with traffic being rerouted in the work area. The roadway is scheduled to reopen by September 9, although finishing touches of asphalt may require temporary closings after that date.

"Too concerned about our own decline in purchasing power, our own insecurity, our own future, we quickly lose sight of the poor, the marginalized, the excluded -- the real victims of this new order and the culture of self-centredness it promotes," explains David Seljak, religious studies professor and Centre director.

The lectures begin on Friday, September 17, with a talk by "political and cultural theorist, author and critic," Mark Kingwell, University of Toronto philosophy professor and author of Dreams of the Millenium. Kingwell and UW president David Johnston (who speaks on November 18) comprise the Information /Technology + Society Series Lectures, sponsored by the St. Jerome's Centre for Catholic Experience and St. Jerome's math department.

The new mini-series was introduced last year "out of our concern that on the UW campus -- heavily concentrated on information technology -- there isn't a wide debate on the contribution of information technology to the public good," said Seljak. Like all power, it can be used for good or evil, he added, and the series is "an attempt to get people, thinking about those possibilities.

"For many students in computer science, information technology is simply how they're going to get rich. They're often up front about that fact. Others are worried that their jobs will not be fulfilling. This is a way to get students thinking about how they can use their skills for the public good, for democracy, to introduce them to the wider possibilities."

Other speakers in the lecture series include:

The lectures are free, and most will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Siegfried Hall at St. Jerome's University. For more information, phone St. Jerome's at 884-8111, ext. 259.

TRELLIS upgrade begins today

The TriUniversity Group of Libraries will be upgrading the TRELLIS system software, starting at 6 p.m. today and continuing through Monday. All UW libraries will be closed from 6 p.m. today until 8 a.m. on Monday.

The dry season at PAC

The taps providing domestic hot and cold water will be turned off in the Physical Activities Complex from Monday, August 23 at 8 a.m. to Friday, August 27 at 4 p.m. to allow plant operations crews to replace faulty valves. Although offices in the building will be open, the athletics and recreation facilities will be closed.

"During the upgrade, there will be acces to a backup Web version of TRELLIS," says Linda Teather, coordinator of UW library systems support services. "Users will not be able to place holds or recalls, but otherwise access should be normal."

Web services such as journal indexes, electronic journals, ILL forms, or subject-based Web sources which are accessed from the TUG Web page should not be affected, she adds.

On Monday, circulation services will be available through staff at the circulations desks, but self-charge will not be available until the upgrade is completed. Full service is expected to be restored before the end of the day on Monday.

Volunteer help wanted

"If your family is accepting, friendly, outgoing, fun-loving and wants to give something back to the community," K-W Extend-A-Family needs your help as a Respite Family or Friendship Family.

Child and Parent Place, which facilitates exchanges or visits of children following a separation or divorce, is looking for "non-judgmental, open-minded volunteers" to provide support and supervision.

Volunteers can also assist Kitchener Public Library Foundation with special projects to enhance library services by providing administrative support, collecting items for a silent auction, or planning and assisting with a special event.

To learn more about these and other volunteer opportunities, contact the Volunteer Action Centre at 742-8610.

Barbara Elve
bmelve@uwaterloo.ca


Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@uwaterloo.ca | (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
| Yesterday's Bulletin
Copyright © 1999 University of Waterloo