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Wednesday, December 1, 1999

  • George continues as math dean
  • A month left before Year 2K
  • Students join Seattle protests
  • Computing courses this month
  • It was in the bleak December

[JAG]

George continues as math dean

Alan George, "interim" dean of math for the past year and a half, has been named to serve a full term in the dean's office.

The appointment was announced by the president yesterday after it was approved by UW's senate and -- in a special meeting Monday morning -- the board of governors executive.

George, who was dean of math in the 1980s and then served a five-year term as provost, was named to a two-year "interim" term as dean after a nominating process in 1997 was unsuccessful in finding a new dean. That two-year term ends June 30, 2000, and then he'll begin a regular five-year term, according to the president's memo.

"His appointment was recommended unanimously by the Nominating Committee established under UW Policy 45," the memo said.

Dr. George received his Ph.D. and joined the UW Department of Computer Science in 1971. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1973 and to Professor in 1977. He has served as Dean of Mathematics (1980-86) and Vice- President Academic & Provost (1988-93). . . .

An accomplished researcher and teacher, Dr. George has successfully supervised twenty-four graduate students and has more than one hundred refereed publications. His many awards and honours include being named Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1992.

Dr. George's appointment enjoys very strong support within the Faculty of Mathematics. I am delighted that he is willing to continue as Dean of Mathematics, and I look forward to working with him.

A month left before Year 2K

Countdown script from The JavaScript Source.
That's right: the time is trickling away, and in just it's going to be the year 2000 -- the dreaded "Y2K" when computers will stop being able to cope. Or, more likely, will cope just fine.
"Planners continue to fine-tune their Y2K preparations," says one person intimately involved in the planning: Charles Woods, of the systems department in UW's library. With his permission, let me present excerpts from a memo he recently issued, summarizing things that people need to know.

Community readiness

Library staff may have seen the Y2K Town Hall meeting taped just outside the Davis Centre Library. It was assuring to hear representatives of local universities, police, utilities, hospitals, banks and municipalities outline the tests they've conducted; they all expressed great confidence that the areas they are responsible for will work on January 1, 2000. A summary of the preparedness of the 33 local agencies can be found at http://www.y2kalm.com. You will find Y2K statements from Emergency Services, Utilities, Medical, Education, Municipal.

One question came from a student who was in Montreal during the infamous ice-storm that paralysed Quebec: how can we be sure that we are ready for an event of similar magnitude? The Y2Kalm page suggests that one should prepare for Y2K problems as one would for a severe storm. On their TIPS page they recommend, among other things, preparing an emergency kit and keeping a full tank of gas in the car. Equally important to the police representative was emotional preparedness: stay calm and use emergency communications only for genuine emergencies.

Computer readiness

Progress continues in the areas outlined in the Library Y2K page.

Home Computers -- Hardware: Many staff have borrowed the diskette with the Y2K test software.

Software: Please check with the vendor of your favorite software to confirm that your software package(s) are Y2K compliant. Please note that many new recommendations and patches have been issued by software vendors just recently. For instance, Microsoft just issued some patches only 2 weeks ago and provides a MS Year 2000 Product analyser.

Library Computers: All Library PCs have been tested.

PC Software: An inventory of software has been compiled and reviewed. Systems is reviewing the latest recommendations from major vendors and will be attending a session on Y2K Data Compliance with Stephen Markan of IST. If your department is operating a software package that is not on the list of software applications please identify the package.

Servers: NT: Service pack 4 has been applied to the NT servers. AIX UNIX: the OS has been upgraded to version 4.2. DEC Server (library): the OS was upgraded to 4.0d and further Y2K patches will be applied in the next 2 weeks.

Campus Computers: Y2K OS patches were applied to the TRELLIS servers l1, l2, lap1-3 last week.

Campus Y2K planning documents can be found on the web.

A few more Year 2K comments come from Tim Farrell of the information systems and technology department, whose portfolio these days includes leading a project on Y2K readiness for administrative departments.

He stresses two things in particular:

"Although IST and other computing departments on campus have addressed many of the problems of Y2K, hardware, software and operating systems, it is the end-user's responsibility for the Year 2000 integrity of their data.

"Users who take home potentially date sensitive files such as Excel spreadsheets or Access databases should ensure that their home computers have the same Y2K patches applied to their home software as their office machines. There may be a possibility that a non-compliant home computer could corrupt or alter data because some macro or function misinterprets a date. I would recommend everyone apply the Y2K patches to their home computers. IST sells a CD in the CHIP for $15.00 with some of the major Microsoft Year 2000 patches."

And he has a final thought: "It is important that people examine what tasks they do here at the university especially over the entire year. Are there special computer programs that people use once or twice a year or data that only gets looked at in April, for example? I don't think we should be complacent once we get past the first few days of 2000 -- the Y2K problem doesn't end on January 1, 2000. I think we may see Y2K problems and anomalies throughout the year."

Now there's a happy thought for December 1999!

Students join Seattle protests

UW students are joining thousands of protesters from across Canada and around the world this week at demonstrations against the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle.

A group of eight students and recent grads, including volunteer coordinator Daryl Novak of the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group, flew to the city last weekend to show their opposition to "the non-governmental, non-elected World Trade Organization negotiations that undermine the importance of workers' rights, environmental protection and democracy," he said in a news release.

According to Linda Vieregge, a WPIRG staff member who remained in Waterloo, the main thrust of the protest is against WTO measures that will prevent "duly elected" national governments from making decisions in such areas as health care, education and environmental policy.

"When corporate interests supersede those of governments, it's pretty undemocratic," she said.

Computing courses this month

The department of information systems and technology is offering several computing courses in December to UW faculty, staff and students. There is no charge for these courses. The following courses are being offered: More information about the courses is available on-line, along with a course registration form.

Sex! (Got your attention.)

"Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. Have you heard?" That's how it starts: a news release announcing "Sex, Lies and Other Stuff -- A Threesome" tonight through Saturday.

Described as "a collection of skits, scenes, and songs about passion, deceit, lust, sex, lies and other stuff", it's a consolation prize for UW drama audiences following the cancellation of "King Lear" earlier this term. "Concern for their fellow actors and a desire to perform and direct drove Erin Kell, Jay D'Aoust and Trevor Martin to organize the variety show," the release explains. "Those involved are not only from the drama department, but all faculties, as well as Laurier. Even a UW faculty member, Erik Weissengruber, is directing a scene."

The show will be performed at 8 p.m. for these four nights in Studio 180 in the Humanities building. "Donations will be accepted at the door with all proceeds going to Anselma House, home for distressed women, and to a student scholarship fund. Come early, and get up close and personal."

It was in the bleak December

Co-op students who are still without employment for the January-to-April work term should note that "an additional, previously unscheduled job posting" will be available today. Posting #7 will be up on the CECS bulletin boards by 12 noon and will expire at 8:00 p.m.

The Computer Store holds its last Demonstration Day of the term today, in the South Campus Hall concourse, showing off "seasonal stuffers" from Sony.

A student recital -- performers not identified -- is scheduled for 12:30 in the chapel at Conrad Grebel College. Admission is free.

A seminar on "Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer" will be held at 12:30 today in the Clarica Auditorium in the Lyle Hallman Institute (Matthews Hall west wing). The speaker is Brian Dingle, director of the Grand River Regional Oncology Program.

The women's basketball Warriors host Windsor's Lancers tonight at 7:30 in the Physical Activities Complex.

The Jewish studies distinguished lecture series continues tonight with a talk by Stephen Berk of Union College, Schenectady, New York. He'll speak at 8:00 (Needles Hall room 3001) on "Bittersweet Encounter: A History of the Relationship Between Poles and Jews".

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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