Daily Bulletin

Phone surveys go high tech

Launched this month by the UW Survey Research Centre, says a story in today's Gazette,the CATI lab provides space for up to five interviewers to carry out their survey, with software to collect data as the surveyors enter it at their computer stations. As well, the software can allocate telephone numbers to be called, monitor the success of the interviews, and keep track of the sample composition -- such as information on contacts or refusals -- as it accumulates.

Mary Thompson, chair of statistics and actuarial science and co-director (with sociology professor John Goyder) of the Survey Research Centre, sees the CATI lab as a resource "for anyone carrying out a telephone survey who would like to be able to coordinate and automate the data collection."

First to use the new facility are students in PLAN 350 (Social Research in Planning), who are collaborating with the City of Kitchener in conducting a telephone survey as part of a "healthy community" project.

Besides the planning students, the Centre for Behavioural Research and Program Evaluation (CBRPE) intends to make use of the lab, and has funneled resources from the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society to assist the lab with start-up costs.

CBRPE will be conducting an ongoing evaluation of the Canadian Cancer Society information service, as well as other Cancer Society programs from the lab.

Another application will be a telephone survey conducted by the Survey Research Centre itself. The Centre has been contracted by a provincial health planning agency to evaluate palliative care with interviews of both cancer patients and care givers.

The establishment of a computer lab for telephone surveys has been a priority for the Survey Research Centre, says Thompson. Funding from the cancer agencies, as well as from the faculties of arts, applied health sciences, and mathematics, and the departments of sociology and statistics and actuarial science allowed the dream to be realized this fall.

"It's the biggest project the Survey Research Centre has tackled in terms of coordinating the interests of various people and funding. It was a positive exercise in collaboration," she adds, citing especially the work of Roy Cameron, director of CBRPE, Goyder, Steve Manske, who presented a seminar on use of the lab's software, and planning professor Laura Johnson, instructor of the PLAN 350 students, who are the first to use the lab.

The Survey Research Centre will administer the lab, collecting user fees, booking the space, and paying expenses. The Centre's advisory committee will vet applications for use of the lab. Approval of the Office of Human Research will be required, as well.

"Our intention is to make the lab a campus-wide resource," says Thompson, for research centres, grad students under the direction of funded supervisors, and such class projects as the current planning survey.

WPIRG awarded peace medal

The YMCA of Kitchener-Waterloo presented the group with a 1999 YMCA Canada Peace Medal at a special breakfast meeting today at the A.R. Kaufman Y as part of YMCA World Peace Week events.

WPIRG -- a student organization based on the UW campus -- was nominated for the honour by local physician Dr. Neil Arya, who worked with WPIRG in organizing this fall's lecture series, Waging Peace in the 21st Century. Arya represents Physicians for Global Survival, which sponsored the eight-part series along with St. Jerome's Centre for Catholic Experience.

In a letter of support for the nomination, UW department of environment and resource studies professor Greg Michalenko described WPIRG as "the first Canadian response to the pioneering work of consumer activist Ralph Nader.

"Our Department believes that the best education encompasses both learning and doing, in strengthening not only the student individually but contributing to society, and that this learning should occur both in the community as well as the classroom. The presence of WPIRG has contributed enormously to providing educational opportunities to those environmental studies students who not only wish to acquire skills and knowledge in their area of studies, but also wish to master the complicated and difficult art of working in the community for positive social change."

His statements echo the YMCA's 1981 Statement on Peace, which links peace with justice and asserts that, "The responsibility for peace begins with each person, in relationships with family and friends, and extends to community life and national activities."

The folks at WPIRG "are pretty excited," reports Linda Vieregge, a coordinator for the group. "It's very encouraging to have our efforts recognized in this way."

Library announces appointment

Among her duties: managing and directing the work of a full-time staff of 33, administering a part-time budget of some $345,000, developing annual and long-term objectives for the department in the context of library-wide objectives and of the TriUniversity Group of Libraries' direction. She will also develop and implement policies and procedures governing principal services and activities of the department including circulation/retrieval service, stacks maintenance, binding, and library security.

Lamont assumed the position as a result of recent organizational changes in the library in which former user services coordinator Susan Routliffe took on the new position of assistant university librarian, information services.

Education funding, meteors, and more

Intellectual property is the focus of a lunch time forum today which will explore "Using UW TTLO to Commercialize your Intellectual Property." All are welcome to attend the talk from 12 to 12:30 p.m. in Math and Computer room 5158A.

Also at noon today, the UW Employee Assistance Program presents a seminar by financial consultant Kevin Smith of Strategic Financial Planning. "Investing in Your Future" is the title of the talk from noon to 1 p.m. in Davis Centre room 1302.

First-year arts students and their frosh leaders are invited to a Frosh Reunion today at 4 p.m. in the Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages. "There is over $6,000 worth of prizes to give away, a guest speaker, people from OSAP, the Dean's Office, Arts Undergrad and others," says an announcement from the faculty of arts.

The Computer Store is hosting a demonstration of Academy, Epson and Sony products today in the South Campus Hall concourse. Faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend the "demonstrations of new hardware, software, and/or peripherals." At the UWShop, it's leather jacket day with a 15 per cent discount offered on all orders placed today.

Graduate students meet this evening to re-examine the way in which the Grad House fee is refunded. The Graduate Student Association meeting at 6 p.m. in Needles Hall room 3001 is open to all grad students.

If the skies clear tonight, says physics professor Michel Fich, the best place to observe the predicted Leonid meteor shower is not with a telescope, nor from the roof of the physics building where the observatory is located, since light from the Dana Porter library could obscure the view. Instead, he recommends a hike to the North Campus, the closest location where the show can be seen with the naked eye. Or armchair astronomers can catch the action on a website. The phenomenon is expected to peak tomorrow morning.

Warrior football fans will have a chance to travel to Halifax to cheer on the team at the Atlantic Bowl this weekend, thanks to a bus trip being organized by the Federation of Students and the department of athletics. Tickets are $175, says Feds VP Chris Harold, and include bus travel, hotel accommodation, a ticket to the game, "and breakfast celebration!" The bus will leave the PAC at 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 18. "We need at least 41 people to offer the trip," he adds. Tickets are available at the Feds office (SLC 1102) until 4:30 p.m. today.

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