Daily Bulletin

Prayers and speeches in the college courtyard began the Charity Run activities at St. Jerome's University yesterday -- an annual fund-raiser, this year directed toward Habitat for Humanity. The hoopla lasts for 11 days, ending with the literal ring road run on the weekend of October 1-3.

Distant students visit Saturday

The event happens mostly in the Davis Centre, where "hospitality" is offered from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and new and used book sales run from 8:30 to 2:45. A "course fair" and displays from academic departments will be set up there from 10:30 to 12:30, and there will also be displays from the computer store, the library, and other service units of interest to off-campus students.

A seminar on "Career Management Strategies for a Changing Workplace" takes place from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (Davis Centre room 1302) with Neil Gibson of UW's counselling services. At 10:30 a 45-minute walking tour of the campus leaves from the Davis Centre.

New technologies used to enhance distance programs, such as sending assignments by e-mail and studying course materials from a CD, will be discussed at an afternoon seminar. It takes place from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. (Davis Centre 1302) and is called "Are You In Line for On Line?"

Also on the program are an open house in the high fidelity sound lab in Physics -- of special interest to students in Science 205, a popular distance education offering -- and an opportunity for distant students to pick up a WatCard.

Lunch will be in the Festival Room in South Campus Hall, and the day ends with "coffee and comments" at 4:15.

"Our attendance numbers are up this year," writes Avril McVicar, administrative assistant in the distance and continuing education office, "and we want to encourage the UW community to take part. Everyone is welcome." She pointed out the "changing workplace" talk in particular: "UW staff are welcome to attend, and bring a friend if they'd like."

UW is home to one of Canada's most extensive distance education programs. In this form of independent learning, there are 250 degree credit courses -- mostly delivered through audiotaped lectures, supported with such tools as videos, microscope slides, photo prints and slides, although a growing number of courses are moving to the Internet.

St. Jerome's installs president

The ceremony of installation begins at 1:30 p.m. with an academic procession, will include scripture readings, the president's pledge and ceremonial robing, and greetings from other universities. These traditional elements will frame a liturgical dance by Stephen and Christine Filipowicz, with music composed by Alfred Kunz and performed by a specially arranged choir. There will also be a musical interlude provided by Leonard Enns's Da Capo Choir, which will perform musical pieces from the Catholic tradition and from the larger Christian and Canadian community.

(Some publicity for the event says it starts at 1:00; the correct time is 1:30, I'm assured. Also, some publicity says the ceremony will be by invitation only; in fact, anyone is welcome to attend.)

Later on Saturday, at 7 p.m., a special Mass will be held to mark the feast of St. Jerome, the patron saint of the university and its founding order, the Congregation of the Resurrection. (St. Jerome's Day actually falls on September 30.)

Both the ceremony of installation and the mass will take place in Siegfried Hall at St. Jerome's. All are welcome.

Higgins became president at St. Jerome's on July 1. He is only the second lay person to fill the post: the first was his predecessor Douglas Letson. He's also the first person to be installed as president of "St. Jerome's University" -- the 134-year-old institution, now federated with UW, was a "College" until last year.

Higgins has been a professor of English and religious studies at St. Jerome's since 1982. He has held almost every administrative position at the college, including chair of the department of religious studies, director of the St. Jerome's Centre for Catholic Experience, director of the Institute for Studies in Theological Renewal, associate dean, and academic dean and vice-president. He also served as chair of the UW department of religious studies.

Succeeding him as dean of the college is Kieran Bonner, an Irish-born sociologist who spent the last 12 years as a professor and administrator at Augustana University College in Camrose, Alberta.

Higgins has written and published widely about social justice, cultural matters, and the Roman Catholic Church. Recent books include The Jesuit Mystique (with Letson) and Heretic Blood: The Spiritual Geography of Thomas Merton. He edited the award-winning Grail: An Ecumenical Journal for 12 years, is a frequent contributor to the Globe and Mail and a columnist for the Toronto Star, and has written more than 50 scripts for the CBC radio program "Ideas".

The new president faces three main challenges, says John Sweeney, chancellor of St. Jerome's. The first is to promote the value of an arts education in an era when students are becoming increasingly job-oriented; the second, to maintain a strong student base at St. Jerome's; and the third, to develop closer relations with other Catholic colleges and universities

Sweeney says he believes Higgins has the qualities and skills necessary to meet those challenges. "He has a good fix on what a Catholic university is there for, he understands communication, he's very good with the media. And he has a good understanding of Catholic universities across the country, knows their administrators, knows their aspirations."

Also happening this weekend

"Join us at the University Club," a flyer says, "for our 1st ever New England style lobster and clam boil! . . . Help celebrate the opening of our new patio." The event runs from 5 to 8 this evening. Price: $24.95, all you care to eat. Taxes and gratuity extra."

Clay artist Marilyn Levine will give a lecture and demonstration at 7:00 tonight in East Campus Hall room 1219; a reception follows at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery on Caroline Street, where her work is on display through November 29. Tomorrow, Levine will give demonstrations at the gallery (registration 746-1882).

Nancy-Lou Patterson, retired from UW's department of fine arts, will conduct a workshop on writing juvenile fiction on Sunday afternoon at Kitchener's Joseph Schneider Haus museum. Information: 742-7752.

A walk in support of AIDS research is scheduled for Sunday, and volunteers are still wanted "to help set up, serve refreshments, register walkers, monitor the route and do face painting". The Volunteer Action Centre at 742-8610 has more information.

Sports this weekend: the soccer teams will host Windsor tomorrow at Columbia Field (women at 1:00, men at 3:00), and Guelph on Sunday (same game times). The women's tennis team hosts McGill and McMaster in a day-long tournament. And the men's rugby team hosts Western, again at Columbia Field, at 1 p.m. On Sunday, York's field hockey team visits UW, 10 a.m. at Columbia Field. Other Warrior teams are away this weekend, including the football team, playing at Windsor on Saturday afternoon; the cross-country team and the golfers, both at Western today; the women's rugby team, at Brock tomorrow; and the men's tennis team, which the schedule says will be playing tomorrow "at McMaster and Western".

The talk of the campus

Quarter-century mark A rally today launches the 25th anniversary celebrations of Montréal's Concordia University, which was formed (amid suggestions that the sports teams ought to be called the Grapes) by a merger of Sir George Williams University and Loyola College. Scheduled next week: "a mock shotgun wedding between Ignatius Loyola and Georgina Williams", as part of Concordia's Homecoming.

There are some changes in the management of the registrar's office, registrar Ken Lavigne says. Nancy Greenley, assistant registrar for engineering and science, is off on maternity leave, and Faye Schultz becomes acting assistant registrar (until February 29). Joyce Becker replaces Schultz temporarily in her regular job, administrative assistant for ES, science and IS. At the same time, Dorothy Chapman, assistant registrar for AHS and mathematics, has been assigned to the Student Information Systems Project for two years, and Gwen Sharp takes over the AHS and math duties while remaining associate registrar (records). Charlene Schumm becomes assistant registrar (scheduling), responsible for examinations and convocation as well as her existing scheduling portfolio.

The Graduate Student Association "is now ready", says vice-president Daniel Piche, "to begin processing refunds of the Grad House portion of its fee for the Fall 1999 term. Graduate students wishing to reclaim this portion of their fee may come to the Grad House any weekday until October 1, between the hours of 1:30 p.m. and closing. Students must bring their Fall 1999 fee statement and WatCard. We are unable to process refunds without these two items." Any questions? Unable to claim your refund during this period? "Please contact our administrator, Rose Vogt, at ext. 6015 or email at gsa-mgr@watserv1."

The Weight Watchers at Work program is running on campus again this fall. "It's not too late to join!" writes Brenda Sokolowski of the geography department. She can be reached at ext. 2433 for more information.

I made a mistake yesterday -- how amazing! -- in reporting on past UW successes in the ACM programming contest. I wrote that "Waterloo has placed in the top ten in the worldwide competition in each of the past six years, including a first place in 1994." Well, an alert reader quickly let me know, "This is perfectly true, but rather leaves the impression that 1994 was the only first place, whereas reference to no less authoritative a source than the Daily Bulletin of April 12, 1999, will indicate that Waterloo also placed first in 1999." Indeed; somehow "the past six years" to which I referred were 1993 through 1998.

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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