Daily Bulletin

Paperwork for the winter term

Distance courses The distance education office sends a reminder to on-campus students that they can apply for a winter term distance education course until the end of the drop/add period. The office, regularly open 8:30 to 4:30, will have extended hours tomorrow, and again January 12, until 7 p.m.

And students have already paid their fees, which were due by December 15 (except for those who relish paying late fees, of course). Says the registrar's office: "Fee receipts and stickers were mailed to home addresses for payments received by December 3. Payments received after that date and before December 10 will be available for pick-up in the registrar's office beginning January 4. Payments are processed in the order that they are received. Fee receipts and stickers will be mailed to part-time students regardless of the date payment is received."

Students who don't have their winter term schedules or fee statements should pick them up in the registrar's office on the second floor of Needles Hall. For paperwork related to the Ontario Student Assistance Program, it's up the stairs to Needles Hall room 3001 (this week only; next week, back to the student awards office on the second floor).

The registrar's office also sends a reminder that the "absolute last day to pay fees" for the winter term is January 29. "Students who have not paid by January 29 will not be permitted to write examinations or receive credit for these courses."

Fall term grade reports will be available in two weeks:

• Marks for part-time students, and for students who were on campus in the fall term but aren't on campus this winter term, will be mailed in the week of January 17.
• Marks for full-time engineering students who are doing terms 1A and 1B, or 4A and 4B, consecutively in the fall and winter will be sent to their academic departments for pickup.
• Marks for other full-time undergraduate students who were on campus in the fall term and are here again for the winter term will be available for pickup January 19-21, second floor, Needles Hall from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 19th and 20th, and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on January 21.
• Any marks held for pickup that haven't been picked up by 2:30 on Friday, January 21, will go into the mail to students' home addresses that afternoon.

Notes from the past eleven days

Bill Forbes, UW's dean of mathematics 1972-1980, died December 28 at Ottawa General Hospital after a long illness. He was 75. William F. Forbes, British-educated, came to UW in 1962 as a professor of chemistry, and in 1969 moved to the department of statistics. In 1969-70 he also served as acting dean of the math faculty. Throughout his administrative years he remained active in research, with a special interest in longitudinal studies in the health field. That led him to found what became the Waterloo Smoking Projects -- now the Health Behaviour Research Group -- and later the gerontology program, of which he became director in 1982. By the time he retired in 1993, Forbes was a professor in the new department of health studies and gerontology, and was named Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

The women's basketball Warriors didn't win a game in their Warrior Christmas Shootout tournament last week. They lost 48-45 to Manitoba, then 60-47 to Carleton and finally 55-53 to Wilfrid Laurier. Winners of the eight-team tournament in the Physical Activities Complex were the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.

In Toronto, meanwhile, the men's team lost to York 75-58, beat Toronto 82-75 and Memorial 70-53, and ended up seventh in Ryerson's Ed DeArmon Classic tournament. The home team, Ryerson's Rams, took the championship.

And apparently there were no Y2K problems worth noting in the central computing systems. One program did start telling the world that this was the year "100", but I'm told that was quickly fixed with "a trivial workaround". And the bookstore's Booklook system is telling people that Hamlet was copyright in 2087 and Othello in 2068, which I'm pretty sure is not accurate.

Everybody do the cardio jam

Beginning cross country skiers can learn basic techniques from members of the UW varsity nordic ski team, beginning January 18 and continuing Tuesdays and Thursdays for four weeks. Equipment rentals are available.

"Golf is becoming an essential skill in the business world," says the introduction to Golf Basics in the Campus Rec guidebook. Six one-hour lessons will cover the fundamentals, including stance, grip, swing, club selection, equipment, strategy, and terminology.

Also new this winter is a one-night course in makeup, designed "for anyone who would like to learn to apply great looking 'injuries' using simple costume makeup. Great for first aid instructors and aquatic instructors" - not to mention drama students or those getting a head start on disguises for next Hallowe'en.

Free this term is a chance to try Ak-wa-fit, "hailed as the next fitness craze due to the high intensity workout, without the impact." Introductory sessions are scheduled for January 6 and 10. A special schedule of free fitness classes is also planned for the winter term exam period, April 3 to 13.

Part-time jobs are available for students as conditioning/weight training leaders, aquatic instructors, life guards, fitness leaders, student program coordinators or convenors, tennis, squash, skating, first aid and CPR instructors, and referees. The Rec Pal program offers volunteer opportunities to assist students with disabilities to become active Campus Rec participants.

Registration for most programs will be held January 11 to 13, with classes starting January 17. To learn more about these and other Campus Rec opportunities, check out the winter guidebook, visit the PAC, or phone ext. 5869.

The rules about winter storms

Under the storm closing procedure, established in 1994, UW will be "closed" for the day if the Waterloo Region District School Board cancels classes at all its schools. If only rural schools are closed, or if buses are cancelled but schools stay open, the university will remain open.

UW follows the school board's lead since it has an effective system for evaluating weather conditions across Waterloo Region, and informing the public through the news media.

Says the procedure: "The university will 'close' because of severe winter weather when normal operation would pose a significant danger to students, staff and faculty while on campus or would prevent large numbers of them from coming to campus or returning safely to their homes in Kitchener-Waterloo and the immediate surrounding area."

It also says that for the university to be "closed" means that classes are not held, meetings and other scheduled events are cancelled, staff other than those employed in "essential services are not expected to be at work, but are paid for a normal day, examinations are cancelled, deadlines for assignments and other submissions are postponed until the same hour on the next business day on which the university is not "closed". The "essential services" listed are food service in the residences, policing, the central plant (powerhouse), snow removal (grounds crew), emergency repair and maintenance, and animal care.

Says the policy: "Classes will not be held during 'closed' periods, and assignment deadlines must be extended. Faculty members and academic departments do not have the authority to make exceptions to this rule."

If there is a major winter storm on a day when the schools aren't open -- this week, for example -- the closing decision will be made in the early morning by the provost. When work has already begun for the day, UW will close "only in extreme circumstances", the procedure says.

A closing of the university will be announced on the UWinfo home page. And the UW news bureau will report it to local radio stations, which have been asked to broadcast it quickly and often, "since the University of Waterloo attracts a large number of people from across the region and beyond".

The first day is a busy one

Fran Towner of the plant operations department advises that Key Control "will be open Monday to Friday over the lunch hour in addition to regular hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning January 4, 2000 and continuing until January 14, 2000. After January 14th hours will be Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m."

The executive committee of UW's senate meets today at 3:30 (Needles Hall room 3004) to set the agenda for the January 17 meeting of the full senate. Matters to be discussed include the draft new tenure and faculty promotion policies, a report from the provost on "enrolment and future growth", another report from the provost on internationalization, and some revisions to teaching and exam dates for this year's fall term.

Nominations open today for the Federation of Students executive for 2000-01. Under the latest revisions to the Feds' bylaws, offices to be filled are president, vice-president (administration and finance), VP (student issues), and VP (education). Nominations close January 12; the Fed office (research@feds.uwaterloo.ca) can provide more information.

Says a memo from the local Volunteer Action Centre: "Spring into action for the CNIB. It's time for their annual Crocus Campaign where volunteers help sell crocus plants at displays in area malls and businesses. Surround yourself with fragrant spring flowers for a few hours during the first two weeks of February while supporting the good work of the CNIB." (The CNIB is the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.)

CAR

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@uwaterloo.ca | (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
| Last Bulletin of 1999
Copyright © 2000 University of Waterloo