Daily
Bulletin

St. Jerome's chancellor dies at 70
-- from Harry Froklage, St. Jerome's University

Sweeney became the first lay chancellor of St. Jerome's after serving as director of education for the Waterloo Region Separate School Board and as MPP for fifteen years in the provincial legislature. He was a member of cabinet for five years under Premier David Peterson, holding the portfolios for community and social services and for municipal affairs and housing.

Sweeney was in his third four-year term as chancellor of St. Jerome's at the time of his death. During his tenure as chancellor, Sweeney also taught in UW's school of planning.

John and Kay Sweeney's commitment to St. Jerome's was recognized in 1997 when the women's residence was renamed Sweeney Hall in their honour. Sweeney will be further memorialized this September when St. Jerome's presents the first annual Chancellor John Sweeney Award for Leadership in Catholic Education.

John Sweeney's life was characterized by integrity, commitment and deep compassion, particularly for the economically disadvantaged. Upon his most recent re-appointment as chancellor, he remarked, "The global economy was supposed to make life better for everyone, but instead it's left many people in its wake: the homeless, the poor, the unemployed. An institution like a university can stand up and say this is wrong; that profit is not the whole answer, and that the profit motive is destroying us. We have people with the knowledge, the expertise, the intellect to try and find a better way."

Engineering grad makes Jeopardy championships
-- by Barbara Elve

Lan Djang (left) may not have had an opportunity to put his engineering knowledge to the test, but the learning skills he developed at UW helped him win big on the TV game show Jeopardy last month.

So big, in fact, that the 1998 mechanical engineering graduate will be taking part in the Jeopardy tournament of champions at the end of the summer.

Photos by Barbara Elve Eyes were on the sky last week as one crane lifted another into position on the construction site of the Centre for Environmental and Information Technology. Watching the progress of the operation were economics student Lian-Zi Ouyang, left, and computer science student Xiao-Tian Huang.

Now a business analyst at the University Health Network in Toronto, Djang -- known as Simon Djang-Lan Ho while at UW -- was a contestant on the game show that aired in June, winning $51,100 (U.S.) and two Camaros. He expects to be returning to Los Angeles in August or September for the championship round, which will likely be aired in November.

"They didn't ask a lot of science questions," laughed Djang last week from his Toronto office, but his music knowledge -- from pop to opera -- helped clinch the win.

Djang also credits his success to the skills he developed at Waterloo, where he was "forced to learn a lot fast. It built up my capacity to remember things," he quipped.

Timing, he adds, is crucial. Between now and his next appearance, Djang will be taping Jeopardy shows and watching with his ball-point pen, which he clicks to practice his buzzer timing. "You can't go too fast or too slow!"

And will Djang be endowing a UW research chair with his winnings? He laughs. "I'm still waiting for the money. I'm not doing anything until I see a cheque."

Monday notes

An all-day symposium on "Health Care of the Elderly" takes place today in DC 1304. The event is being organized by John Hirdes of health studies & gerontology as part of a study tour attended by 24 Japanese students from Tokyo's Keio University.

Tonight the Grad House presents another instalment of its Summer Swing Series. Cost is $2 per person for a one-hour lesson and three hours of great dance music. Registration starts at 7:30 p.m., dance lessons begin at 8.

The Teaching Resources and Continuing Education office will present a professional development workshop entitled "Reflecting on your teaching" on Thursday, July 12, in MC 5158 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Register online by July 10 to reserve your spot.

Organizers of a coffeehouse event scheduled for July 13 are looking for aspiring performers. Those wishing to be part of the lineup can contact the organizers by email at coffeehouse2001@hotmail.com. The event is being organized by the Christian Fellowship groups on campus.

Avvey Peters

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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