Group asserts a Muslim presence

Members of the newly formed Muslim Students for Universal Justice (MSUJ) -- a club organized last summer -- are making their views public.

"We condemn what happened in the United States, but we wouldn't keep silent if the US attacked Muslim civilians in other countries," says Abdullah Bakhach, a founding member of the club.

It introduces itself in a letter to the editor in today's Gazette, and sets out some of its political point of view:

"The questions today, really, are not when the US will unleash the terror of an establishment searching for power, and political glory, but rather, after the US retaliates, how many people will be deprived from their freedom to choose a way of life in their own countries? What religion will suffer next in concentration camps? What dictator will cancel an election? What colonial power will support not only the cancellation of an election but also the assassination of the winners and the killing of tens of thousands of their supporters?

"The tragic truth in all the unfolding events is that groups and establishments have not learned yet that violence breeds violence, and that people need to oppose all forms of terrorism; including state terrorism."

Bakhach says the MSUJ can fill a niche on campus in providing a forum for the discussion of such issues as globalization, poverty and "misconceptions" about Islam. "People from other groups and backgrounds are welcome," he adds.

He sees the new club as "complementary" to the Muslim Students' Association, which serves more of a social function on campus. In addition to discussions and debates, the MSUJ may also organize rallies and demonstrations, says Bakhach.

The club has applied for official status with the Federation of Students, and will soon be launching a web site. All students are invited to attend the first meeting on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Math and Computer room 2017.

UW's benefits to the community

David Johnston, president of UW, and Dennis Grimm, a managing partner of the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, will present the study.

The study, commissioned earlier this year by UW, details the university's huge economic impact on the community and province. According to the UW news bureau, announcing tonight's launch, "It also provides information on the extent that UW is the leading university in Canada creating additional economic wealth through the transfer of technological resources. This has led to the establishment of hundreds of spin-off companies including Dalsa, Open Text, Research in Motion and Waterloo Maple.

"Additionally, one out of every 20 people in Waterloo Region has a job that can be attributed to UW.

"The study finds UW's impact extending well beyond the region and the province -- to Canada, North America and around the world."

Seminar series links IT and health

"Smarter Health: The Value of Information Technology in the Health System" addresses key questions about the dependence of the health system on IT, the adequacy of the investment in these technologies, and whether or not the health system is getting its money's worth.

Today's speaker is John Oliver, president of Halton Healthcare Services Corporation, who will talk about "The Health System as a Distributed Information Organization". His talk begins at 4 p.m. in Davis Centre room 1302.

"Today most health organizations are aware that they not only depend on information, but also depend on the technologies required to manage that information," says Dominic Covvey, who leads several health informatics initiatives in UW's computer science department. "However, the selection, deployment, support, and management of the required information technology infrastructure remain significant challenges.

"It is not unusual to find healthcare senior managers concerned that their investments in IT and in supportive resources have not delivered the expected benefits, and some question the value of further expenditures. Yet experts in health informatics have noted that, while the delivery of benefits has been disappointing in some settings, the expenditures on IT are consistently less than would appear to be required to achieve desired impacts. So are health organizations spending too much or too little? Are they spending it on the right things? What is the evidence that it's all worth the trouble? How do we get to where the promise can be delivered?"

The seminar series examines the dependencies of the health system on IT, the evidence that IT can actually deliver what is required to enable an efficient and effective health system, the nature and magnitude of the investment required, and the pathway to ensure the desired outcomes.

"This important series furthers the InfraNet Project's goal of examining the impact of information and communication technologies on how we live, work, study and play," says Shirley Fenton, manager of the InfraNet Project. "These latest seminars focus on enabling better health care through information technology -- a topic which is of interest to us all."

Attendance is free but pre-registering is recommended -- call 888-4004.

The next seminars are scheduled for October 31 and November 28, again at 4 p.m. Presentations will be 20 to 30 minutes long, followed by a 30-to 60-minute discussion.

Correction, continued The other day I noted that Yaacov Iland, Brenda Slomka and Mike Kerrigan were the three student representatives on a committee that's planning the expansion of social and recreational space at UW. I correctly noted that Iland is president of the Federation, but initially said Slomka and Kerrigan were Fed vice-presidents, which they aren't. Then I published a correction and said Slomka and Kerrigan were members of students' council (and Slomka is also a student senator). Well, gradually I'm getting it right. Slomka is what I said she is; Kerrigan, however, is not a councillor, says Brenda Beatty, who is a Fed vice-president. "Mike is," she writes, "an involved and concerned student who has gained his Student Life Centre experience while working as a turnkey."

Waterloo is a happening place

And no wonder Brubakers cafeteria in the Student Life Centre has planned a beach party dinner for tonight, 4 to 7 p.m., firmly indoors.

A shuttle bus runs from the Student Life Centre between 10:00 and 3:30, taking students to "Canada's largest Postsecondary Career Fair", which is being held at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. The fair is jointly sponsored by UW and three other post-secondary institutions, and at last count some 250 employers were expected to show up.

The personal safety advisory committee will meet at 10:30 this morning in Health Services room 126. The agenda items include viewing of a new video about workplace violence.

Jay Thomson of the kinesiology department teaches over the web, both on campus and in the distance education program, and will give a talk today about a tool he's found useful, a sound recording package called SoundForge. His presentation (11 a.m., Dana Porter Library room 329) is sponsored by the iWeb developers group.

The New Berlin Chamber Ensemble presents "Dance Mix 2001" as the noon-hour concert at Conrad Grebel University College today (12:30 p.m. in the Grebel chapel, admission free).

Advance notice: UW's Amnesty International introduces itself tomorrow night at a session in the Student Life Centre. What's planned:

An introduction to Amnesty International, its history, methods and goals; followed by the video "Light in the Darkness". Amnesty International was started by a British lawyer in 1961 as a campaign for the freedom of five prisoners of conscience; it was decided to make the campaign permanent, and since then Amnesty has grown into the world's largest human rights organization. Recent developments include increased campaigning on gay and lesbian issues; more emphasis on economic, social and cultural rights; and Amnesty's new secretary general, Irene Khan from Bangladesh, the first female and the first Asian to take the post. This presentation is aimed at members of the general public, as well as people who intend joining the AI group on campus.

Also tomorrow: "Gardens: A Reflection of Spiritual Beauty", a talk by Jaellayna Palmer about the gardens on Mount Carmel surrounding the world headquarters of the Baha'i faith, where Palmer was formerly a volunteer. The event is sponsored by the Spiritual Heritage Education Network.

CAR