October 11, 2002

Friday, October 11, 2002

Fed president a bride tomorrow
Big game today for soccer Warriors
Thanksgiving and Oktoberfest notes

Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

Sure are a lot of hoaxes on the Internet

[Slomka]

Fed president a bride tomorrow

Federation of Students president Brenda Slomka (right) tomorrow becomes the first Fed leader to get married while in office.

Slomka, a speech communication student who was elected to the one-year full-time position as Fed president last spring, is marrying recreation student Ray Koprowski. She'll make her new home with him at Eby Hall in UW Place, where he is a don.

The wedding is set for Saturday afternoon at Village Green Baptist Church in London, where Koprowski grew up. Slomka says the couple had thought about a wedding in Kitchener-Waterloo, but "we didn't want to do to the Oktoberfest thing."

Yesterday she was sounding remarkably calm for a bride-to-be, with much of her attention properly focused on business, including plans for the annual meeting of the Federation, set for October 23. And Slomka, who makes no secret of her serene Christian faith, said she's not troubled by pre-marriage jitters. "God is looking after us," she said.

She added: "We are thrilled to be able to share this time with a community that is so supportive, and UW is just that. We are so thankful for all the wishes and support from all across campus."

After a very brief honeymoon, she expects to be back on the job on Thursday. Yes, she'll be changing her surname; in fact some Fed printed material already identifies her as "Brenda Koprowski" in anticipation of her new life.

Big game today for soccer Warriors -- from the athletics department

After winning the league gold last year, the men's soccer team is facing an upward climb this year. Next step up the hill is a game against Laurier's Golden Hawks, to be played at 1:00 this afternoon on Columbia Field.

With three weeks of the season gone, the Warriors are sitting in third place behind the Western Mustangs and the Laurier Golden Hawks, who are tied for first with perfect 7-0-0 win-loss-tie records. The Warriors are two games behind at 3-2-2. Laurier and Western are also ranked by Canadian Interuniversity Sports at number 1 and 8 respectively, a fact that won't make things any easier on the Warriors.

Other sports this weekend
Field hockey, Warriors host Toronto, 2:00 today at University Stadium.
Football, Warriors host Queen's, 2:00 tomorrow at University Stadium (the latest revised time for a game previously announced as starting at 1:30).
Men's hockey, Warriors host Guelph, 7:30 tonight, Columbia Icefield.
Women's hockey, Oktoberfest tournament Saturday and Sunday, Columbia Icefield.
Badminton, the west sectional tournament at Brock University tomorrow.

[Towns]
The women soccer Warriors will face Laurier two hours after the men's game -- at 3 p.m., also at Columbia Field. Sara Towns, a third-year science student, led the team to a 3-1 victory over the Windsor Lancers last Sunday. She scored two first half goals, both off corner kicks, and was named Warrior athlete of the week.
Over the last few seasons, Laurier and Waterloo have traded off championships at the Ontario University Athletics championships (Laurier in 2000, Waterloo in 2001) and, with the addition of the Mustangs to the mix, the stage is set for a very intense three-way fight to the finish.

The Warriors had a tie and a win last weekend. In a rematch of last year's OUA final, the Warriors traveled to University Stadium Saturday afternoon to play those same Golden Hawks. The Hawks struck first, as they were awarded a penalty shot early in the first half and made good on the attempt to take a 1-0 lead at half. In the second half, the Warriors came out strong, and Nick Klassen tied the game on a free kick. The last 15 minutes of the game the Warriors dominated play but could not score the winner. The Hawks held off the Warrior attack for the 1-1 draw.

On Sunday, the Warriors hosted Windsor and defeated the Lancers 4-1. The Warriors did not play their best soccer in the first half but managed one goal for a 1-0 lead at the break. In the second half the Warriors came out on all cylinders and added three more goals. Windsor did manage to score once for the 4-1 final. Goal scorers for the Warriors were Bobby Morse, Kamil Mroczek, Greg Lekarczyk, and David Mills.

The season had started solidly with the Warriors battling Toronto to a 0-0 tie on September 14 and defeating York 3-2 next day. Since then, however, the Warriors have been inconsistent. After losing to North conference cellar-dwellers Nipissing by a score of 3-1, Waterloo rebounded to blank Laurentian, who currently occupies second place in the North, by a score of 3-0. A tough loss to the CIS 8th ranked Mustangs (2-1) followed before last weekend's play.

The team definitely has the tools to make another run at the OUA title: not too many key players have graduated, and there is a healthy mix of veterans and rookies on the team. The trick will be overcoming the slow start to the season and recognizing the fact that they can, in fact, compete with the premier teams in the most competitive conference of the OUA right now. Today's game could very well make or break their season.

Who was that lady . . .
with Steve Breen of the staff association, pictured in yesterday's Daily Bulletin? Not Chris Henderson, as I wrongly wrote. In fact it was Nancy O'Neil of the Student Life Centre, the association's social committee chair, who joined Breen in the heavy lifting of black-and-gold balloons at the "staff appreciation" lunch Wednesday. "All I had to do was eat a hot dog," says Henderson.
Givings roll in
Contributions to the United Way campaign were at $80,869 last night, on the way to the campus's $150,000 goal. And revenue from special United Way events is starting to arrive, including donations from "casual day" held in several departments last week. Today the civil engineering department is holding a silent auction and 50-50 draw, department secretary Sandra Machan reports. Bidding closes at noon. "There are 36 items," she writes. "Lots of neat things are up for the auction. The ticket for the 50/50 Draw will be picked at 2 p.m. Tickets are $1 each or 3 for $2."

Thanksgiving and Oktoberfest notes

And so we come to a holiday weekend. Monday, October 14, is Thanksgiving Day and a holiday. UW offices and most services will be closed, and classes will not be held.

Because of the holiday weekend, the UW bookstore, UW Shop and Techworx, usually open on Saturday, will be closed tomorrow.

Today's the deadline for staff members to participate in the "How's the Climate?" survey being conducted by the staff association. The survey form was in the last issue of Staff News and can also be found on-line; results will be announced at an open meeting October 29.

The pension and benefits committee will hold one of its customary marathon meetings today: 8:30 to noon, Needles Hall room 3004. Among the agenda items is the continuing discussion of the extended health care benefit for staff and faculty, with its constantly rising costs.

The tourism lecture series continues today with a talk by Brian Osborne of Queen's University, at 9:30 a.m. in Environmental Studies I room 132. Topic: "Development Strategies for Historic Cities".

The University Club has a Thanksgiving lunch buffet today, priced at $11.95 and including turkey, pork, salmon, and everything else right down to pumpkin cheesecake. Information: ext. 3801.

Saturday and Sunday nights, the Math Society and the Off-Campus Dons will sponsor movie showings in Davis Centre room 1302, 7 p.m. to midnight. Scheduled are "Lord of the Rings", "Harry Potter", "Shrek", and "The Emperor's New Groove". Admission is free.

Advance note for Tuesday night: "The City of Waterloo, in partnership with Dr. Alan Morgan, invites you to attend the official unveiling of Geology Audio Signs and a hike on the West Side Trail." Things start at 5 p.m. on the trail location just off Columbia Street west of Erbsville Road. Morgan, of UW's department of earth sciences, has helped to create what are being billed as "the first audio signs in Waterloo Region".

Thanksgiving weekend has a special meaning in Kitchener-Waterloo each year: it's the beginning of "Canada's great Bavarian festival", K-W Oktoberfest, a party modelled on the beer-and-dirndl traditions of Munich. Among the major attractions of the local Oktoberfest is the Miss Oktoberfest pageant, which was held last night. Other highlights over the next nine days:

Free family breakfast at Waterloo Town Square tomorrow, 7:30 to 11:30.
Parade, Monday morning starting at 8:45 at King and Erb Streets, winding up at King and Cedar in downtown Kitchener, televised nationally on CTV. (UW's Midnight Sun solar car will be in the parade. "Our plans," says planning student Calli Citron, "are to drive Midnight Sun in the parade, then drive it back to campus in proper formation with a lead and chase vehicle. Member of the team will be on hand to answer questions about the car.")
Women of the Year awards, October 16 at the Waterloo Inn.
"Spass 'n' Spiel" family event at the Bechtel Park recreation centre, Sunday night, October 20.

Plus a craft show, a comedy cabaret, a film festival, several sports tournaments, a 5K and 10K run, an art exhibition -- Oktoberfest gets its tentacles (pigtails?) into a good many corners of the community. And then there are the "festhallen". Those are big spaces around the city, including the gym at University Stadium, that are turned into beer halls for some or all the nights of Oktoberfest -- a place for drinking, eating and singing. Admission is by ticket.

With the beginning of Oktoberfest, there can be more than the usual number of too-merry drivers on the road; may we celebrate with moderation and drive with care.

And may we be, as the old grace says, truly thankful. The sorrows and burdens come easily enough to mind, but still, I have to say, we at Waterloo have much for which we can give thanks.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY
October 11, 1968: President Gerry Hagey issues a statement denying that the university has given in to the demands of student "activists" who have occupied the Campus Centre and ejected manager Paul Gerster.