![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
|
Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca Information and submissions: bulletin@info.uwaterloo.ca |
Specific rules for some UW programs will still require incoming students to show up with four or even five U-level courses, but in other programs that will no longer be necessary.
Ontario's high school curriculum divides senior-level courses into five categories based mostly on students' likely destinations: U for University, C for College, M (formerly "U/C") for Mixed college-university, W for Workplace, and O for Open. In general, Ontario universities ask for six grade 12 courses as an entrance requirement, and insist that some of them should be at the U level. Getting into engineering at UW, for instance, generally requires U-level courses in English, chemistry, physics and two branches of mathematics.
![[Two big smiles]](http://www.campaign.uwaterloo.ca/ibm/images/event/DSC0057.jpg)
Campaign targets alumni at IBMThe roughly 700 UW alumni who work for IBM Canada and its parent company in the United States are being targeted for gifts to a special segment of Campaign Waterloo. IBM, a long-time supporter of UW, says it will match employees' contributions 3-to-1 in "credits" for the company's products to be used in the so-called "next generation library", rich in computer equipment and electronic information. Individual alumni donations can go to scholarships or any Campaign Waterloo project. "We have an opportunity to leave a tremendous legacy for the University of Waterloo," says John Wetmore (right, with UW president David Johnston), a 1973 math graduate who was president of IBM Canada, is now a vice-president at the international level, and has served on UW's board of governors. The IBM campaign was launched in early May, and at last report, alumni working at IBM had pledged $245,000 to the campaign, which would bring UW almost three-quarters of a million dollars in credits from the company itself. The five-year goal is $500,000 from alumni and $1.5 million from IBM. |
In programs where there are few specific requirements, there has also been a general rule that four of the six courses must be U-level. The other two can be either U or M.
That rule "may be deterring a number of prospective applicants", director of admissions Peter Burroughs reported to UW's senate this spring. Senate approved the rule change at its June meeting. "Students are forced to take courses that they are not interested in or are irrelevant to their future studies in order to satisfy the 4 U requirement," Burroughs said.
That would especially be true if they're thinking of studying in the fine or applied arts, where some key high school courses are classified O for open or M for mixed instead of U for university. A similar problem is hitting applications to some programs in environmental studies and recreation, senate was told.
Burroughs noted that some programs -- notably math and kinesiology -- will continue to ask for a minimum of four U courses.
The change at Waterloo leaves Queen's as the only Ontario university still asking all applicants to show a minimum of four U courses.
![[Logo]](/images/2004/0712mamlogo.gif)
The goal of the new service, dubbed More About Me, "is to add value to JobMine at a reasonable cost", says Yvan Rodrigues, information service manager for Graphics. "Many students have commented that they would like employers to be able to see more than the basic contents of JobMine: resumé, work term history, and grades. More About Me allows students to easily post additional information for employers to see."
Students can take to Express Copy (in the Dana Porter Library) additional documents they would like to make available to potential employers. They will be scanned and posted on the web in PDF format with a secure URL. This URL can be given to employers or included in a student's resumé on JobMine.
"The site also explores some new technologies," says Rodrigues. "It pushes the working model of the new UW standard for web pages to the next level by using XHTML 1.0 Strict, the strictest and most accessible form of HTML. As a proponent of the free software movement, I chose FreeBSD, Apache and PHP as the core technologies. Combined with the scan-to-file functionality built into the Ricoh multi-function units that are installed all over campus, the end product is a site that is easy to use for both students and copy centre staff."
| POSITIONS AVAILABLE |
|
On this week's list from the human resources department:
Longer descriptions are available on the HR web site. |
For home-grown entertainment, look to the engineers. They have staged a full-length theatrical production every term since September 2001, and this term's offering is Arsenic and Old Lace, by Joseph Kesselring. Marcy Sanderson, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, is filling the role of director for the third time. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. in ES2, room 284 (the Green Room). Tickets cost $6 and are on sale in CPH 1327.
And something for the whole family, from the University of Waterloo Recreation Committee: the 2004 Western Rodeo, presented by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, happens on Sunday, July 25 at the Holiday Ranch Riding Stable in Kitchener. RSVP by July 15 (tomorrow) to the UWRC at uwrc@admmail.uwaterloo.ca. Full details at uwrc.uwaterloo.ca.
Other things happening:
Finally, if you've ever thought it might be fun to be an extra in a movie, here's your chance to find out. Zac Balson, a filmmaker who also happens to be an electrical and computer engineering student, is calling for volunteers. "I need as many extras as I can get for a scene I am filming this Thursday, July 15, 4 to 5 p.m.," he says. Anyone interested should show up, wearing normal street clothes, in front of the Waterloo Stage Theatre, 24 King Street North, at 4 p.m. tomorrow. "We will be filming a 'movie premiere' scene and I need extras to form the crowd who greet the movie's star as she arrives in a limo for the premiere," Balson says. The still untitled short film is his second project. His first -- Expensive Slippers and Other Reasons People Turn to a Life of Crime -- was released last November.
C&PA