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Monday, August 29, 2005

  • Gifts expand rock collection
  • Date rape and other touchy topics
  • And a few other Monday notes
Editor:
Chris Redmond
credmond@uwaterloo.ca

The birthday of Krishna


[Pointing to silver-grey boulder]

Bob and Marg Ingleton (he's in earth sciences, she's in psychology) show off the rock that's a memorial for their son.

Gifts expand rock collection -- by Barbara Elve

Visitors to the Peter Russell Rock Garden this summer may have spotted a new addition to the campus collection -- a sea mist green gneiss. Formed from sedimentary rocks during the Grenville Orogeny, a billion years ago, the specimen came from Red Bridge, near North Bay.

Not only is the micaceous gneiss of geological interest, it has a special significance to UW staff members Bob and Marg Ingleton. They donated the rock in memory of their son, Jesse, who died last fall in a work accident. A dedication ceremony for the rock was held in June.

A number of other mineral specimens have been donated to the Earth Sciences Museum this year, reports Peter Russell, retired but still active as the curator. Among the new acquisitions are "three magnificent pieces" from Tipperary, Ireland. The sphalerite, dolomite and galena crystals were given to the collection by Josef Sönser, a mine manager whose son, John, is a UW alumnus.

Kim and Andrew Owen of Kitchener contributed the funds to purchase a fluorite specimen from Mexico to honour a relative, Peter Nielsen, on his 80th birthday.

[Lamb hefting rock specimens] And more than 150 rare and aesthetically interesting rocks, including a number of fluorescent minerals, have been donated by Larry Lamb (right). Best known for his work in the ecology lab in Environmental Studies, the multi-faceted Lamb has also spent "thousands of hours" driving around the countryside across North American, searching quarries and mines -- as well as trade shows -- for specimens for his mineral collection.

"Some of the pieces, such as variscite from Utah, datolite from Michigan, and malachite from Africa are particularly special as quality pieces are not available today," says Russell. In some cases, all available rocks have been scooped up by collectors; as well, some mines have been closed and flooded.

Most of Lamb's specimens were purchased or collected during the 1960s and 70s when he was an active member of the K-W Gem and Mineral Club. Part of his collection is on display in the museum, located in the Centre for Environmental and Information Technology, where it will be used for study purposes and for school tours.

Date rape and other touchy topics

Again this year, UW's first-year students will experience the shock and ha-ha of "Single and Sexy", a play that addresses many situations young students can face when they're on their own and on a campus far from home.

[Eight on a sofa]

Last year's "Single and Sexy" cast -- photo by Andrew Dilts

"The insightful and often humorous play," says a blurb from its producers, "depicts the lives and experiences of such students in a thought-provoking one-hour production. It delivers a lot of straight talk about sex and sexuality in all its complexity, from date rape to homophobia. It also presents other touchy subjects such as racism, plagiarism and substance abuse.

"The production's brilliant mix of education and entertainment, tough language and challenging scenarios help to maintain the value of the practical messages. The students have a lot to cope with -- living independently, meeting new challenges, often struggling to meet expectations, retaining their values and building new relationships and their support system.

"Non-judgmental, the play helps frosh get off to a good start at university by making them more aware of these issues." As well, it directs them to resources on and off campus that might help deal with them, says Denise Angove, a nurse at UW's Health Services who has been behind "Single and Sexy" since it was created almost two decades ago.

"There is still an expectation that you have to drink a certain amount, otherwise you're not a bona fide university student," Angove adds. Also, undergraduates have to study, develop effective time management skills and prepare for a career. With all these demands, she says, it is normal to be confused and doubtful, sometimes straying from smart choices.

Now its 17th season, "Single and Sexy" is produced by Angove and directed by Sharon Kelly Foran. Former director Darlene Spencer remains as a consultant. The play is sponsored by Wyeth Ayerst Canada Inc.

The cast of eight students -- from a variety of academic disciplines -- not only acts in "Single and Sexy," but also updates the script to keep it fresh and timely. This year's cast are Brad Cook, Michelle Jedrzejewski, Sarah Buddo, Mikey Klein, Mark Folkes, Johnny Trinh, Vasana Abeysekera and Adam White. Other members of the production team include stage managers Jesse Ariss and Jill Smith, and stage combat adviser Dylon Roberts.

Receiving national and international acclaim, earlier scripts have visited the University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan, Nipissing University in North Bay, and universities in Australia and New Zealand.

"Simply put, the play's power comes from students speaking to students, in the language that students understand," Angove says. "The goal is to break down stereotypes and keep people listening, then later thinking and talking."

Staff and faculty members are invited to sit in on a special performance being staged this Friday for residence dons and orientation leaders -- 11:30 a.m. in the Humanities Theatre. Performances for the new students will be offered Tuesday to Thursday next week. Admission is free.

WHEN AND WHERE
Fall term student fees due today if paid by cheque -- September 7 if paid by bank transfer. Details online.

Mexican Monday for diners from the UW Recreation Committee, Jack Astor's Bar and Grill, 6:00.

EinsteinFest at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, September 30 to October 23, introductory news conference this Thursday.

English Language Proficiency Examination September 7 and 8, Physical Activities Complex, details online.

Doors Open Waterloo Region, annual open house for "secret heritage and architectural gems" including some UW-associated buildings, Saturday, September 17, details online.

And a few other Monday notes

Ever been to a concert on campus? Jude Doble of UW's alumni affairs office is looking for memories. She writes: "I have put a call out to alumni via the e-newsletter and the alumni web site for stories about great on-campus concert memories, and sadly have had limited response." She notes that there are more than 650 alumni working on campus, and hopes to hear from some of them. As the e-newsletter explained it: "Did you see a terrific band or performer during your days on campus? Tell us about it and we will highlight some of the best stories in the fall issues of @UWaterloo." There's a feedback form online.

The Pastry Plus coffee counter is reopening today, as flooring work on the main level of Needles Hall is about finished. It's already receding into history, but the central area just around Pastry Plus is what used to be called "the pit", the waiting area for job interviews in the decades when co-op education and career services was housed in NH. The flooring work, incidentally, has obliterated traces of another bit of history. The round black caps that used to be visible at intervals along the "pit" benches were installed to cover up ashtrays when UW's no-smoking rule went into effect in January 1988. Now the ashtray openings are smoothly carpeted over.

William Dreher, a former member of UW's staff, died July 17. He was an electrician in plant operations, who started work in 1979 and retired November 1, 1992.

Non-credit computing courses for September, offered by information systems and technology in various categories including Skills for the Academic Workplace, have been announced, Peggy Day of IST reports. "We will be offering a variety of sessions -- Connecting Your Laptop to the Campus Network, Introduction to Unix, Creating a Web Page Using HTML, as well as Statistical Analysis Using SPSS, Scientific Computing Using Mathcad or Matlab, plus much more."

Leaving UW as of this week is Sheila Wilson of health services. She's been a registered nurse there since 1984, and is officially retiring September 1.

CAR


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