Skip to the content of the web site.

Friday, April 13, 2012

  • Policy 18 renewal roundtables coming
  • Local leader's diary recounts Titanic sinking
  • Notes on this unlucky day
  • Editor:
  • Brandon Sweet
  • Communications and Public Affairs
  • bulletin@uwaterloo.ca

Yinxing Hong, chancellor of Nanjing University, and president and vice-chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur sealed the deal yesterday after signing an agreement that renews the Sino-Canadian College for another five years. The partnership, established in 2006, includes collaborative research, faculty exchanges, and joint undergraduate degrees in the faculties of arts, environment, mathematics, and science, as well as joint training programs.

“We are honoured to work so closely with Nanjing University on this initiative,” said Hamdullahpur. “Such important collaborations enable us to bring a diversity of research and academic experience to our faculty, international expertise to our campus, and opportunities for students to receive an international education.”

Photograph by Joe Bevan.

Back to top

Policy 18 renewal roundtables coming

"As you know, there is an initiative underway to review and renew the Staff Employment policy (Policy 18)," reads a memo from Vice-President, Academic and Provost Geoff McBoyle and staff association president Trevor Grove that was circulated to regular and ongoing staff members yesterday.

The renewal is being undertaken by a subcommittee of the Staff Relations Committee that includes staff association representatives (Trevor Grove and Jeremy Steffler, and Human Resources representatives Michelle Hollis and Kenton Needham.

"The committee wants to get input from a broad cross section of uWaterloo staff before drafting the new policy," continues the memo. "We are organizing a series of facilitated round-table sessions to gather input and commentary on the current policy and future directions."

Two open sessions will be held, the first on Tuesday, April 17 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in TC 2218 (refreshments will be provided), and on Friday, April 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in South Campus Hall's Laurel Room (a light lunch will be provided).

"As these sessions are part of a campus-wide, staff are expected to be granted the time to participate in the session," the memo reads.

"In order to make sure that we have “unfiltered” and candid input from everyone, we will be using an external facilitator – someone who is not a uWaterloo employee nor affiliated with the UWSA, HR or any on-campus organization."

"The facilitator will help to guide the discussions and summarize results, which will then be presented anonymously back to the committee. We want people to be able to speak freely and not be inhibited by the presence of the committee (who will only attend the introduction to the session)."

Seating is limited to 50 attendees per session, and anyone interested in attending should contact Diana Rau (dbrau@ uwaterloo.ca) by noon on the day before the session you wish to attend.

Back to top

Local leader's diary recounts Titanic sinking

Written between 1867 and 1929, the diaries of Louis Jacob Breithaupt, a local industrialist who served as Mayor of Kitchener (Berlin) and MPP for Waterloo North, documented many local events in what is now Waterloo Region, but they also captured events of international significance, and as the hundredth anniversary of the Titanic disaster approaches this weekend, the University of Waterloo Library has unearthed several entries dealing with the event.

"While the comments are quite low-key it does show that Louis Breithaupt was very well-informed," writes Susan Mavor, head of the library's Special Collections. The diary entries show how quickly information (accurate or otherwise) travelled even a century ago.

Monday, April 15, 1912 - Mr. Taylor of M. I. & Co. Northampton Engd. here to-day. It is
reported that the White Star Line's fine new ship "Titanic" has foundered at sea in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg.

Tuesday, April 16, 1912 - To Toronto. Very cold & raw. It is to-day reported that the "Titanic"
is being towed to Halifax disabled. Can. Conference is being held this week at Campden.

Wednesday April 17, 1912 - To Guelph Spring fair. The "Titanic" is lost with over 1600 souls on board. The papers are full of the accounts of this the greatest marine disaster in history.

Friday April 19, 1912 - To Toronto. Bot. from Mess. Robins Ltd. 12 lots on Arundel Av. @ 24.00 per ft. at which they are said to be very cheap. To Peterboro to-night. "Carpathia" arrd. at N. Y. with survivors of the "Titanic."

Wednesday May 8, 1912 - Several hundred of the bodies of victims of the "Titanic" disaster
have been found floating in the sea, were recovered & brought to land. Among these are the bodies of millionaire John Jacob Astor of N. Y. & Chas. M. Hays, Pst. G. T. R. of Montreal.

Transcriptions and translations of Breithaupt's diaries are available in the Doris Lewis Rare Book Room.

Back to top

Notes on this unlucky day

E-waste recycling day poster.A “General Public” E-waste Green Day drop off is being held tomorrow, Saturday April 14, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Central Stores on 263 Phillip Street.

Items accepted for e-waste pickup include CRT/LCD monitors, scanners, computers and computer peripherals (including keyboards and mice), VCRs, copiers, TVs and DVD players, laptops, stereos and speakers, cell phones, printers and their cartridges, and microwave ovens.

This event closes the ten-day departmental e-waste campaign that began April 2. This is the third year of the campaign.

 

Back to top

Link of the day

First performance of Handel's Messiah, 300 years ago

When and where

On-campus examinations April 9 - 21.

Centre for Career Action workshop, "I'd do what I love...but what is it?" Friday, April 13, 9:30 a.m., TC 1112. Details.

Reminder: Brad Vogt Fundraiser, Friday, April 13, 8:00 p.m., Royal Canadian Legion - Polish, 601 Wellington St., Kitchener (no tickets available at door).

Online Class examination days Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14.

General Public E-waste Green Day drop off, Saturday, April 14, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Central Stores, 263 Phillip Street.

TD Discovery Day in Health Sciences, Tuesday, April 17, 8:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Details.

Waterloo Lecture: the Representation of Apes in Medieval Art, Wednesday, April 18, 7:00 p.m., Stratford Public Library.

University senate Monday, April 16, 3:30, Needles Hall room 3001.

Official launch of the School of Public Health and Health Systems in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Thursday, April 19, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland.

Grades due April 16 to May 1.

Lunch & Learn: Apple 101 for uWaterloo Faculty & Staff, Thursday, April 19, 12:00 p.m., Laurel Room, SCH. Online registration required. Lunch will be provided.

Surplus sale of furniture and equipment, Thursday, April 19, 12:30 to 2:00, East Campus Hall.

International Potluck Lunch, Thursday, April 19, 12:45 p.m., Columbia Lake Village community centre. Details.

On-campus examinations end April 21.

International spouses meet-up event "Movie & Coffee", Sunday, April 22, 1:00 p.m., Breakfast at Tiffany's, tickets $5, meet at Galaxy Cinema on King Street North, Waterloo. Details.

Graduate Student Research Conference, Monday, April 23 to Thursday, April 26. Details.

Unofficial grades begin to appear in Quest April 23, standings and official grades available May 22.

Spring 2012 promissory notes and payments due April 24.

Co-operative work term ends April 27.

Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference, April 27 to 29, University of Calgary and University of Toronto. Details.

PhD Oral Defences

Chemistry. Heba Shaaban El-Hussieny Mohamed, "Advanced Separation Techniques in the Analysis of Environmental Pollutants." Supervisors, Tadeusz Górecki, J. Michael Chong. On deposit at the Faculty of Science Graduate Office, ESC-254A. Oral defence Thursday, April 19, 2:30 p.m., C2 Room 278.

Combinatorics and Optimization. Jamie Sikora, "Analyzing Quantum Cryptographic Protocols Using Optimization Techniques." Supervisors, Levent Tunçel, Ashwin Nayak. On display in the Mathematics Faculty Graduate Office, MC5090. Oral defence Friday, April 20, 9:00 a.m., MC 5136.

Electrical and Computer Engineering. Edgar Mateos Santillan, "Side Channel Analysis of a Java-based Contactless Smart Card." Supervisor, Catherine H. Gebotys. On deposit in the Engineering Graduate Office, PHY 3004. Oral defence Friday, April 20, 9:00 a.m., E2-1307G.

Chemical Engineering. Barbara Elisabeth Guettler, "Improving mechanical properties of soy-polypropylene biocomposites by soy thermal and chemical treatment." Supervisors, Christine Moresoli, Leonardo Simon. This thesis is restricted but on display in the Engineering Graduate Studies Office, PHY 3004. (A non-disclosure agreement mush be signed before reviewing the thesis.) Oral defence Friday, April 20, 10:30 a.m., MC 2009.

 

Yesterday's Daily Bulletin