Let's talk about mental health and wellness

by Mark Beadle.

Today is Bell Let's Talk day. This is a program dedicated to the promotion and support of mental health across Canada. The program enhances awareness, understanding, and treatment of mental illness and promotes access to care and research across the country. Today, 5 cents from every text message sent, long distance call made, tweet using #BellLetsTalk, and facebook share of the Bell Let's Talk image will be donated to mental health initiatives across Canada.

Our campus community has a strong commitment to promoting awareness and providing support for students, staff, and faculty with concerns related to mental health. Last Fall, during Mental Health Wellness Day in October, we announced the Post-Secondary Student Helpline, Good2Talk, that offers free, professional support for students 24/7/365. The helpline can provide our students with counselling support and information about the resources we have on campus simply by calling 1-866-925-5454.

We provide support and treatment services through several programs including a set of seminars that help students who are feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Coping Skills 101, the “Thinking, Feeling, Doing” seminars, coupled with our newly launched Sleep Workshops are available to all registered students. More information is available.

Raising awareness helps to decrease the stigma associated with mental health. We are a caring community and a safe place to ask for help….and we have the resources to help you.

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Selman named women's rugby coach

The Department of Athletics has announced the hiring of Katie Selman (right) as the head coach of the Waterloo Warriors women’s rugby program.

Selman takes over for Jay and Leslie Shaw who served as bench bosses since 2010, boasting a record of 15-6 and four straight playoff berths. During that period, Selman served as an assistant coach developing strength and conditioning programs for both off-season and in-season training. She played a key role in planning and executing practices and was also a critical component of molding the students into mentally strong athletes.

In addition to her prior experience as assistant coach Selman was also a member of the women’s rugby playing for three seasons (2005-2007) while emerging as a team leader in the process.

“Katie was the clear choice as the next coach of the women’s rugby team,” mentioned Interuniversity Manager Chris Gilbert. “Katie’s resume speaks for itself and having already built a relationship with a lot of the current players will only allow her to continue the long-standing success of the women’s rugby program at Waterloo.”

In addition to her varsity sports experience, Katie is also an integral part of the rugby community in Waterloo. She currently serves an assistant coach of the senior women’s Waterloo County Rugby Club and was the head coach of the Under-18 team from 2009-2011.

“It’s a privilege to be brought on as the next head coach of the Warriors,” commented Katie. “We have a history of being a hard-working, determined team and I look forward to continuing that success and reaching the next stage in the black and gold.”

Read the full story on the Athletics website.

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Grad turns autocomplete into party game

University of Waterloo alumna Phoebe Stephens has turned a search engine feature into a party game.

Stephens, who completed an MA in Global Governance at Waterloo, has invented Query, a group game based on search engine autocomplete predictions, where your question is predicted and completed before you've finished typing it into the "search" field. Stephens developed the game with her sister Nikki Flowerday.

Query uses 600 real searches from across North America. The dealer reads the first part of the query out loud off a card, and players write their own autocomplete predictions. Players then try to guess which ending (including the real one submitted in secret by the dealer) is the correct one, and score points.

It's like Balderdash for the Google Generation.

Query recently debuted on Kickstarter last week and surpassed its $7,500 funding goal in a single day. So far it has received more than 128 per cent of its original funding target, and more than 719 shares on Facebook. The Kickstarter is closing in on $10,000, with a stretch goal to be unlocked at $15,000.

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Staying warm this week and other notes

Cold enough for you?

Well, winter is here for the long haul, and Environment Canada has forecast wind chills below -30 degrees Celsius for this morning. They advise that people should be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take the necessary safety precautions.

The University is also reminding students, faculty and staff to take steps to protect themselves against the cold, and has a weather alert on the homepage that will be updated as needed.

Severe cold temperatures can increase the risk of frostbite and hypothermia. Exposed skin can freeze in minutes in this kind of weather.

Health Services has a number of tips on how to stay warm in the face of wintry weather conditions:

Limit your time spent outdoors: Move as quickly as possible and take public transit or other form of transportation rather than walk.

Dress appropriately for the conditions: Dress warmly, and in layers. Wear warm and waterproof footwear with proper tread. Stay dry.

Exposed skin (ears, nose, fingers and toes) lose heat the fastest: Cover as much exposed skin as possible. Wear mittens or gloves. Wear something on your head, such as a hat or toque. Protect your exposed face with a scarf.

The Region of Waterloo Public Health website has more information about cold weather safety.

St. Paul’s University College has announced that André Moreau (seen at right) has accepted a contract position as the University of Waterloo’s first-ever Aboriginal Liaison Officer. Moreau works to build strong relationships in the Aboriginal education system in order to raise awareness and significantly increase the number of Aboriginal students who apply, register and self-declare annually.

André is a recent Arts and Business graduate who majored in Speech Communication. He is an active citizen with the Métis Nation of Ontario and is reputed to bake superb bannock occasionally in the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre located at St. Paul’s University College.

“Andre is making a significant impact in his role as our inaugural Aboriginal Liaison Officer by raising uWaterloo’s profile among our fastest growing demographic-Aboriginal youth," says Jeff Muzzerall, Director, Indigenous, Government & Community Relations. "He acts as a relevant, respectful and receptive ambassador for Aboriginal learners and communities in order to achieve our goal of doubling our annual number of registrants within five years."

The Federation of Students’ elections will be taking place from February 11 to 13, 2014. The All Candidates Media Debate will be held today from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the SLC Great Hall. At the debate, candidates running for positions on the Feds executive and Students’ Council will be asked questions by campus media outlets on their platforms, goals, and contributions to campus life. All undergraduates are encouraged to attend and hear what the candidates have to say so they’re informed about the people and issues before the election. More information about the elections is available online.

Finally, a note from Science: "The Dean of Science Office/Science Undergraduate Office will close at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29 for an office event. The office will reopen on Thursday, January 30 at 8:30 am, following our normal office hours."

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