Monday, November 27, 2023

Giving Tuesday is tomorrow

A message from the Office of Advancement.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, November 28) is Giving Tuesday and University of Waterloo faculty, staff and retirees can unlock thousands of dollars in charitable support for our students! Donation forms are open, so please visit the Giving Tuesday website to support the fund of your choice. You donation can unlock these top ups:

• 1957 Donor Challenge:  When 1,957 donors make a gift, an extra $10,000 will be unlocked: $5,000 for the Black Student Opportunities Fund and $5,000 for the Indigenous Opportunities Fund.
• First Donor Challenge: Be our lucky first Giving Tuesday 2023 donor and get a $1,000 top-up to your chosen fund.
• Last Donor Challenge: Be our lucky first Giving Tuesday 2023 donor and get a $1,000 top-up to your chosen fund.

Thank you for your generous support!

Recognizing Indigenous Disability Awareness Month and International Day of Persons with Disabilities

A message from the Office of Indigenous Relations.

November is  Indigenous Disability Awareness Month (IDAM), and December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The Office of Indigenous Relations and the Disability Inclusion team are hosting an event to honour these important initiatives at the University of Waterloo.  

Indigenous peoples of Canada experience a disability rate significantly higher than that of the general population. Indigenous Disability Awareness Month brings awareness of the barriers and the issues that Indigenous peoples living with disabilities and their families face every day. More importantly though, in spite of these barriers, IDAM celebrates the achievements of Indigenous peoples living with disabilities and recognize the significant and valuable contributions they make to our communities socially, economically, and culturally every day. 

December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which aims to “promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.” The day was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations and continues to be urgently relevant as communities around the world strive towards sustainability, equity, and inclusion. 2023 marks the third year the University has recognized IDPD. To learn more about the observance and its impact on the Waterloo community, visit International Day of Persons with Disabilities. 

Staff, students, and faculty are invited to a keynote presentation on Indigenous perspectives on disability from Dr. Rheanna Robinson. Dr. Robinson draws upon her lived experience as a Métis woman with a disability, her work as a disability advocate, and her research as an Indigenous scholar at the University of Northern British Columbia. Her keynote address, “Disability decolonized: Lived experiences, Indigenous knowledges, and teachings from Txeemsim”, will provide valuable insights to support continued capacity building as we strive to support the entire University community. 

Event details:

Date: Friday, December 1, 2023  

Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  

Location: Fed Hall and livestream (Zoom) 

To register for this event, visit Disability Decolonized Registration. 

If you have questions about accessibility, please contact aoda@uwaterloo.ca. For more information, visit IDPD 2023 and the Office of Indigenous Relations.

Go blue for antimicrobial resistance

Photograph by Milana Madzarac.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a top global threat to both human health and food security — with significant negative economic impacts — yet most people are unaware of the harm it is causing to society.

Modern medicine, agriculture and veterinary care all depend on the availability of effective antimicrobials. However, since their discovery, antibiotics and antimicrobials such as antivirals and antifungals have become less effective as microbes develop resistance to them. This makes it harder to treat infections when they occur and more dangerous to provide advanced medical therapies, such as chemotherapy and surgery. As a result, it is estimated that 15 Canadians die each day from AMR.

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is an annual campaign that runs from November 18 to 24 to highlight the consequences of AMR and share strategies to combat it through global innovation, monitoring and education.

On November 24, buildings across Canada will be lit blue to bring awareness to AMR. The City of Kitchener’s Carl Zehr Square joins the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy in this #GoBlueForAMR colour campaign for the second consecutive year.

“AMR isn’t some distant problem. It is already happening, here and now, and is a major threat to the health of our communities,” says Brett Barrett, clinical lecturer and teaching fellow at the School of Pharmacy.

“While all antimicrobial use can lead to resistance, misuse or overuse is making AMR happen faster. Antimicrobials are a shared resource. We have a responsibility to work today to preserve the usefulness of these life-saving essential medicines for future generations.”

While solving AMR requires action from government and healthcare providers, patients also have a role to play. By practicing handwashing, considering smoking cessation, getting vaccinated  and not using antibiotics to treat viral infections, such as chest colds and the flu, individuals can help in the fight against AMR.

For more information visit:

• Visit our resources on antibiotic stewardship
• Learn more about AMR
• Visit the World Health Organizations website

Students encouraged to share thoughts on learning about sustainability

A message from the Sustainability Office.

How will sustainability issues affect student careers?  Undergraduate students from all programs of study are encouraged to share their feedback on opportunities to integrate sustainability into their learning experience on campus.

As the world increasingly feels the impacts of climate change, biodiversity collapse, and other worsening sustainability issues, the pivot toward a sustainable future will involve all parts of society. The Sustainability Curriculum Integration project is a pan-University effort exploring ways to more deeply integrate environmental sustainability into undergraduate curriculum that will equip all students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to navigate these transitions.

The project team wants to hear from students about how they have already learned about and had experiences related to sustainability on campus, how interested they are in learning about sustainability, and where they see opportunities.

All undergraduate students are encouraged to share their feedback. Instructors and employees are encouraged to share information about the survey to students. The survey will remain open until Friday, December 1 and should take only 5 minutes to complete. Any questions can be directed to sustainability@uwaterloo.ca.

Senate meets today and other notes

The University's Senate meets today at 3:30 p.m. in Needles Hall 3407. Among the agenda items:

• A motion to recommend that Senate elect Nicholas Pellegrino as a member of Senate Graduate & Research Council, term to 30 April 2025;
• A motion to approve the addition of a part-time registration option for the Master of Accounting program, effective 1 January 2024; 
• A motion to approve the addition of a direct entry Co-operative program/option for the Master of Taxation program, effective 1 January 2024;
• A motion to approve the revisions to the Graduate Research Fields for the PhD and MSc in Vision Science, effective 1 September 2024;
• A motion to approve the adoption of the new Class Components Definitions for the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar and the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, effective January 1, 2024;
• A motion to approve amendments to the Constitution and By Laws of the Science Faculty Council;
• A motion to approve regulation revisions to the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC), effective 1 January 2024;
• A motion to approve the 2024-2025 academic calendar dates and calendar guidelines for establishing academic dates.

Senate will also hear a variety of reports, including updates from President Vivek Goel and Provost Jim Rush, as well as a Faculty update presentation from Dean of Mathematics Mark Giesbrecht. Vice-President, Research and International Charmaine Dean will give an update on awards, distinctions, grants and international engagements. The Senate Finance Committee will continue its report from the October 2023 Senate meeting.

Also today, an event entitled COP28 as a Catalyst for Climate Action: Empowering Youth for Impactful Engagement will be taking place from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. online. This event, hosted by the Waterloo Climate Institute, is open to students and will feature guest Speaker Jenna Phillips, a climate communicator who is dedicated to promoting sustainability literacy. 

A monthly call for the Research Impact Canada community to discuss knowledge mobilization will happen today from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. online. You'll recall that the University of Waterloo is the newest member of Research Impact Canada, a pan-Canadian network dedicated to maximizing the impact of research for the public good that will provide Waterloo students, staff and faculty members with resources and networks to enhance knowledge mobilization. This virtual event is open to Waterloo staff, faculty members and students. Contact Nadine Quehl for online meeting information.