Spring 2019 issue

» Doug Peers, Dean of Arts

I might be tempting fate writing a lead in to the so-called Spring Issue while continuing to defer switching over to summer tires, but this has definitely been one of the more unpredictable winters I can remember. There are not too many nights in late March when my dog takes a decidedly dim view of heading out on our customary midnight ramble, but recently we have had a number of reluctant forays.

These swings and uncertainties are certainly mirrored in our political situation, especially as far as Higher Education is concerned. While we were all expecting some kind of cut to university funding once the Ford government was installed, none of us thought it would come in the form that it did. And now we have turbulence at the Federal level as we head into a fall election. Interesting times some might say, but I am growing weary of interesting times, whether we are speaking of the weather or higher education policy and funding.

The Faculty’s finances, like those of the University as a whole, took a hit when the tuition cut was announced. Ten per cent cut to all domestic tuition with effect this year, and then a one year freeze. While domestic tuition is only part of our revenue – international tuition and the provincial operating grant are safe (at least for now), the impact is in fact larger than 10 per cent as we had been modelling, as we have in the past tuition increases, to try and keep step with inflation. The Board of Governors at its meeting on 2 April approved a budget which saw the tuition cut absorbed across the university, including a one-time 1 per cent contribution from each Faculty. Going forward we can expect further pressures to constrain costs while we seek new revenue streams. Over the next couple of months we will be delving more deeply into our Faculty’s finances, retrieving and analyzing data to enable us better to respond to these challenges.

On the plus side, in a few days I will be part way to India. Bill (Chesney) and I are joining colleagues from Environment, Science, and Marketing and Undergraduate Recruitment on a whistle stop tour of four Indian cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengalaru) which I had visited on two previous recruitment trips (see photo), and where our particular approach to a 21^st century Arts education had struck a responsive chord.

» Bill Chesney, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Students

When I started working at Waterloo in 1993, the Arts undergraduate population was significantly smaller than it is today. The landscape has changed a lot since then, and the student experience along with it. Even in the 11 years since I started as Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, there have been big changes: for one, we admit almost twice as many students now. That increase means our student body is far more diverse — in every sense. They arrive at university differently prepared, and they have greater expectations for their overall student experience.

The world has changed. Young people have changed as well, in some respects; in others though, they are as they have always been: excited to be on their own, anxious about making friends and doing well, curious about the world and their evolving sense of their own path in it. What’s different now, however, is that undergraduates start university in the context of a world that delivers consistent messages of doom and gloom: an impending climate change crisis that is unstoppable; evident economic and social inequality; a strong sense that things in the world are getting worse, not better. As are we all, students are drowning in an ocean of information. What they need are tools to help them chart their own path to make a positive difference, large or small. Allegedly, those tools are what they are here to acquire.

No wonder they are stressed!

I sympathize; I really do. When students wind up having a Policy 71 meeting with me, 9 times out of 10 I can see that they are not “cheaters” in the way we used to understand the word; they are young people who ran out of time, and out of options, and who have made a bad or sloppy decision. My job in that moment is not to pass judgment on their characters; my job is to try to protect the integrity of the credential, and the work of other students who have also struggled, but without resorting to such desperate measures. At the same time, I take into account, as I can, the individual situation that presents itself. It’s been endlessly interesting, and by no means the most difficult part of the job.

The work has challenged me to strike that balance over and over again: imposing a fair disciplinary outcome that reflects the gravity of the situation, while still making evident my own reading of the individual circumstances. It has taught me to make decisions based on something more than “trusting my gut” or my own “common sense,” which, as we all know, can be biased if not examined carefully. It has taught me to weigh evidence in a more formal way – very different from the kind of creative decision-making in the theatre with which I am familiar.

And while I have had my decisions appealed a number of times, and not always upheld, those of course are also the most important learning opportunities.

» Kaitlin O’Brien, Graduate Recruitment Officer

On March 1, graduate students from Accounting, Anthropology, English, French, Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies convened for the annual Arts Three Minute Thesis (3MT) heat. All the 3MT competitors offered the full-house audience thoughtful and engaging presentations.

The event serves as a great opportunity for students to share their research ideas with their peers and a rapt audience, perfect their ‘elevator pitch’, and convey the significance of their work. This year we were excited to have 16 graduate students present their research, and from that group, the top two Arts 3MT heat winners advanced to the University 3MT competition on Wednesday, March 20.

» Wendy Philpott, Communication Manager

While much of the world is talking big data, the story in Canada seems to be our shortage of it. Recent media reports about our country’s data deficit may be true to an extent, says Anindya Sen of Economics, but there are actually good datasets available through open government portals. The challenge is fully utilizing them to make informed policy decisions that improve people’s lives.

That’s why Sen organized the Master of Public Service (MPS) Policy Datafest. The event brought contemporary policy questions faced by different levels of government to Faculty of Arts graduate students, challenging them to use their analytical skills to mine datasets and extract meaningful insights to inform policymaking.

While hackathons and other data mining competitions certainly aren’t new, what makes this data hacking event unique is that all 60 hackers were from humanities and social science fields.

“Much of the data deficit could be addressed by ensuring people have the skills to not only know how to look for data, but how to interpret it,” says Sen, who is the current director of Waterloo’s MPS program.

Sen collaborated with federal, provincial and regional government departments and agencies to develop the hacking event. Datafest was held over two days with 14 teams of students from six arts graduate programs, including MPS, Economics, English Language and Literature, Global Governance, Psychology and Sociology. Teams were provided specific datasets and questions about Canadian social, economic and environmental conditions. Then it was up to the students to dive into the data to find answers and develop policy recommendations. [...] Read the full story in Waterloo Stories.

Steve Balaban, Accounting and Finance

Steve Balaban, a lecturer in the School of Accounting and Finance, has received many praises from not only his students and his fellow colleagues in the Faculty of Arts, but also from his colleagues in other faculties. Balaban influenced the careers of several of his students, and continues to be a mentor to them long after their graduation.

His peers admire the efforts he has made to incorporate new and interactive learning techniques into his lesson plans, such as problem-based learning and experiential learning. His students also really appreciate his efforts, as one student noted: “His lectures never felt like lectures, but rather interactive discussions.”

Balaban shows genuine interest in seeing his students succeed, and many have commented on the integral role he has played in their professional and academic success. His lessons are known to emphasize “the importance of personal development, teamwork, communication, and relationship building.” Balaban has been described as “passionate,” “engaging” and “humble.”

Additionally, it is noted that his most admirable quality is “his constant desire to improve his teaching abilities and the learning environment.”