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Stand together in support and inclusion
A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor. This is the latest post on the president's blog.
This week marks a year since a violent, hate-motivated attack took place during a gender issues lecture in Hagey Hall. The anniversary brings back the same sense of shock that something so frightening and horrific could happen on our campus. As more information has come to light through the legal proceedings, we have heard many disturbing details about the motivations of the attacker and the experiences of those in the classroom.
In the days that followed the attack, we saw our campus community come together to support one another. Today, one year later, we remain committed to fostering inclusive, safe and welcoming environments for all members of our community while denouncing all forms of hate, discrimination and violence.
Last year’s attack targeted gender expression. As we close out Pride Month, today serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of standing with and supporting our 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
While we have made strides towards these goals, we have also heard from members of our community about their experiences, and in some cases struggles and frustrations with the pace of change. As Provost Rush mentioned in his May 16 email to campus, Waterloo is in the process of building a strategy to support 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and communities through collaborations with those individuals and communities, and has already hired additional staff within the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism.
Since the attack, we have also reviewed and updated our campus safety and security protocols. A new emergency notification system will launch later this summer, and more cross-campus collaborations are being established to address communications and transparency.
As we mark one year since the attack, my thoughts are with the courageous individuals in the classroom, along with the first responders who were quickly on the scene. No one should have to experience what they did. We also can’t forget those who were not directly involved but still traumatized by the attack. I encourage everyone in our community who needs support to use the resources available to you through Campus Wellness or the Employee and Family Assistance Program.
On Wednesday, the University’s Board of Governors endorsed our new institutional values. The values form the basis for significant culture change that we are committed to as an institution, particularly one that fosters and promotes inclusion of all members of the community. The Board also approved the creation of a new standing Committee on Community and Culture. This Committee will be responsible for oversight of the University’s culture, campus life, and student and employee experience.
These initiatives provide significant momentum in driving towards the changes that we seek. At the same time, we must recognize that culture change takes time, and effort on all parts of the community. Culture change does not come from the top, it requires collaborative effort on all our parts.
This week, we welcome delegates to the “From Targeting in Academia to Promoting Trust and Understanding” Conference. This event focuses on the broad subject of responding to antagonistic and intimidating reactions to academic research and pedagogy. As I said after the event, ‘there are those who would like to intimidate us. They want us to be afraid – afraid to learn, afraid to share, afraid to speak our truths. But we will not let this deter us from proclaiming loudly, our values of inclusion and openness.’
There is still work to be done to heal our collective wounds and foster inclusiveness and safety on our campuses. With your support, we will continue to work towards our ongoing commitments in these areas.
Co-operative and Experiential Education publishes 2023 annual report
A message from Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE).
Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) remains a cornerstone of the University, reinforcing our status as a global leader in co-operative education and work-integrated learning (WIL).
Last year, amidst a rapidly changing employment landscape, we demonstrated remarkable adaptability and flexibility.
- Our inaugural Employer Impact Conference brought together staff, students and industry partners to discuss emerging talent in the workplace.
- Our innovative approach and commitment to empowering students through meaningful work experiences were recognized with a gold award in the QS Reimagination Education awards, underscoring our leadership in this field.
- A highlight of the year was hosting the 2023 WACE World Conference in Waterloo. We welcomed over 250 global leaders from industry, government and academia. This event showcased our expertise and reinforced our dedication to advancing WIL on a global scale.
Our programs continue to evolve, helping students build the skills and capacity needed for the future of work. We remain focused on innovation, partnerships and research, such as exploring the social impact of intergenerational changemakers in the workplace and Gen Z.
What's open and closed on the Canada Day long weekend
The way we were: a headline photo from the UW Gazette in 1992 celebrating the annual Canada Day festivities at Columbia Lake. Eddie and the Edsels were the featured performers.
Monday, July 1 is Canada Day, a statutory holiday marking the country's Confederation.
For those history buffs among you, it was 40 years ago that the first Canada Day celebration took place at Columbia Lake on July 1, 1984, launched by the Federation of Students (now WUSA) with the University in a co-sponsoring role. That 35-year tradition, which grew to include several musical stages, vendors, and the infamous slip 'n slide, ended in 2018, with a fireworks-only display in 2019, some five years ago. How time flies!
With the holiday Monday, many, if not most, campus operations will be closed, or have modified operating hours, during the holiday long weekend.
Print + Retail Solutions locations will be closed Monday, July 1.
Most Food Services locations will be closed Monday, with the exception of The Market at UWP, which will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The Dana Porter Library will be open Monday, July 1 from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m., and the Davis Centre will be open from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. The online chat will not be available Monday, but email will be monitored from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. Both locations are also open on Saturday and Sunday for the final weekend of June. Check the Library's hours page for more details.
The Physical Activities Complex, CIF and Field House will all be closed on Sunday, 30 and Monday, July 1, returning to regular operations on Tuesday, July 2.
The Student Life Centre, Turnkey Desk and Flock Stop are open 24/7 all weekend, while Turnkey@DC is closed on Monday, July 1.
Have a Happy Canada Day and enjoy the long weekend. The Daily Bulletin will return on Tuesday, July 2.
A microbial open house and other notes
The Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (WCMR) will be hosting its spring/summer open house today from noon to 1:00 p.m. in DC 1301 (the fishbowl). Director of the WCMR Trevor Charles, along with Associate Directors Narveen Jandu and Valerie Ward and Administrative Coordinator Brenda Panasiak wil be available for a meet and greet, to discuss WCMR activities and opportunities, and network with other members working and/or interested in microbiology. Graduate and undergraduate students, post-doctoral researchers, research associates, staff, faculty and community partners interested in Microbiology at University of Waterloo are welcome to attend.
You will soon be receiving your annual pension statement for the period ending December 31st, 2023," says a message from Human Resources, aimed at University pension plan holders, which includes employees and retirees. "Included in the announcement are the instructions on how to access your 2023 statement on myPENSIONinfo. Retirees who haven’t reset their WatIam password will need to contact the IST Help Desk at helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357 for assistance. A reminder that 2 Factor Authentication is required for access, as well."
Information Systems & Technology (IST) has published the latest in its weekly Atlassian blog series today, entitled Atlassian updates: Add or remove restrictions on request types.
Plant Operations reports that the basketball courts at Ron Eydt Village (REV) and Student Village (V1) will be closed as "improvements are made to the overall user experience." This involves building enclosures, renovating existing facilities, and resurfacing the courts. "This improvement project is anticipated to run from Wednesday, June 26 to September 6, 2024, during which the sports facilities will be closed.