Thursday, June 4, 2015

ION construction to impact travel near campus

The ION light rail transit construction has begun to impact transportation near the University of Waterloo.

A portion of Columbia Street West will be closed at the train tracks on or about Monday, June 8 for a two-week period. Work has begun this week that involves temporary lane closures rather than full road closures.

“During this time, Columbia will be closed to all traffic between Philip and Hagey,” says a notice from the Region of Waterloo. “This will allow GrandLinq crews to remove and replace the CN railway tracks in this area, upgrade and relocate underground utilities and install the permanent light rail transit infrastructure. The intersections at Philip and Hagey will remain open during this time.”

Pedestrian access will always be maintained.

Crews will be at work from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and will work around the clock during both weekends of the construction period.

“Prior to and immediately following the closure, GrandLinq may temporarily close lanes on Columbia with two-way traffic maintained during this time,” the official notice says. “Detour and way-finding signage directing drivers, pedestrians and cyclists around the intersection closure will be placed prior to work commencing.” 

GrandLinq has been working on the east rail corridor for several weeks now, finishing up grubbing and building retaining walls along the west perimeter of the stormwater management pond, relocating existing heavy rail lines and installing new light rail tracks.

Work at railway crossings began at Quiet Place, followed by Bearinger (which recently reopened after a two-week closure), with Columbia Street West, the Ring Road, and University and Seagram to follow. During this time, road crossings will be closed for up to two weeks at a time as the heavy rail line is relocated and the two light rail lines are installed.

Two University of Waterloo sites are being used as staging areas for the heavy rail relocation and the new light rail installation. The two sites, both adjacent to the rail easement, are on the University’s north campus, the property known as 420 Wes Graham Way and Parking Lot E on Seagram Drive. Parking Lot E will be moved to the east in the same graveled area. GrandLinq contractors will vacate those sites by October 31.

The ION website has a list of road closures along the transit route.

In terms of the impact on public transit, construction along King Street has moved bus stops and made detours. iXPress has new routes and the 7 bus has moved. Detours will follow.

Grand River Transit has a list of LRT and non LRT-related detours on its website and has an app available to help riders navigate the modified routes.

Calling all Rhodes Warriors

The Graduate Studies Office has sent out its annual reminder and explanation about the application process for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships.

The Rhodes Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship supporting exceptional students at the University of Oxford in England. Established in the will of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, the Rhodes is the oldest and perhaps most prestigious international scholarship program in the world. Applicants for the Rhodes Scholarship are assessed for their intellectual distinction, physical vigour, character, commitment to service, and leadership.

Proven intellectual and academic attainment of a high standard is the first quality required of applicants, but they will also be required to show integrity of character, sympathy for and protection of the weak, the ability to lead and the energy to use their talents to the full.

Candidates must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, be domiciled in Canada and have been born between September 30, 1991 and October 1, 1997. Applicants must have received an undergraduate degree before taking up the scholarship. Candidates may apply either in the province in which they are ordinarily resident (some exceptions apply) or in the province in which they have attended university.

Candidates are invited to familiarize themselves with the complete and official scholarship criteria and apply using the online application.

As the Rhodes Scholarship application process is online, students may request an official electronic copy of their Waterloo transcript from Heidi Mussar in the Graduate Studies Office. Candidates who are endorsed by the University and subsequently shortlisted for an interview at Rhodes will be required to provide an original transcript, sealed and stamped by the University.

All candidates applying through the University of Waterloo must participate in an internal screening process and earn the endorsement of the University's president. Therefore, Waterloo candidates must submit a hard copy of their application to Heidi Mussar no later than September 5, 2014.

Six letters of reference are required as part of the Rhodes Scholarship application. Once a candidate has registered their referee details in their online application, the Rhodes Trust will email referees to advise them how to submit their letters of appraisal online. Candidates must also ask their referees to email a copy of their reference letter to Heidi Mussar in the Graduate Studies Office no later than September 4, 2015.

Applicants selected for the Waterloo interview will be contacted by email by Friday, September 11, 2015. The University Scholarship Selection Committee will then determine which applicants will be endorsed by the university and will organize a supporting letter to be signed by the President of the University of Waterloo.

Applications and reference letters must be filed online through the website for the Rhodes Trust in Oxford no later than October 16, 2015. It is strongly advised that Waterloo candidates do not actually submit their online application to Rhodes until they have been contacted by the Graduate Studies Office and have undergone the university interview process. The University of Waterloo's authorization code is "ON057".

Questions should be directed to Heidi Mussar.

Thursday's notes

The Secretariat and Office of General Counsel has issued a call for nominations for a faculty-at-large seat on Senate. One faculty member will be elected by and from the members of the faculty of the University, with a term ending April 30, 2018.

There is still time to submit a nomination forms to the Secretariat & Office of General Counsel, Needles Hall, Room 3060, no later than 3:00 p.m., Monday, June 15. At least five nominators are required in each case.

Elections will follow if necessary.

Here's a note from Retail Services: "Effective June 1, 2015 CampusTech  will discontinue carrying Rogers cellular devices and mobile phone plans."

CampusTech opened the Rogers cellular dealership eight years ago in response to the demand for cellular device purchases for students on campus. Today, according to Retail Services, the majority of students arrive on campus already equipped with smartphones, or they purchase pay-as-you-go phones using existing SIM cards. And, as Retail Services points out, "there are more options than ever for mobile phone services."

The closure entails no disruption of services for CampusTech Rogers customers with active Rogers phone plans who purchased their plans through the store. CampusTech will continue to carry pay-as-you-go phones, phone cards, and cellular phone accessories.

"In the next few months, CampusTech will launch a new tech category that will add a new dimension to the student experience and student engagement at Waterloo," the statement from Retail Services says. "Watch for our announcement."

Anyone with questions is invited to contact CampusTech Manager John Jaray by email at jjarary@uwaterloo.ca.

If you're looking for another pitch event that's slightly outside the entrepreneurial ballpark, then perhaps tonight's Pitch Talks at the Starlight in UpTown Waterloo is for you. "Pitch Talks is a speaker series all about baseball," writes organizer Zoe Simpson. "Think TED Talks with grass stains." Waterloo students, faculty and staff who love baseball are invited to attend. Tickets are $10 with code STARLIGHT. The event begins at 6:00 p.m.