Monday, March 28, 2016

Ice to see you: Biology Professor Mungo Marsden snapped this image of an ice-encrusted window on the link between the Mathematics & Computer Building and the Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre on Thursday, when freezing rain had Waterloo Region in its icy grip. Mungo claims this is a photo looking out over the Peter Russell Rock Garden, but I think we'll have to take his word for it.

Employment Equity re-survey update

This is a reminder that the University is re-surveying all existing employees, in order to maintain compliance with the federal Employment Equity Act and the Federal Contractors Program. More information can be found on the Human Resources website.

All full-time regular Faculty, Staff and CUPE members are reminded to please complete the survey by logging into myHRinfo and their logins will be directed to the questionnaire until it is either completed or acknowledged. All other employees can complete the survey by logging into myHRinfo and navigating to Self Service > Employment Equity Survey > Submit Survey.

Please note that if you had completed the survey before January 1 2016, your previous responses are displayed and you are provided the opportunity to update them. Acknowledging the previous responses as being accurate or updating them is required for a successful completion of the survey.

The current participation rate by the campus community is 69 per cent.

How the University decides whether to close in bad weather

The University of Waterloo opened for classes on Thursday last week, and web visitors to the homepage and the Daily Bulletin spiked as our community looked for information.

As the Daily Bulletin comes to you from the third floor of Needles Hall, we have a special insight into what goes on as the University’s administration grapples with this often controversial decision. With that in mind, here’s a look at what goes on.

The Provost and a team of advisors meet to consider the conditions whenever severe weather is in the forecast and the team also seeks a wealth of information in order to inform the difficult decision of whether it is safe to open campus.

The University of Waterloo cares about the safety of everyone on campus and makes decisions about the operation of the University with safety in mind. The Provost and his team—comprised of representatives from Plant Operations, UW Police and University Relations—look at a long list of sources before they make their decision whether to open or to close campus.

They look at:

• multiple sources of weather information and radar, as well as actual outside conditions;
• the condition of campus, including pathways, roadways, and buildings - and how long it will take to make movement on campus safe; 
• the status of local and regional roads, with input from the local city governments;
• whether local and regional public transportation is running including GRT, GO and Greyhound;
• the conditions at satellite campuses;
• and much more.

The team also pulls in information from other organizations and institutions in the region, but seeks to make a decision about the operation of campus primarily on whether it is safe to get to, and move around campus.

On Thursday morning, the team actively monitored conditions from 4:00 a.m. onward to make a decision about whether to open campus. Based on information they received on local road conditions and on the availability of public transportation, as well as from our on-campus team and the current and forecast weather conditions for Kitchener-Waterloo, they judged that it was safe for our campus to open. Indeed, as predicted by the weather radar, the freezing rain bypassed Kitchener/Waterloo during the day and into Thursday evening, replaced by dry conditions or rain.

The University recognizes that individual circumstances vary widely and, when the University remains open in variable weather conditions, those who judge that it may be unsafe to come to campus should discuss alternate work and study arrangements with their instructor or supervisor, as per the guidelines. 

Students give the Earth an hour of their time

This is the latest in a series of #UWCommunity stories that feature Waterloo in the community.

Sometimes, it takes only an hour to make an impact.

Students at the University of Waterloo realized this on Saturday, March 19 when they gathered inside the V1 Great Hall on campus to participate in the global Earth Hour campaign. Hosted by the Federation of Students’ service, Sustainable Campus Initiative, Earth Hour was held from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. after a variety of eco-friendly workshops.

“It’s important to take action for Earth Hour,” said Sustainable Campus Initiative Coordinator, Katee Ezra. “All you need to do is turn off all the lights in your home or workplace for sixty minutes. It’s incredible how much of a positive difference that makes. It helps conserve so much energy. The service turned off all the lights in the V1 Great Hall.”

Earth Hour was launched by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Australia in 2007, and has grown into a world-wide movement to combat climate change. In 2016, Earth Hour took place in an unprecedented 178 countries and territories, making it the biggest celebration for our planet, ever.

Sustainable Campus Initiative included their own programming throughout the evening, where students engaged in workshops on how to create hazelnut spread and environmentally-friendly laundry soap.

“We provided all the materials,” said Ezra, a third-year environment and business student. “Fair trade chocolate was used for the hazelnut spread, and it tasted similar to Nutella. It was definitely very popular. Everyone who attended had the opportunity to decorate pots to take home, and put in some grass seed.”

Attendees also enjoyed acoustic music and trivia on topics such as energy conservation to raise awareness of different practices. By challenging Earth Hour participants to think differently about energy consumption and their contributions to climate change efforts, Sustainable Campus Initiative showcased how our student leaders are actively mobilizing others to ensure a sustainable future.

The evening, said Ezra, was a success because, “It showed everyone that when it comes to helping our environment, even the little things count.”

Senate meets today, Wrap Up Week, other notes

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

• Approval of academic program review reports for the departments of Fine Arts and Management Sciences;
• First reading of amendments to Senate Bylaw 2;
• A motion that Senate recommend that the Board of Governors approve the 2016/17 Operating Budget; and
• Motions to approve changes to academic plans in Management Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, Geography and Environmental Management.

Senators will also hear a presentation from Maya D'Alessio, president of the Graduate Student Association.

"The Federation of Students is hosting Wrap Up Week from March 28 to April 1 to give undergraduates a chance to unwind and have fun with friends before exams," writes Jacqueline Martinz. "A variety of events will be held in the Student Life Centre including a day of colouring in the Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries, time with adorable therapy dogs, free massages, and a special movie night."

The events are all free for undergraduates. More information is available online.

"On March 28, the Federation of Students' Waterloo Team Feds will also be bringing rising stars in the comedy world to campus," says an announcement from the Feds. "The Comedy Series will be held at 7:00 p.m. in The Bombshelter Pub. It will feature comics Tim Nasiopoulos, Aisha Brown and headliner Arthur Simeon, a mainstay on Canadian programming including HBO Canada’s Funny as Hell, The Strombo Show, and CBC Radio’s The Debaters. All undergraduates are invited to attend, and the show is free for them. More information is available online."

Faculty members who identify as women are encouraged to sign up for an upcoming Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) Status of Women Committee workshop to be held on April 29 in Toronto.

Shari Graydon will again be facilitating a small, interactive workshop, this time focusing on the theme of “Increasing your Persuasiveness.”

"​The ability to convince other people – to approve your idea, follow your leadership, implement your plan – has an enormous impact on your success," says the workshop announcement. "This interactive workshop offers research-proven approaches, instructive case studies and hands-on practice in applying the tools to your own persuasive challenges."

Participants can register online. If you have any questions about the workshop, please contact Erica Rayment at 416-306-6032 or erayment@ocufa.on.ca.

Here's today's Nutrition Month "Myth vs. Fact" supplied by Health Services Nutritionist Sandra Ace:

Myth:  Animal foods are the best sources of protein.

Fact:  For the body to make protein, your food choices must supply the necessary building blocks, called essential amino acids. Eggs, meat, poultry, fish and milk products supply them all in the right amounts. Plant sources of protein, except for soybeans, are missing one or more essential amino acids. However, when you consume a variety of protein-rich plant foods you can easily get all the components needed to build, maintain and repair your body’s tissues.

Plant sources of protein like lentils, beans, peas and chick peas, also known as pulses, have been a foundation of good nutrition around the world for hundreds of years. Pulses are low in fat, high in fibre and rich in minerals and B vitamins. They are heart-heathy, have a low glycemic index (are digested and processed into energy at a slow and steady rate) and are gluten-free. On top of this, these versatile nutrition-packed superstars are inexpensive and happen to be a leading Canadian agricultural product.

In order to recognize the role that pulses contribute to good health and sustainable, environmentally-friendly agriculture, the United Nations declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. A global food movement called the Pulse Pledge encourages people to commit to eating pulses once per week for 10 weeks. If your current culinary exposure to these foods is limited to baked beans and chili, you’ll find lots of creative and delicious meal ideas by clicking on the pledge link. Or as an alternative to the same boring lunch sandwich, try this simple, packable Barley & Lentil Salad with Kale, Apples, Almonds, & Feta, courtesy of Dietitians of Canada.