Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Finance on the move as Fiscal Year End approaches

A message from Finance.

Finance will be saying goodbye to East Campus Hall (ECH) and calling the 4^th floor of East Campus 5 (EC5) home starting Monday April 11. 

IST is dismantling and packing up our computers on the afternoon of Friday, April 8 for our Saturday move, so please be aware that response times, particularly to e-mails, will be longer than normal during the transition.  We appreciate your patience leading up to our move date and as we settle in to our new space.

Remember also that the April 30, 2016 fiscal year-end is approaching and it is important that all current year transactions are posted and reviewed in a timely manner, according to a memo from the Director of Finance Jane Manson. Throughout the year all transactions should be sent to Finance for processing as soon as possible, no later than the month following the completion of the transaction. 

The memo also sets out a number of deadlines for the April 2016 year end, including internal billings, adjustments, travel and other reimbursement claims and settlements, Faculty Professional Expense Reimbursement claims, purchasing accruals, P-Card transactions, receivables invoices, and bank deposits.

Academic units should contact their Faculty Executive Officer or Faculty Financial Officer with any questions. Other contacts include:

• Accounts Payable - Roberta Wilson, extension 36591
• Revenue Accounting (Accounts Receivable/Bank Deposits) - Tyler Wendland, extension 35121
• Trust or Endowment Accounts - Sarah Hadley, extension 36209
• Internal Billings – Richard Stuart, extension 32125
• Budgets or Corrections - Helen Hannusch, extension 33724.

Keep birds at bay with Goose Watch 2016

This week marks the annual launch of Goose Watch at the University of Waterloo. Goose Watch is a crowdsourced tool that allows users to view and report goose nesting locations on campus. It also allows users to plan routes around campus based on their comfort levels around nesting geese.

Like most new parents, Canada geese are very protective of their young. During nesting season, Plant Operations will be taking the usual precautions by posting signs and barricades in areas where possible territorial bird behavior may arise. 

To show respect to these soon-to-be-parents, Goose Watch 2016 has the following tips for pedestrians:

1. If a goose acts aggressively, back away slowly and calmly.
2. When passing geese, keep your chest and face pointed towards them. Maintain direct eye contact.
3. Be neutral. Do not show fear or act in a hostile manner.

In a few weeks, tiny goslings will be taking their first steps on campus and learning to swim in Laurel Creek. Until then, watch this educational video about nesting geese on our campus and record your goose sightings in Goose Watch.

Goose Watch is a collaboration between the Faculty of the Environment’s Mapping, Analysis, and Design department and the Student Success Office. Follow #GooseWatch16 for updates from UWaterloo Life.

Record-setting main round for co-op interviews

This past February saw the Tatham Centre filled with talented students, armed with résumés and crisp shirts, as main round co-op interview numbers soared to record heights.

February 4 set the tone for the month, with 195 employer interviews scheduled. That lead to 1,184 students being interviewed in a single day - the highest number ever for a winter term! Overall, winter 2016 saw a 9 per cent increase from last year and a record high for main round interviews in a winter term.

The progress didn’t stop there; with a 19 per cent increase in Skype interviews and a 17 per cent increase in phone interviews compared to last winter term, the university continues to provide a first-class, accessible interview experience for those employers and students who cannot visit the Tatham Centre.

Thanks go out to all those who had a role in this term’s success. Good luck to all co-op students on their work terms!

Talk explores organizational gender diversity

A public talk this afternoon will feature an expert on integrating genders within organizations and industries.

Professor Jennifer Berdahl, the Montalbano Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business, will deliver a lecture entitled "From Fixing The Women to Liberating the Men: Gender in Organizations" at 4:00 p.m. in the St. Jerome's Classroom and Administration Building, room STJ 3014.

Well known for her scholarship on integrating women in organizations and occupations traditionally held by men, Professor Berdahl has a PhD in social psychology from the University of Illinois and worked for the American Association of University Women, the University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and Rotman School of Management.

"Male-dominated organizations and industries have struggled with integrating women into their ranks," says the talk's announcement. "Professor Berdahl presents the different frameworks that have been used for thinking about this problem, from training women to be more like men to examining how work continues to be the site of masculinity contests among men. Berdahl discusses the underlying assumptions, implied remedies, and ultimate effectiveness of these different frameworks."

“Jennifer Berdahl has studied the place of women in the workplace for over two decades. Now her research has moved beyond analyzing how women are treated – and mistreated – in these organizations to offering concrete and positive steps organizations can take promote equity," says St. Jerome's HeForShe Faculty Advocate David Seljak. "Her remarkable conclusion is that organizations that are more inclusive in terms of gender and minority groups are also more successful!” 

"Dr. Berdahl’s talk would be of great interest to faculty, staff, and students in the Arts, because of the relevance and importance of her program of research that highlights psychological factors underlying gender inequities in the workplace," says Faculty of Arts HeForShe Faculty Advocate David Moscovitch. "She explores how organizations can maximize efficiency and productivity by working to change the norms that keep inequalities in place and promoting greater gender equity and diversity."

Light refreshments will be served at the event.

A canny campaign for a good cause

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

Food insecurity affects countless communities, including many in the Waterloo Region. Locally, 1 in 20 households rely on the food bank. 

Beginning in 2014 in partnership with the Federation of Students Food Bank and the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, the University of Waterloo CanBuild competition helps create awareness of these issues by engaging the campus community to develop teams, collaborate, and put their design skills to work by building unique structures from the food donations they collect.

Through the hard work and dedication of 14 participating teams, students, staff and faculty across campus built everything from a light bulb to a goose, and even a kangaroo jungle!

Together, the University of Waterloo community collected a total of 6,300 cans this year. Congratulations to our CanBuild 2016 award winners:

• People’s Choice Award: WatPD
• Judges Award: Federation of Students
• Best Meal Award: University Relations
• Most Cans Award: Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
• Community Spirit Award: Athletics and Recreation 

Check out the event highlights on Storify.

Wednesday's notes

Bonnie Bishop took this photo of a raccoon catching a few winks in a tree near the bus stop outside the Douglas Wright Engineering Building. 

The Book Store's end of term concourse sale is going on this week, running from Tuesday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in South Campus Hall. The discounts increase each day, with 40 per cent off inventory on March 30 and 50 per cent off on March 31. Inventory, however, is limited, so don't wait too long before visiting the South Campus Hall concourse this week.

Join Retail Services on tonight at 5:00 p.m. at E5 3101 as they welcome Anne Millar and Mary Wells for a presentation and book signing of their book Women of Impact.

Women of Impact is a celebration of women’s achievements in science and engineering. Based on in-person interviews, this collection profiles eighteen women who have made significant contributions to the fields of materials, metallurgy, and mining in Canada. Their compelling stories and impressive achievements reveal how women have defied stereotypes, pushed through barriers, and passionately engaged with their industry.

Register online to reserve a seat.

There are a few spots remaining for Jennifer Clapp’s Research Talks session at noon this Friday, April 1 entitled Trade: opportunity or threat for global food security?. If you are interested in attending, please register. 

The 2016 Adrian Smith Lecture will be delivered this year by Professor John Cherry and is entitled "Chemical Hydrogeology: Importance for Aquitard Science and Implications."

"The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences is honoured to host Dr. John Cherry, University of Waterloo Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Guelph Adjunct Professor, and founder of the Adrian Lecture Series," says the announcement from Earth and Environmental Sciences. "The lecture will be followed by a reception in the EIT foyer. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Cherry on winning the prestigious 2016 Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize."

The lecture takes place Friday, April 1 at 2:00 p.m. in EIT 1015. Everyone is welcome.

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

Myth: Organic fruits and vegetables are the healthiest and safest choice.

Fact:  Both organic and non-organic foods are nutritious and safe to eat. Many factors affect a food’s nutritional value: how it is grown, stored, shipped, processed and cooked. Study results are mixed and have shown that organic foods may have more, less or about the same nutrients as non-organic foods.

When it comes to safety, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) monitors and enforces pesticide residue limits in Canadian-grown and imported foods. In a previous report, the CFIA found that more than 99% of Canadian fruits and vegetables and 99 per cent of imported foods tested were well below Canada's safe residue limits. No residues at all were found in 90% of Canadian fruits and vegetables and in 89 per cent of imported food tested.

Eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods remains a good goal. Choose local or Canadian-grown produce when you can. Whether you choose organic foods, which are almost always more costly, is a personal choice and may not be an affordable or practical goal for many. Whatever choice you make, rinse all produce thoroughly under running water for at least 30 seconds. Remove the outside leaves of veggies like lettuce, kale or cabbage and save for compost and scrub thick skinned foods like potatoes, apples and carrots.