Thursday, September 1, 2016

New employee and family assistance program launches

A message from the EAP Committee.

The University of Waterloo is excited to announce a new benefit for eligible employees and their family members at no additional cost to employees. An Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provided by Homewood Health is available as of September 1, 2016.

The EFAP provides services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Access to confidential, short term, counselling services are available in person, online, or by telephone. In addition to counselling services, the EFAP includes other tools and resources that contribute to individuals’ health and wellbeing. Plan Smart Services are available telephonically and Homewood Health’s website includes many helpful resources.

Individuals can call Homewood Health directly at 1.800.663.1142 to access the EFAP. When you call, you will be asked a series of questions to confirm your eligibility for the program and to enable aggregate statistical reporting. Homewood Health’s online resources are available after registering for a username and password on their website www.homeweb.ca.

Please be assured that the program is confidential and your private information, including whether you or your spouse/dependents have accessed the program, is not shared with family members or the University.

Information sessions, presented by a representative of Homewood Health, have been scheduled between September and November to provide more details about the full suite of services available through the EFAP. To view the schedule and register for one of information sessions, visit the EAP Website.

Any questions or concerns can be directed to any member of the EAP Committee. The Committee membership is captured on the EAP Website.

Humans trashing the place can be a good thing, study says

Sometimes, humanity's trash is nature's treasure.

Human occupation is usually associated with deteriorated landscapes, but new research shows that 13,000 years of repeated occupation by British Columbia’s coastal First Nations has had the opposite effect, enhancing temperate rainforest productivity.

Andrew Trant, a professor in the Faculty of Environment, led the study in partnership with the University of Victoria and the Hakai Institute. The research combined remote-sensed, ecological and archaeological data from coastal sites where First Nations’ have lived for millennia. It shows trees growing at former habitation sites are taller, wider and healthier than those in the surrounding forest. This finding is, in large part, due to shell middens and fire.

Fishing of intertidal shellfish intensified in the area over the past 6,000 years, resulting in the accumulation of deep shell middens, in some cases more than five metres deep and covering thousands of square metres of forest area. The long-term practice of harvesting shellfish and depositing remnants inland has contributed significant marine-derived nutrients to the soil as shells break down slowly, releasing calcium over time.

The study examined 15 former habitation sites in the Hakai Lúxvbálís Conservancy on Calvert and Hecate Islands using remote-sensed, ecological and archaeological methods to compare forest productivity with a focus on western redcedar.

The work found that this disposal and stockpiling of shells, as well as the people’s use of fire, altered the forest through increased soil pH and important nutrients, and also improved soil drainage.

“It’s incredible that in a time when so much research is showing us the negative legacies people leave behind, here is the opposite story,” said Trant, a professor in Waterloo’s School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability. “These forests are thriving from the relationship with coastal First Nations. For more than 13,000 years —500 generations — people have been transforming this landscape. So this area that at first glance seems pristine and wild is actually highly modified and enhanced as a result of human behaviour.”

This research is the first to find long-term use of intertidal resources enhancing forest productivity. Trant says it is likely similar findings will occur at archaeological sites along many global coastlines.

“These results alter the way we think about time and environmental impact,” he said. “Future research will involve studying more of these human-modified landscapes to understand the extent of these unexpected changes.”

The study appears in Nature Communications.

Congratulating new retirees and other notes

Human Resources is reporting that the following staff members have retired, effective September 1, 2016:

• Ian Riley, who started at Waterloo in March 2003, retires as Custodian I in Plant Operations;
• Henry Lok, who joined the University in August 1988, retires as Cook in Food Services;
• Catherine Plunkett; who started working at Waterloo in May 2003, retires as Housekeeping at Renison University College;
• Donna McCracken, who joined the University in November 1985, retires as Manager Administrative Services in Plant Operations; and
• David Dobson, whose start date was January 2005, retires as Custodian in Plant Operations.

The following faculty members have also retired, effective September 1, 2016:

• Hartwig Peemoeller, who joined Waterloo in September 1986 and received tenure in July 1991, retires as Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy;
• Suzanne Safayeni, who started at the University in September 1991, retires as Lecturer, Cheriton School of Computer Science;
• Graham Brown, who joined the University in November 1999, retires as Principal of St. Paul's University College; and 
• Thomas Freddo, who began working at Waterloo in September 2006, retires as Professor, School of Optometry and Vision Science. Freddo, a tenured professor, served as Director of the School of Optometry and Vision Science from 2006 to 2011.

The following employees retired effective August 1, 2016:

• Mary Dianne Gross, who joined the University in November 2003 and retires as Housekeeper in Housing and Residences;
• Allan Connolly, who joined Waterloo full-time in December 2000, retires as Equipment Operator in Plant Operations;
• William Aucoin, who began working at the University in November 1999, retires as Residence Attendant in Housing and Residences;
• Bruce Bender, who started at Waterloo in October 1997, retires as Network Technical Specialist in IST;
• Richard Kutchcoski, who joined the University in October 1983 and retires as Custodian in Plant Operations; and
• Larry Farr, who started at Waterloo in May 1989 and retires as Mechanic in Plant Operations.

The following faculty members retired effective August 1, 2016:

• Ed Jernigan, who joined the University in August 1976 as Assistant Professor, received tenure in July 1981 and was named Associate Professor in 1989, retires from Knowledge Integration.

Congratulations all!

The Registrar's Office and Student Awards & Financial Aid will be closed on Friday, September 2 from 12:00 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. for an office event. The office's drop box will still be available for those dropping off forms.

The Mathematics Undergraduate Office will be closed today and tomorrow, Friday, September 2, reopening on Tuesday, September 6.

Tomorrow is Red Day in support of St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation and heart disease awareness. "Heart disease is a leading killer of women," says a note from the foundation, and Red Day is an opportunity to raise awareness and learn how to protect yourself or someone you know by recognizing the signs of a heart attack. Wear something red tomorrow to show your support. Use the hashtag #RedDayFriday and share your pictures and thoughts about heart health. For more information, visit the St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation website.