Tuesday, September 6, 2016

What’s new and exciting at Orientation 2016

A message from the Orientation team.

The Labour Day weekend was a busy time on campus with new students moving in to residence and customized orientation programming for incoming international undergraduate students, American and out-of-province undergraduate students. First Year Undergraduate Orientation and Graduate Student Orientation, along with Exchange/Study Abroad, and Undergraduate Transfer Orientation, continue this week until Saturday. There is also program-specific Orientation activities hosted by many departments across campus this week.

All first-year undergraduate students will be able to come together for new and exciting events and initiatives as part of Orientation this year including:

• Warrior Wander - An event that introduces new students to their Digital Community (e.g. Portal App) and the City of Waterloo (e.g. trip to the Boardwalk)!
• Feds Showcase – An opportunity for students to learn about the services that Feds has to offer and pick up free stuff!
• Black v Gold – Students are put into teams to earn points by competing at events like Canadian Ninja Warrior, Escape Rooms, Lions Liar, Capture the Calculus, Geocaching and so much more.
• Faculty checklist (Portal)- A checklist for students to get prepared and organized for school. Lists includes things like: meet an academic advisor, attend a student design team open house, get your textbooks, etc.
• Portal App and Orientation widget – Portal is now available as an app download and includes an enhanced orientation widget with faculty checklists, Black v Gold map, and personalized event schedules.
• Single & Sexy in the PAC - Single & Sexy’s script has been given an overhaul by a fourth year drama class. We’ve also moved the play to the PAC so students can see the play with their residence dons and engage in pre- and post-discussions about the provocative topics presented.
• Staff and faculty engagement – Orientation offers opportunities for the entire University of Waterloo community to be a part of the student transition including: Family welcome, Family sendoff, Here to Help, Warrior Wayfinding and Welcome Back.
• Snapchat – Add @uofwaterloo on snapchat for live video snaps from student leaders at Orientation. Or follow the fall 2016 Orientation excitement on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with the hashtag #UWOW16.

"Orientation is always a great time of year on campus. The Federation of Students (Feds) is proud to join the University of Waterloo in presenting an inclusive, meaningful, and exciting Orientation for our new students. These events could not have been done without the help of over 1,000 student volunteers, especially the members of the Federation Orientation Committee (FOC), who have spent the past year preparing for this amazing week," said FEDS President Chris Lolas.

Remember, classes start on Thursday, September 8, but Orientation activities will continue until Saturday, September 10.

Clearing the air with an updated smoking policy

The University’s policy on smoking (Policy #29 - Smoking) has been updated, and includes some notable changes in response to recent provincial legislation and aims to reduce smoking in prohibited areas through enforcement. The policy applies to everyone on campus, including employees, students and visitors.

The University prohibits smoking:

• in any building, bus shelter or other enclosed area;
• in University owned or operated vehicles;
• within 10 meters of any building;
• on or within 20 meters of sports playing fields, surfaces and spectator areas;
• on or within 20 meters of children’s playgrounds; and
• on restaurant and bar patios

The University uses a comprehensive definition of smoking, which includes holding a smoking device, for the purpose of burning, vaporising, inhaling or exhaling any substance. This means in addition to traditional cigarettes and the like, use of e-cigarettes and vaping are also only permitted outside of these areas.

A new enforcement strategy will be in force as of September 1, 2016 where University Police will promote awareness and compliance with the policy. Campus Police Services will assist with education and enforcement by identifying individuals not following the policy and responding to complaints, and can issue warnings and monetary fines. For employees, department line management will continue to ensure compliance with respect to areas and individuals under their authority.

The goal of the policy is to promote a healthy work and learning environment and reduce smoking on campus. Smoking cessation resources are available to both employees and students. Employees can visit Occupational Health’s Smoking Cessation resource page to learn more. Students should check out Leave the Pack Behind, a tobacco control program that offers young adults smoking and quitting information, personalized support, and quitting resources – all for free!

New this term: WCMS developer drop-in labs

Are you developing for the WCMS? Do you want to start? Are you stuck, in need of guidance, or unsure of how to do things “the WCMS way”? Now you can get help by attending monthly developer drop-in labs!

Starting on September 8, the WCMS developer team will be in the drop-in lab (MC 2060) from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month to provide assistance and answer your questions. Everyone is welcome – it doesn’t matter if you’re full time or part time, contract or coop.

External developers are encouraged to work on projects that may be integrated with the central build or deployed to specific sites. Since the WCMS developer team cannot provide development assistance on an ongoing basis, they are launching developer drop-in labs as a pilot project through December. In January 2017, they will announce the future of the developer drop-in labs, based on attendance and participant feedback.

Stay safe on campus: download WatSAFE

Information Systems and Technology (IST), UW Police, and the Safety Office are letting students know that one of the best ways to stay informed of campus emergency events and related information is by downloading the University emergency notification app, WatSAFE.

"Downloading the app to your iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry device or tablet ensures you receive immediate access to Alert Notifications and Alert Statuses (situation updates), even when you’re on the go," says the memo from Chief Information Officer Bruce Campbell, Director of University Police Dave Gerencser, and Safey Office Director Kate Windsor that is being circulated to undergraduate students. "Through WatSAFE, you can connect with the support resources you need during an emergency situation, including 911, the Campus Police, Safety Office, and campus support units (e.g. Counselling Services, Health Services); review safety and emergency training videos, guidelines and procedures; and report suspicious activity."

"It is important that you download the WatSAFE app to stay informed of campus safety and emergency events. For more information and to download WatSAFE, visit https://uwaterloo.ca/watsafe," the memo continues. 

Anyone with questions about privacy and app access to their devices can check the AppArmor website to learn more.