Thursday, October 6, 2016

Waterloo students get their first Fall Break

Following the Thanksgiving long weekend, Waterloo students will enjoy two additional study days, with no classes,on Tuesday, October 11 and Wednesday, October 12. The Fall Break, the first in a three-year pilot test, comes after a referendum in 2014 where 74 percent of voting students supported starting classes early to accommodate a Fall Break.

These study days are meant to be a pause from classes for students to do what they need, personally, to prepare for the rest of the term - whether that is reflect upon and catch up on their school work, prepare for upcoming assignments or tests,  relax and visit with family and friends, or catch up on sleep. Although there are no classes during the study days, campus and student services are open. Visit the Fall Break page for details.

Classes resume on Thursday, October 13 following a Tuesday schedule. Classes on Friday, October 14 are on a Wednesday schedule.

Students will be invited to participate in an online survey after the break to provide their feedback.

Enjoy your break!

Students "Stop and Talk" with @UWaterlooPres

by: Staff

Yesterday in the Great Hall of the Student Life Centre (SLC), University of Waterloo's president, Feridun Hamdullahpur, hosted an informal "Stop and Talk" event to connect with students about how their fall term is going and to get their feedback on the student experience at Waterloo. 

From 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm, the president chatted with students from all Faculties about their academic programs and their ideas about student life. 

"It was great talking with the students about what's going on for them," President Hamdullahpur told the Daily Bulletin. "Their enthusiasm for our university keeps me inspired, and I came away with some interesting ideas to follow up on. It was just really nice to set that time aside to make the connection."

Yesterday's Stop and Talk event built on the president's visits to first-year classes this term as part of the president's work to keep in touch with students throughout the academic year. Students can mark November 22 on their calendars as another great opportunity to connect with Professor Hamdullahpur. The President's Town Hall will take place the morning of November 22 at Fed Hall. 

A series of additional "Stop and Talk" events with senior administrators will carry forward in the months to come. Watch the "When and Where" section of the Daily Bulletin for details as they become available.

Recapping Reunion 2016

By Heather Steinmetz

Reunion 2016 was a wonderful success with over 3,500 attendees on campus joining in on the festivities. Reunion welcomed a large audience of not only alumni but also students, faculty, staff and community members. This year featured exciting events including a spirited AHS Fun Run with participants dressed in their most innovative running gear and costumes, faculty events with exhibits and interactive tours, cheering and live music at the Alumni VIP Tent, and a Reunion Luncheon with President Feridun Hamdullahpur, offering attendees the opportunity to relive their greatest university memories.

“On behalf of the entire Office of Advancement, we’d like to thank all of the alumni who came out to revisit, reunite and relive another great year with faculty, staff, students and fellow alumni. It was incredible seeing so many of you celebrating reunions with your fellow classmates and sharing your memories. It definitely makes it worth putting on this event to welcome and reconnect with you. We hope that you had a fun time this year and we hope to see you again soon.” – Alumni Relations

A special thank you is extended to our campus partners and volunteers. They were instrumental in making this event another success. Thank you for all that you do.  

We look forward to seeing you next year on Saturday, September 30 to help celebrate UWaterloo’s 60^th anniversary for Reunion 2017. Mark your calendars now and start planning your reunions!

For a full recap of the day, visit the Reunion Storify.

Thursday's notes

One lane on the east side of the Ring Road at E3 will be closed to traffic today to allow for a crane to set up and load roofing material onto the building's roof, according to a note from Plant Operations.

There will be a tractor trailer with roofing material parked behind the crane. The work will begin at 7:00 a.m. and continue to around noon.

Flag persons will be in place to direct traffic during this time.

The annual David Sprott Distinguished Lecture takes place today at 4:00 p.m. in STC 0040. Delivering the address is Jack Kalbfleisch, Emeritus Professor of Biostatistics and Statistics at the University of Michigan, although he might be more familiar to folks on campus as Jack Kalbfleisch, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, former Dean of Mathematics and former chair of the Statistics and Actuarial Science department, who was on faculty at Waterloo from 1973 to 2002.

The title of the lecture is “Match making in a Kidney Paired Donation Program.” Welcome back, Jack!

Also taking place today at 4:00 p.m. is the Waterloo Arts Distinguished Lecture in Economics featuring David Autor, Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. The lecture is entitled "Why are there still so many jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation" and explores the apparent paradox of how after 125 years of industrialization, ostensibly to reduce human labour, the adult population engaged in work is higher than it was in the 19^th century, rising every decade since 1890.

The event takes place in the Theatre of the Arts. All are welcome.

University of Waterloo faculty members and instructional staff are being invited to a Teaching Day event at Wilfrid Laurier University on Thursday, October 13. The event takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and features plenary presentations by Cirque du Soleil choreographer Debra Brown and clown, mime, stage and film actor Rene Bazinet, as well as WLU's Steve Wilcox of Brantford’s Game Design program.

The event has been organized by WLU's Centre for Teaching Innovation and Excellence.

Registrations are due by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11.

The City of Waterloo is developing a neighbourhood strategy and are looking for students and faculty to participate. 

 The city is looking for 12 students and 12 faculty members to join a discussion and share their vision for even stronger, more connected neighbourhoods in Waterloo.

"What do you love about Waterloo neighbourhoods?" the invitation says. "What are your great ideas for making Waterloo neighbourhoods even better?" 

The faculty session takes place on October 17 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in Needles Hall 3043.

The student session takes place on October 18 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. in Needles Hall 3318.

The City of Waterloo will welcome the first 12 people to RSVP Please bring a bag lunch, and coffee and cookies will be provided.

Visit the City of Waterloo's Neighbourhood Strategy site to learn more about the project.