Wednesday, February 1, 2017

WaterlooWorks receives 200k+ job applications in first month

A message from Co-operative Education & Career Action

Main round co-op interviews are officially underway in the Tatham Centre (TC). The halls of TC will be filled with thousands of students and employers for the next six weeks, with the highest volume of interviews taking place in the next four weeks.

This term also marks the first time most students and employers are using WaterlooWorks, the University’s new employment administration system that replaced JobMine in January. This is the first major system upgrade to the co-op employment process in 12 years.

“We’re one month in to WaterlooWorks being live and we’re happy with how the system has responded,” says Dianne Bader, director of operations for Co-operative Education & Career Action (CECA). “It certainly hasn’t been perfect, but the team has been able to respond quickly to any issues. I want to thank students, staff and employers for their patience during this first term.”  

So far, the system has handled over 16,800 student logins and over 200,000 submitted job applications. Jobs posted for the spring 2017 term already have over a million views. Any technical irregularities have been quickly resolved by CECA, IST and Orbis Communications (the developer of WaterlooWorks) with minimal disruption to students and employers.

Bader says that the hard work and dedication of everyone involved on those teams is what has made this a successful launch so far. “Everyone has put in such an incredible effort – I’m really thankful for their commitment to this project, and we couldn’t have done it without them,” she says.

A feedback survey is available on the WaterlooWorks dashboard for users to provide suggestions on how to improve the system. CECA is committed to continuously improving the system and user experience for students, employers, staff and alumni.

“We’ve already received some great feedback and suggestions, which we really appreciate,” says Bader. “It’s helped guide decision making on what future enhancements we will roll out and when.”

For more information on WaterlooWorks or how to hire a co-op student, please visit CECA’s employer website. Helpful tips and instructions for students and employers on how to use WaterlooWorks can also be found online.  

Guidelines on conflicts of interest in search committees

The Vice-President, Academic & Provost has circulated a memo to faculty members that clarifies how conflicts of interest in academic search committees should be handled.

"From time to time, members (including Chair or Director) of a department or school advisory committee on appointments (e.g. DACA or SACA) may find themselves in a conflict of interest and/or a non-arm’s length relationship related to a particular applicant," says the memo. 

Where a search committee member is a) providing a reference for an applicant in the competition, b) a former graduate supervisor of an applicant, or c) a collaborator of an applicant (normally as defined by granting councils), the member "shall immediately disclose the nature of the conflict to the committee and must withdraw from the committee for all stages of its work in which the applicant remains under consideration."

Where a search committee member has "some other relationship with an applicant that might lead to a personal bias or the appearance of one, the member shall immediately disclose the nature of the relationship to the committee." It is then at the discretion of the committee, "acting reasonably and on a simple majority secret ballot vote in which the disclosing member shall not participate," to determine if the member should withdraw from the committee at any stage of its work.

If a member withdraws, the search committee will decide whether or not the member should be replaced, taking into account factors relevant to the search such as disciplinary expertise, gender balance, and the stage of the committee’s deliberations.

"If a search committee member is not replaced and the applicant with whom the committee member has disclosed a conflict of interest and/or a non-arm’s length relationship is not shortlisted and is formally removed from consideration in the search, the member will be asked to rejoin the committee," the provost's memo says.

For external searches, including those for Chair or Director-level positions, conflict of interest in a search for a department chair or school director shall, in addition, be handled in accordance with Policy 40 – The Chair.

February is Carpool Month

February is Carpool Month in Waterloo Region. While the weather might be cold and the days are still short, carpooling can be a fun way to lower the impact of your commute to and from the campus. Plus, you'll save money and can make new friends.

You can be a part of Carpool Month by registering on gotravelwise.ca, posting a carpool trip to see if there are others nearby you can carpool with, tracking your trips, or joining on social media. Plus, there’s great prizes including:

• Downtown Dollars gift cards;
• Canadian Tire gas cards; and
• Tim Hortons gift cards

For details and to learn more, visit the Carpool Month event page.

50 years adds up for Faculty of Mathematics

The Faculty of Mathematics 50^th anniversary celebration kicked off on January 18^th with a “first decade panel” that featured Professors Don Cowan, Bev Marshman, Paul Schellenberg, Ron Dunkley, Ian McGee and Jerry Lawless, and led by Steve Brown, telling stories about the faculty's early days from the 1960s and 1970s.

Guests were treated to a video greeting from the Governor General, who congratulated everyone who has contributed to the success of the Faculty of Mathematics over the years.

There is a photo gallery posted on the event's Facebook page.

If you're feeling mathematical, why not try your hand at solving some contest problems from the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) archives in honour of the faculty's milestone celebration.

Wednesday's notes

Human Resources has announced the following faculty retirements effective January 2017:

• Barbara Robinson, who started at Waterloo in August 1979, retires as Associate Professor in the School of Optometry and Vision Science;
• John Medley, who joined the University in November 1981 and received tenure in July 1987, retires as Professor in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering;
• William Bobier, who started his career at Waterloo in January 1986 and received tenure in July 1992, retires as Professor in the School of Optometry and Vision Science;
• Francois Pare, who joined the University in August 2003, retires as Professor in French Studies.

Human Resources has also announced the following staff retirements, effective January 2017:

• Frank Preston, who joined the University in July 2012, retires as Psychophysiology & ERP Lab Technician in Psychology;
• Paul Johnson, who started at Waterloo in September 1977 retires as Research Technician in Earth and Environmental Sciences;
• Joan Marshall, who joined the University in March 1999, retires as Editor, Undergraduate Calendar and Manager, Communications in the Registrar's Office;
• Stephen Hitchman, whose start date was November 1988, retires as I.T. Computer Specialist in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering;
• Elizabeth Harnum, who joined the University in November 1990, retires as Executive Assistant in the Office of Research;
• Geale DeVries, who started at Waterloo in July 1975, retires as Equipment Operator in Plant Operations;
• Valtrudes (Walli) Fritz, who joined the University in July 1973, retires as Information Systems Specialist in IST;
• Ionel Burca, who started in October 1989, retires as Custodian I in Plant Operations;
• Heather Murphy, who joined Waterloo in August 1984, retires as Research Financial Analyst in the Office of Research;
• Mary Synnott, who started at the University in August 1979, retires as Administrative Co-ordinator, Women’s Studies and Applied Philosophy in the Philosophy department;
• James Chambers, who joined Waterloo in September 1981, retires as Microbiology Lab Technician in Biology.

The following staff retire effective February 1:

• Carol Ann Treitz, who joined Waterloo in November 2006, retires as Administrative Co-ordinator & Advisor, Undergraduate Studies in the School of Accounting and Finance;
• Gloria Pageau, who started at the University in July 1998, retires as Accounting Analyst in Finance;
• Shelley Bacik, who joined Waterloo in January 2001, retires as Administrative Assistant in the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

Congratulations all!