The Daily Bulletin is published by Internal and Leadership Communications, part of University Communications
Contact us at bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Submission guidelines
Signing authority procedures added to Unit4 system
A memo to faculty and staff has outlined how signing authority works within the University's new financial system.
"As a publicly-assisted institution, the University of Waterloo is accountable for its expenditures and for ensuring that appropriate individuals are approving all types of expense transactions," says the joint memo from Vice-President, Academic & Provost Ian Orchard and Vice-President, Administration & Finance Dennis Huber.
"Procedure 1 and Procedure 1a outline the signing authorities of the University for amounts greater than $200,000. With the May 1, 2017 implementation of our new financial system (Unit4), the University is able to make use of an electronic workflow that will allow us to efficiently and effectively manage our approvals for expenses below $200,000."
"University departments are responsible for understanding and approving departmental expenses," the memo continues. "This reflects the commitment of the University to the proper management of and accountability for the resources of the University."
Non-Research purchases
For requisition and purchase invoice transactions outside of Fund 105, those permitted to approve on behalf of the University are:
- The Dean, Chair, Director or Department Head responsible for the account, for amounts greater than or equal to $50,000; and,
- Approved delegated responsibility to those individuals in the department with senior financial oversight, authority and decision-making responsibilities for amounts less than $50,000.
Research purchases
For requisition and purchase invoice transactions in Fund 105, those permitted to approve on behalf of the University are:
- The Principal Investigator (“PI”), for amounts greater than or equal to $20,000; and,
- The PI or a designated Signing Authority Delegate (whose delegation is approved in writing by the PI and in accordance with Signing Authority Guidelines for Research Grants), for amounts less than $20,000.
"Please note that Purchasing Card (P-Card) and travel/other expense reimbursement transactions have their own published approval requirements separate from those noted above which may require lower dollar thresholds and/or one-over-one approval," the memo concludes.
Further Education Boot Camp: Take the next step toward a future in health
by Christine Nhan
Interested in pursuing a career in health, but not sure where to start? On Saturday, March 25, the Centre for Career Action (CCA) will be hosting its semi-annual Further Education Boot Camp from 10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the William M. Tatham Centre (TC). Workshops will focus on different health-care fields and give students and alumni the opportunity to learn about future career opportunities. Career advisors will also be at the event to talk about professional and graduate program requirements.
“The Further Education Boot Camp was designed so students and alumni can attend a one-day event where they can listen to and interact with health-care professionals from multiple fields,” explains Pam Waechter, Career Advisor at CCA. “This is a great opportunity to hear professionals talk about their day-to-day experiences in their chosen profession and what it is like to run a private practice.”
Those who register for the conference-style workshop can view the boot camp’s schedule on the Centre for Career Action website. Attendees can customize their schedules with six unique workshops to pick from:
- Health-related careers
- Volunteering
- Rehab Sciences (occupational, physical and speech-language therapy)
- Optometry
- Pharmacy
- Medical School
“We offer these workshops as they tend to be the most popular health-care programs,” says Waechter. A similar boot-camp in the fall term features professionals from dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic and naturopathic medicine.
It’s not too late to sign up – CCA will accept registrations until the day of the event. For more information about further education workshops or to book individual appointments, please visit the Centre for Career Action.
Fake news panel will uncover the truth about lies
Why are lies creeping into so many platforms of public discourse? The Beyond 60 Community Lecture Series presents professors from three Faculty of Arts disciplines in a discussion and Q&A that will tackle the truth about lies.
Post-truth, Fake news, Alternative facts will take place at Kitchener Public Library, moderated by Douglas Peers, dean of arts, along with a panel of experts, including:
- Robert Danisch, associate professor of speech communication, who will explore how citizenship is impacted when public discourse is shaped by incivility, inaccuracy, and conflict over truth itself;
- Anna Esselment, assistant professor of political science, who will talk about how fake news is changing the way political campaigns are fought, and how this affects voter choices; and
- David DeVidi, professor of philosophy, who will first talk about fake news and alternative facts as an historical phenomenon, and then examine why recent trends are reason for alarm and taking action.
The event takes place on Thursday, March 16 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Kitchener Public Library’s central branch.
On Dieticians Day, take the fight out of food
by Sandra Ace
Today is Dietitians Day, and Registered Dietitians across Canada are actively highlighting their unique expertise to provide advice on food, good nutrition and healthy living. Dietitians are science-trained professionals who have counselling skills to provide individually tailored and practical advice to help consumers.
As the dietitian at Health Services, I counsel registered students with a physician’s referral. Staff and faculty who are covered by the University of Waterloo’s Extended Health Care Benefits can see a Registered Dietitian in the community with a written physician’s recommendation as part of Paramedical Services coverage.
You can find a Registered Dietitian by using a search tool on the Dieticians of Canada website. A dietitian can help you improve your relationship with food, deal with a picky eater, get the most out of your workout, navigate the grocery store or reduce your risk of diet-related diseases while enjoying as many foods as possible.
For the remainder of the month, I’ll explore some timely and often confusing or controversial topics each day in the Daily Bulletin so be sure to check back. Meanwhile, the Dieticians of Canada has published a new tip sheet called Take the fight out of food! if you want to learn more about how to distinguish trustworthy nutrition information from food fads.
Fall grad housing applications; other notes
Round numbers: Students devour some pie next to a strategically-placed defibrillator in the Mathematics and Computer Building as part of MathSoc's annual Pi Day festivities yesterday. Photo by @vidman.
"Keep grad housing simple this fall and live in our Columbia Lake Village community!" says a note from Housing and Residences.
Benefits include:
- 4-month renewable contracts
- Live in a safe, quiet, clean community of grad students
- Close to campus with seasonal shuttle
- All-inclusive living (utilities, high-speed Internet, community events)
- Option to live in a 2-bedroom (CLV-North) or 4-bedroom townhouse (CLV-South)
Applications open at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 28 and are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Don’t delay: mark your calendars today! For full details visit Housing and Residences.
The Book Store's 30-40-50 sale is back from Monday, March 20 to Wednesday, March 22, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the SCH concourse.
Hundreds of sale books to are available to choose from, and the savings get better each day. Monday is 30 percent off, Tuesday is 40 percent off, and Wednesday, well, you get the idea.
Please note that the sale excludes textbook titles.
The Waterloo Store's End-of-Term Clearance will take place from Monday, March 27 to Wednesday, March 29, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the SCH concourse. Gear up for spring (if it ever arrives) with UWaterloo branded tees, sweaters, track pants and more.
If you're feeling tired, irritable, or down in the dumps this time of year, Food Services invites you to Beat the Winter Blues at the University Club on Wednesday, March 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check out the menu (PDF) for more information.