Monday, June 5, 2017

Residence space still available for Fall 2017

A message from Waterloo Residences.

Waterloo Residences has space available for incoming first-year students.

You may be communicating with students who have questions regarding their accommodations. Please let first-year students know that we still have spaces available in Waterloo Residences.

We have several options available for fall 2017.

• Suite-Style Residences: Columbia Lake Village-South, UW Place, Mackenzie King Village
• Traditional Style Residences: Village 1, Ron Eydt Village, UW Place New Residence Building

Residence is a place where students can live, learn, gain independence and develop their identity.

For more information about Waterloo Residences and details on how to apply, please visit our website or direct any questions to the Waterloo Residences office at ext. 32679, or by emailing housing@uwaterloo.ca.

Attend the Problem Pitch competition on June 8

On June 8, be part of the audience for the Problem Pitch Competition by watching UWaterloo students pitch important industry problems they have identified to a panel of judges.

The winning team’s 5-minute pitch will demonstrate the best understanding of an important industry problem, as shown by their research of the problem’s history, scope, and impact. The teams will be competing for their share of $5,000 in grant funding to be used to fund R&D for a venture that solves the problem identified.

You’ll even get to have your say, with the audience deciding which team wins the People’s Choice Award! Join the audience to watch the pitches. Free pizza will also be served to attendees.

The Problem Pitch Competition is a collaboration between Velocity and the Problem Lab. 

New plant nursery opens at St. Paul’s

A new plant nursery, situated beside the original St. Paul’s community garden, was inaugurated at a reception on Friday, June 2. The plant nursery was funded by a Chartwells Campus Project grant, and will help increase the food output of the St. Paul’s community garden, now run by UW Campus Market Garden.

“This long-awaited plant nursery is an essential addition to our gardening operation,” said Asha Virdee, UW Campus Market Garden coordinator, at the ribbon-cutting. "It provides an ideal space for growing and caring for our seedlings before they are transplanted into the ground."

The original garden was founded in 2014 by St. Paul's GreenHouse student (now staff) Lexi Salt. A partnership in 2015 with Steckle Heritage Homestead provided a much-larger plot for produce, which led to the establishment of a farmer's market. Subsequent partnerships with the UW Environmental Reserve in 2016 provided for 6,000 sq. ft. more, as well as with Waterloo Co-operative Residence Inc. (WCRI), which donated a small plot of land on their property.

"I'd like to thank Chartwells and St. Paul's for their efforts in helping us make this plant nursery happen. Your support over the years has been unwavering, and we are so thankful for your commitment to improving the sustainability of UW's food system," said Virdee. "Sustainable Campus Initiative, WCRI, and the Faculty of Environment have also been essential partners in the success of the Market Garden. Without all of you, we wouldn't be where we are today."

Jana Vodicka, Manager of Campus Engagement and Sustainability at Chartwells, said, “Ultimately, the students now have a space that allows them to take the food production of the St. Paul’s garden to the next level, and expand their learning and experimentation with the entire growing cycle of food crops. It really doesn’t get any more local than this!”

Students have been busy filling the plant nursery with seedlings to plant outdoors now that the temperature is warmer. A variety of food-producing bushes will be planted in proximity to further increase the variety of campus grown food for use in the Watson’s Eatery.

For more information or to volunteer, please contact UW Campus Market Garden at uwcampusmarketgarden@gmail.com.

Convocation Lecture and other notes

Marina Ivanova of the Department of Political Science snapped this pic of a heron in the pond outside Health Services on Friday.

Members of the community are invited to a public lecture by lawyer and First Nations activist Roberta L. Jamieson as she addresses "Education and Reconciliation, the Path to Canada’s Future" in a special Waterloo 60^th Anniversary convocation lecture on Monday, June 12 at Federation Hall.

The keynote address and moderated discussion will be hosted by CBC Radio One 89.1's Craig Norris, host of The Morning Edition and In The Key of C. 

This is a free community event, open to all members of campus and beyond, but registration is required.

Changes are coming to the Retail Services Copier Fleet. Join Retail Services in the Davis Centre Fishbowl (DC 1301) on June 8 and 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for a hands-on demonstration of the brand new Xerox fleet models. Xerox client manager Todd Hunter and Retail Services staff will be on hand to answer any questions about the devices.

Waterloo students, staff and faculty are invited to march in the 2017 Toronto Pride Parade with The Glow Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity on Sunday, June 25. "Glow is the oldest running LGBTQA+ student organization in Canada," says a statement from the Federation of Students. "Pride unites, empowers and celebrates diverse sexual and gender identities, histories, and cultures."

For more information on joining Glow at the 2017 Toronto Pride Parade, please visit the registration website.