Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Student Mental Health public forum today

The President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health (PAC-SMH) Forum will take place today at 2:00 p.m. in Federation Hall.

Attendees at the forum will have the opportunity to review each of the 36 recommendations contained in the PAC-SMH final report, which was released on Monday this week, and hear about the University’s next steps in achieving positive change on campus.

Today’s event will feature opening remarks from Vice-President, University Relations Sandra Banks and President Feridun Hamdullahpur, who will then turn proceedings over to Director, Campus Wellness Walter Mittelstaedt to provide an overview of the report and share its highlights. Also speaking will be Angela Pereira of the University's Alumni Council, who will share how the University's alumni community will provide support on this key initiative. 

Vice-President Banks will then moderate a Q+A session and direct attendees to a number of interactive breakout areas at the venue, where they can engage in a discussion about the report’s recommendations, with designated PAC-SMH committee members who will assist in providing context and understanding.

The event will be streamed live on the University’s Facebook page beginning at 2:00 p.m.

University Cup named for David Johnston

by Dan Ackerman. A version of this article appeared on Waterloo Stories.

On Tuesday, March 13, U SPORTS announced that the U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championship trophy, the University Cup, has been renamed the “David Johnston University Cup,” after the former Governor General of Canada and president of the University of Waterloo.

“Having personally worked as the hockey coach under David’s leadership, it is exciting to see him receive this recognition,” said Head Coach of Men’s Hockey Brian Bourque, who attended the live announcement today in Toronto with Director of Athletics and Recreation Roly Webster.

Born and raised in Ontario, Johnston was the fifth president of the University of Waterloo, serving from 1999 to 2010, and was named the 28^th Governor General of Canada in July 2010, a role in which he served until 2017.

Mike Lazaridis, founder of BlackBerry, said Johnston “led the University of Waterloo during the most prolific growth period in its history. He worked tirelessly to position the University of Waterloo as a world-class institution of math, science, engineering, health and the arts.”

During his 11-year tenure at the University, Johnston oversaw unprecedented growth in the university's reputation, research capacity and leadership capabilities.

Johnston completed his university studies with distinction in three countries including the United States (Harvard AB 1963), England (Cambridge LLB 1965) and Canada (Queen’s LLB 1966). While at Harvard, he was named to the all-American hockey team twice and is in Harvard’s Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Johnston was a gritty and incredibly hard-work defender for the Harvard hockey team who became an all-American because of his determination. Although not the biggest person (weighing in at only 150 lbs), Johnston had the heart and smarts to become an elite hockey player. According to Webster, it’s this talent and drive that’s made Johnston one of the most respected and well-known Canadians.

“It is a perfect fit to have his experience in university leadership, and as a former student-athlete to be bestowed this honour.”

Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" for March 14

Here's today's Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" supplied by Health Services Dietician Sandra Ace:

Myth:  The internet is good place to find reliable nutrition advice.

Truth: Today, National Dietitian’s Day, is a perfect time to remind consumers to be skeptical when seeking health information. Anyone can have a website, keep a blog or write a book. Someone who doesn’t have the proper credentials has the potential to waste your time or money or, even worse, may give recommendations that are detrimental to good health. And when it comes to providing nutrition advice, just because someone has initials after their name, such as a chiropractor or even a physician, doesn’t mean they have training that qualifies them to provide evidence-supported recommendations.

A Registered Dietitian must fulfil rigorous educational and other requirements which make them uniquely qualified professionals. Registered Dietitians practicing in Ontario are licensed and regulated by the College of Dietitians of Ontario, use the initials “RD” after their name and can be found on thispublic registry. They are legally obligated to practice according to set standards and laws that protect the public, as are other regulated health professionals like doctors and nurses. The terms “nutritionist” or “registered nutritionist” are not protected titles in Ontario. Nutritionists are not part of a provincially-regulated college so anyone can use this title - there are no legal standards for quality of care.

When it comes to your wellbeing, it pays to be a skeptic. Familiarize yourself with guidelines that can help you accurately evaluate web-based health information. Online info is not a substitute for personalized nutrition guidance. Many extended health insurance programs, including the plan which covers eligible University of Waterloo employees, provide benefits for paramedical services including Registered Dietitians.

Pi Day, EdTech Week, and other notes

Today is Pi Day, the most mathematically delicious day of the year. MathSoc will be celebrating today beginning at 1:59 p.m. in the third floor hallway of the MC building, where free slices of pie and ice cream will be available while supplied last. At 2:15 p.m. there will be a pie eating contest, following by the pi recitation contest in the Comfy Lounge at 2:30 p.m. The prize? a giftcard worth $314.15, of course.

Retail Services will be hosting a Pi Day Scratch and Save Event today from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the South Campus Hall concourse.

EngSoc will be hosting a Pi(e) Day celebration at POETS tonight from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., where they will be handing out free pies in the CPH foyer with board games and other activities inside POETS. 

Centre for Teaching Excellence Director Donna Ellis and keynote speaker Adam Finkelstein.

We're right in the middle of Educational Technologies Week, coordinated by the Centre for Teaching Excellence. On Monday morning, more than 60 instructors and staff members attended the Adam Finkelstein’s opening keynote, entitled “Spaces Matter: How Next-Generation Classroom Environments Can Enhance Teaching and Learning.” The 18 workshops in Educational Technologies Week have garnered more than 300 registrations. You can still register for sessions that take place every day till the end of this week.

Vice-President, Advancement Joanne Shoveller and the Faculty of Mathematics hosted a roundtable discussion with successful alumni in Mississauga on Thursday, February 22. The evening was inspired by story-telling, thought provoking questions and new strategies designed to support women in math. One lesson learned came from alumnus Adarsh Mehta, (BMath ’98), Vice-President Business Development at Jenner Renewable Consulting, who shared, “your challenge as educators is that the jobs 10-20 years from now don’t exist – we need to be preparing our students for what might be.’” This dinner is part of a series of discussions being held with alumni around the world.

The Experimental Digital Media (XDM) master’s program is holding a call for projects for its annual exhibition on Friday, April 6 at the Critical Media Lab (CML) in downtown Kitchener. The year’s theme is “Codes of Conduct” and will explore work that provides critical commentary on areas such as code and algorithm, our digital habits and behaviours, and other sociotechnical intersections. Projects might take the form of - but are not limited to - visualizations, sculpture, and interactive installations. This year, applicants also have the chance to win one of 3 two-month memberships to the MyShop Makerspace (above the CML, 44 Gaukel, Kitchener). This opportunity is open to the community. Technical support for project planning/building is available if needed.

If you are interested in applying please complete and submit this form with your project proposal. Proposals are due Friday, March 16. For more information, please contact Megan Honsberger (mprotze@uwaterloo.ca).

Let an undergrad know: the Federation of Students March General Meeting is just around the corner and they’re invited. All undergraduate students are welcome and encouraged to participate in the General Meeting on March 21 at 12:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre Great Hall. Feds hosts two General Meetings each year where students can vote on important updates that will affect their campus life.

Agenda items include creating a new student-run service for racialized students and introducing a bylaw to enact a “yes” or “no” vote in cases where an elected role is acclaimed. Please encourage the undergraduate students that you interact with to exercise their right to guide the direction of their student union by participating in the General Meeting. Students can drop in and out if they have class or other on-campus obligations, or vote by proxy if they’re off campus (a peer who is attending will vote on their behalf). Proxies are due to pres@feds.ca by 4:00 p.m. on March 16.

For more information, please visit feds.ca.

Human Resources is reporting that retired professor Richardus van Heeswijk died on February 21. Born in Indonesia in 1925, Professor van Heeswijk joined the University of Waterloo as a lecturer in electrical engineering in October 1961 after a career in industry, in which he worked as a development engineer at the Canadian General Electric Company in Guelph, Ontario. His research specialty was in the area of electrical power equipment and high voltage and insulation engineering.

In 1964 he was promoted to Assistant Professor. In 1970 he was named Associate Professor, and in 1981 he became a full Professor.

In 1977 he received the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario's Sons of Martha medal (now known as the Order of Honour)

In 1989 he was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Award.

Van Heeswijk retired in January 1991, but he continued to work as an adjunct professor until November 1992. 

He is survived by his wife Alida. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has more information about Professor van Heeswijk's career.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Focal Systems and EOS.io. Visit the employer information calendar for more details.