Thursday, March 15, 2018

Student mental health forum packs Federation Hall

A version of this article also appears on Waterloo Stories.

550 people attended the latest discussions on student mental health at the University of Waterloo.

Hosted in Federation Hall on Wednesday, March 14, hundreds of students, staff, faculty and alumni united to learn about the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health (PAC-SMH) report. The forum sought to provide attendees with an opportunity to learn more about the 36 recommendations included in the report, ask questions and provide feedback to members of the PAC-SMH.

“We are not alone in confronting the issues of mental health,” said President Feridun Hamdullahpur. “The struggles, specifically among youth, are present across our country and will continue to require a coordinated effort. To that end, we will endeavour to come together as a community to see what more we can do."

On Monday, the University announced an investment of $1.2 million to increase mental health professionals on campus, bringing the total number to more than 70. Recommendations included: identifying early intervention strategies through educational workshops and/or digital applications, strengthening service levels so that on-campus services are prepared for a spectrum of mental health concerns, and offering one mental health/counselling staff member for every 1,000 students.

Audience questions posed pertained to balancing a culture of competition with a culture of wellness among students, mental health training for staff and faculty, and helping students transition from academics to co-op work terms.

"We're not suggesting the removal of stress at university," said PAC-SMH member and Director of Campus Wellness Walter Mittelstaedt. "But our academic panel is telling us quite strongly that we can address some of the more undue stress."

Following the forum, attendees were invited to engage with and provide feedback to committee members at six mental wellness stations. The stations each represented a set of recommendations made in the PAC-SMH’s report that included: campus policies and practices, fostering an inclusive and supportive campus culture, mental health awareness and communication, prevention and early intervention, and service access and delivery. Comment boxes at each station were also used to collect input.

“We are on the right track, we are at least having the conversation and we're starting the initiatives," said third-year chemical engineering student and Vice-President Academic of the Engineering Society Pat Duong. "Can we ensure that there is time between terms so that students can rest? Maybe that is something we can do from a scheduling perspective."

Selected recommendations will be rolled out as soon as possible, beginning with the increase of mental health professionals on campus and an implementation team led by John Hirdes, professor for the School of Public Health and Health Systems.

Watch the full forum on YouTube. Feedback on the forum can be provided through the online suggestion box.

Keystone Spotlight: Putting the Waterloo family first

by Farzaneh Irani.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting with Susan Grant, one of our most loyal Keystone donors. Sue is not only a staff member at the University of Waterloo, but also a fellow alumnus, holding both a BSc and an MSc in Kinesiology.

From conducting research in her early years to launching the Student Leadership Program to working in her current role as Assistant Director of Organizational & Human Development (OHD), Sue believes that the experiences she’s had (and continues to have) at Waterloo have shaped who she is today.

The “Waterloo family,” as she puts it, is ever growing and the primary reason for her continued support. Sue believes that even the smallest gift contributes to our students and innovative initiatives, making us one of Canada’s leading institutions. Sue takes great pride in identifying as a Waterloo alumnus and staff member, and she truly believes in everything Waterloo stands for.

Coming to Waterloo led Sue to meet her partner (and fellow alumnus) Professor Russell Tupling, whom she eventually wed in our very own Federation Hall. Within their family, they possess a total of five degrees from the University of Waterloo, with a sixth shortly on its way as her daughter has recently begun her own journey here!

Sue’s continued giving through the Keystone campaign shows that, over time, a little truly does go a long way. Thank you, Sue, for being a proud supporter of the Waterloo family over so many years!

Waterloo's leisure studies ranked first in Canada

A version of this article originally appeared on the Applied Health Sciences news site.

The University of Waterloo continues to be one of the best schools in Canada and in the world for subjects related to hospitality and leisure management, according to new rankings released February 29. 

The rankings, published by the UK firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), place Waterloo first in Canada for the second consecutive year that the subject area has been assessed, and within the top 20 in the world for Hospitality and Leisure Management. 

“The rankings recognize the University of Waterloo as the premier post-secondary institution in Canada and one of very best internationally to study recreation, tourism, and sport,” said Troy Glover, chair of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. “I am so proud to belong to a department that models true excellence and innovation through its outstanding teaching, research, and outreach. Our reputation within the academy and among employers only stands to improve as we continue to make an impact through the good work we do.”

The Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at Waterloo offers one of the largest and most diverse cohort of researchers in leisure sciences, inspiring students in undergraduate through doctoral programs. This year the Department celebrates 50 years of leading education and research in leisure studies in Canada and globally. 

The rankings evaluate 48 subject areas across 1,130 universities based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and research impact. The University of Waterloo is listed among the top 200 universities globally for 21 of the 48 specific disciplines measured.

Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" for March 15

Here's the latest Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" supplied by Health Services Dietitian Sandra Ace:

Myth:  If you’re busy, meal replacement drinks are a good solution.

Fact:  While they promise “complete nutrition” and may be OK for healthy adults to use in a pinch, meal replacements don’t provide the same health benefits of whole foods. These drinks, whose composition is controlled by Health Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations, are made of water, sweeteners such as corn syrup solids and/or sugar, a source of protein (typically from milk and/or soy), oil, vitamins, minerals, emulsifiers and flavouring. While meal replacements are fortified to be nutritionally balanced, there is good evidence that we benefit more from nutrients found naturally in food. Meal replacements lack beneficial components like phytonutrients that protect health and also contain little or no fibre, which could lead to constipation or increased hunger.

Rather than relying on these products, which were originally developed as nourishment for people too ill to eat solid foods, prepare for those busy days by planning your menu, shopping in advance and preparing food for the week ahead. For easy and nutritious meal and snack ideas, check out the Dietitians of Canada free app Cookspiration.

Thursday's notes

The Department of Fine Arts is presenting Yours Truly, the 44^th Annual Senior Undergraduate Exhibition that features artwork by fourth year honours students completing the Fine Arts undergraduate degree program. Representing a diverse range of themes, materials and media, the exhibition reflects both the creativity of the students and the wide-range of studio-based practices they are engaged in.

To whom it may concern,

This exhibition is a beginning as well as a culmination of four years of study and camaraderie under the same roof. We have spent this time learning to bring ideas to life and to make things that might not exist without us. We have gotten to know ourselves and one another just a little bit better.

It was difficult to see what we were learning while we were in the midst of it; only by looking back can we begin to make some sense of this experience. Growth is not always linear. We started out in one place and many of us made our way to somewhere quite different, while striving to make work that speaks to you as well as to our own individual truths.

Here’s what we came up with. Hope you like it. We look forward to what comes next.

Yours Truly,

Shonah Affleck, Mikayla Barney, Jacky Brule, Cindy Chau, Ioana Dragomir, Muriel Farmer, Alex Garcia, Mahir Hoque, Christie Kwan, Veronica Liang, Ji Luo, Karen Ly, Sarah Moreau, Alisha Rombouts, Farah Sadek, Christie Shen, Nadine Simec, Emma Smith, Sepideh Dashti, Émily Traichel, Jodie Tu, Hannah Veiga, James Zhu

The celebration of work by emerging artists is free and open to the public, with a reception taking place tonight from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at East Campus Hall.

The second annual Excellence and Quality in Academic Life in STEM (EQUALS) conference will take place on June 1 and 2, and graduate students are being encouraged to register today.

The EQUALS conference is a venue for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and young scholars considering a career in academia. The purpose of this conference is to explore the spectrum of pathways of academic success in academia with an explicit focus on gender equity and its intersections with other identity markers. 

Check out the event website for more information. Space is limited, so register today.

The mother of all studies: Waterloo's Child and Adolescent Neuropsychology Lab, located in the Psychology department, is seeking participants for a study that aims to better understand how the behaviours of parents and children can impact family life. The lab is looking for mothers and children aged 8-17 to participate. The study has 2 parts and involves the completion of questionnaires at home and tasks in the lab. Participants will be compensated. For more information contact the lab at canlab@uwaterloo.ca or by calling extension 32053.