The Daily Bulletin is published by Internal and Leadership Communications, part of University Communications
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Thrive on campus today
The Thrive winter term events will be hosted on campus today and this week.
Thrive is a series of events focused on building positive mental health for University of Waterloo students, faculty, and staff. Thrive is also a mindset that encourages you to flourish. We all have mental health, and we can each strengthen our mental health by learning about it, thinking about it, talking about it, and discovering new skills and resources to help us Thrive.
Wear your Thrive T-shirt and attend these events to show your support for building positive mental health on campus:
- Positivitea with Feds - 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the DC Library foyer.
- Free Fair Trade Coffee, Tea and Oatmeal for Grad Students with the GSA and GSPA - All week at the Grad House
- More Feet on the Ground Mental Health Training for Faculty and Staff - 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Register on LEADS.
- Coping Skills - Empowering Habit Change Seminar for Students - 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Register on LEADS.
Check out the Thrive website for event times and locations.
Campus community rallies at anniversary event
A message from the Office of Advancement.
Cheering fans filled the PAC on Saturday, February 2, for the 20th annual Fantastic Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Retirees Day. Thanks to everyone who rallied behind the men’s and women’s basketball teams as they went head to head against the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
More than 600 guests attended the event, showing their Waterloo pride both in the stands and on the court during our half-time activities. Warriors fans especially enjoyed our paper airplane toss in support of student wellness programs and services.
Congratulations to our prize winners:
- Martaza Abidi: $500 Best Buy gift card, Fitbit, Google Home Mini
- Tibor Vezsenyi: $500 Vision Travel gift card, backpack, Bose headphones
- Hana Vezsenyi: One-night stay at Kitchener Holiday Inn, escape room gift certificate, Cara gift card
- Peter Brown (BA ’96): $300 W Store gift card, Keurig coffee maker, Google Home
- Todd Sayles: 55” TV, Nintendo Switch
Special thanks to our event partners in Athletics and Recreation, and to our affinity partner Manulife for sponsoring this event.
Missed Fantastic Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Retirees Day, or want to relive the fun? Check out this video:
Grebel gets grant for green roof
In April 2019, the shovels will hit the ground in front of Conrad Grebel University College’s residence building as construction on a new kitchen facility begins.
“Ensuring we that are being environmentally responsible is always top of mind at Grebel,” said Director of Operations Paul Penner, who is coordinating the construction project with the help of a building committee. The committee was pleased when early in the process the architects suggested a green roof for the new kitchen.
This project is part of a $6.8 million undertaking to expand the kitchen and dining room capacity at the College. As demand for space at weekly Community Suppers has grown, off-campus students, faculty, and staff are unable to participate regularly in this core aspect of community life because of limited seating area in the dining room. The kitchen, too, has experienced heightened requests for catering and must keep up with the ever-growing need for specialized diets among resident students.
“We try to integrate our buildings into the surrounding landscape as much as possible,” said Brian Rudy, the lead architect from Moriyama and Teshima. “Using a green roof for part of the new building made sense aesthetically and environmentally.”
Grebel students were excited about the prospect of having a view of native grasses and vegetation from their residence rooms, coupled with a decreased environmental impact. Simon Chute, a first-year student in Environment, Resources and Sustainability (ERS) was part of a team of five students who helped to apply for a grant with the Region of Waterloo. They calculated that a green roof utilizing native species vegetation would help to divert over 34,000 litres of rainwater from the municipal storm sewer annually.
“As we expand our cafeteria to accommodate our growing community, we must strive for environmentally conscious ways to be sustainable,” Chute said. “Green roofs provide many ecosystem services that can help our residence leave a positive mark on our environment here at Grebel and the University of Waterloo.”
In January, the student team received news that it was successful in its multi-year application for funding from the Community Environmental Fund administered by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. The project has been awarded $12,500, and is being recommended for an additional $12,500 in 2019.
Environment and Business student Hannah Hill, who serves as a student representative on the “Fill the Table” fundraising campaign, reported that the “students at Grebel are thrilled to have this financial support from the Community Environmental fund from the Region of Waterloo.”
Fred W. Martin, Director of Advancement at Grebel, noted that “this grant is part of a broader campaign with donors, alumni, parents and students pledging over $3.4 million to date toward a fundraising goal of $4 million.”
This project is an example of the many ways students get involved in leadership opportunities and seek to enhance the community at Grebel.
“I got involved because it is relevant to my program and it is a project I fully support," Chute added. "I wanted to be a part of the planning process and see the project through to completion.”
Commuters can watch the progress on this project as the green roof will be located on the kitchen facility facing Westmount Road, on the southwest corner of the University of Waterloo campus.