Friday, October 11, 2019

International student stay program to run again this winter

A message from Housing and Residences.

As University operations slow to a halt every winter, students in residence typically go home or visit friends and family over the break. For some international students who are not able to return home, this often means a stressful search for short-term accommodations off-campus.

After much success with our pilot December International Student Stay Program, Waterloo Residences will once again keep its doors open for a 10-day long winter break (December 23, 2019 – January 2, 2020). The program, open to international students on a study permit and living in Waterloo Residences or any University College residence, will allow us to continue to support the needs of our growing international student population.

The program will have the support of dons and on call residence staff. Students will receive moving support, orientation programming and activities throughout their stay, as well as kitchen kits to outfit their temporary suite-style accommodations.

To learn more about the program including eligibility, cost and to sign up, check out the Program webpage.

Questions about the December International Student Stay Program should be directed to the Waterloo Residences Office (housing@uwaterloo.ca).

Walk the talk during the MEET + MOVE challenge

A message from the Library.

Join the Library October 16 to 31 for the Wellness Collaborative’s first MEET + MOVE Challenge! Put your walking shoes on, get out of the boredboardroom, and add some movement to your meetings.

Moving (or walking) meetings can have a positive impact on your creativity and mental well-being, and can strengthen social bonds. Getting into the habit will help to decrease sedentary behaviour and raise awareness about building physical activity into your work or school day.

The challenge is easy: every time you participate in a moving meeting with your colleagues, let us know for a chance to win a prize! We want to see you in action – upload a photo of your group or share on Twitter with the hashtag #UWMoves for an extra chance at winning.

How do you get your meetings moving? Visit the Library’s MEET + MOVE challenge webpage for tips, posters and a pledge sheet to let others know you support the movement. Let’s make moving meetings part of University of Waterloo’s culture!

Check out the MEET + MOVE blog throughout the challenge to learn more from Library staff who have already made this healthy habit a part of their work life.

The Wellness Collaborative was created out of the University of Waterloo’s commitment to embrace wellness in all that we do, through the signings of the Okanagan Charter and the Healthy Workplace Statement. There are many opportunities to get involved in the Collaborative, including nominating a UW Wellness Champion, signing up for the newsletter or participating in the Community of Practice.

The more you know: WUSA General Meeting set for October 22

A message from your Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association. 

Let an undergraduate know: WUSA's Fall General Meeting is coming up fast and they’re invited. 

On October 22 at 4:30 p.m., we welcome all undergraduate students to SLC Great Hall to participate in our General Meeting. These happen twice a year and allow students to exercise their collective voice by voting to support or reject each of the agenda items. These items are put forth by students and hearing from them on these topics sets the direction for WUSA moving forward. 

Please join us in encouraging our undergraduate students with helping to guide the direction of their student association, by their participation. Students can drop in and out if they have class or other on-campus obligations, or have a friend vote on their behalf by proxy if they’re off campus. Proxy forms are due to pres@wusa.ca by 4:30 p.m. on October 21. 

We’ll be discussing some agenda items that were proposed by undergraduates, like: 

• How UWaterloo and WUSA can improve sustainability and environmental protection on campus; 

• How we can improve Remembrance Day ceremonies at the University; and  

• Cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure development on campus. 

We’ll also be voting on the appointment of an auditor for WUSA, following an in-depth analysis of options reviewed by the Auditor RFP Committee. Auditors are helpful for identifying areas where we’re not doing things as well as we could be and presenting us with documents that show our financial position without bias (which we will also be seeing at the GM).  

We encourage students to read the full agenda and watch our Livestream if they’re unable to make it. They can also catch us on Twitter, live tweeting the updates. 

For more information, check out our GM page and join us in spreading the word to our Warriors! 

What's open and closed this long weekend

The Thanksgiving long weekend is upon us. Monday is a statutory holiday, which means most University services and operations (and buildings) will be closed.

Students will have a break from campus for the Fall Reading Week pilot taking place next week from October 14 to 18. Students will return on Monday, October 21.

The Physical Activities Complex and the Columbia Icefield will be open Saturday, October 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday.

All W Store, W Store Essentials and W Print locations will be closed on Saturday, October 12 and on the holiday Monday. On Tuesday, October 15, they will be open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will be closed again on Saturday, October 19. 

The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open normal hours on Saturday and Sunday, and from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Monday.

Most Food Services operations will be closed from October 12 to 19, with the exception of Mudies, which is open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and the Market at CMH, which is open from October 12 to 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and October 15 to 18 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Check the Food Services website for all location hours.

As always, the University police (519-888-4911 or ext. 22222) will be at work, the Student Life Centre (519–888-4434) will be open, and the central plant will monitor campus buildings (for maintenance emergencies call extension 33793). Enjoy your long weekend (and if you are a student, enjoy your fall Reading Week)!