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A day defined by generosity
A message from the Office of Advancement.
Happy Giving Tuesday! For the next 24 hours, people around the world will come together to support the causes they care about. We know you care about quality education, and that’s why, on this day that celebrates generosity, we’re asking you to make a special gift to Waterloo.
Today your gift could make twice the impact, thanks to the kindness of these five champions who will match gifts made to Waterloo during their special ‘matching hour’:
- 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. EST - Cindy Forbes (BMath'79), Global Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Financial, and Chair, Board of Governors, University of Waterloo
- 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EST - Dan Langlois (MAcc '92), Partner, KPMG LLP and Tracey Langlois (BMath '93)
- 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. EST - Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, President & CEO, Profound Impact Corporation
- 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST - Steven Woods (PhD '96), Senior Engineering Director, Google
- 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST - Paul Salvini (BMath '92), CEO, Accelerator Centre
Watch for updates on Twitter, Facebook and our Giving Tuesday website throughout the day.
A total of $23,000 is available during the five special matching hours. Gifts will only be matched during each champion’s specified hour, until their personal matching cap is reached. Only one-time gifts made online are eligible to be matched.
Employees must update their accessibility training
The University of Waterloo’s revised Accessibility Training for employees was published today. The new training includes updated regulations within the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). It takes a Waterloo-centric approach, drawing on examples specific to our University, and places strong focus on internal resources available to support all members of our community in becoming compliant with the AODA.
To meet compliance and ensure our campus upholds its responsibility to equity and inclusion, all University employees are required to take the new training, regardless of when they last completed accessibility training. The training should be completed as soon as practicable.
The training takes about one hour and can be accessed through the LEARN homepage. Completed work will be saved, so you may exit out of the training and return later.
If you have any questions about the training or accessibility at Waterloo, please contact Joyce Barlow, Workplace Accessibility Specialist.
2019 Environmental Sustainability report out now
The President's Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability has released the 2019 Environmental Sustainability Report. The annual report tracks Waterloo’s actions and impacts in areas of academics, operations, engagement, and governance related to sustainability over the previous year.
In the 2019 edition, Waterloo continues tracking progress against the 27 objectives established in the Environmental Sustainability Strategy. Highlights include:
- 489 faculty members conducting research that advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Launching a Diploma in Sustainablity, available to any undergraduate student on campus
- Developing the first Zero Waste Action Plan for the University
- Expanding bike storage on campus
- Achieving the Fair Trade Campus designation
- Increasing participation in the Green Office program
- Engaging students in new Green Residence pilot program
Employees and students are encouraged to visit the online report for a snapshot of statistics and case studies, and to explore the report in greater detail through new interactive details and data webpages.
'Tis the season to get Fees Arranged; other notes
Finance is informing students that it's time to make a list and check it twice - Winter 2020 fee bills are now available on Quest. The due date to complete the Promissory Note or submit payment of the entire Term Balance for Winter term is December 12, 2019.
There are several ways to become "Fees Arranged" for the Winter term:
- paying the entire Term Balance
- accessing the Promissory Note process on Quest to leave a balance owing on the student account equal to the approved financial aid (including scholarships, tuition benefit, bursaries, awards, GRS and OSAP funding showing as Anticipated Aid) and only paying the remaining balance. Follow the step-by-step instructions.
Those students who do not have proof of approved funding by the due date have two options:
- Paying their fees in full by the due date to avoid late fees;
- Submitting the Promissory Note once they have acceptable proof of financial aid or payment of the remaining balance. A late fee will apply if this is done after the due date.
In addition, recent court decisions notwithstanding, the Ontario government's Student Choice Initiative is still in effect. As a result:
- fees that previously represented several services as one charge are now itemized; e.g. the GSA fee is now displayed as seven separate fees;
- fees are now identified as compulsory, optional or voluntary;
- the University is now required to charge 13 per cent HST on some optional fees; and
- students can choose to opt out of the optional and voluntary fees charged to their student account.
"You can review descriptions of the optional and voluntary fees charged to your account," says the note from Finance. "If you choose to opt out of any of the fees, follow the instructions and view your updated bill." The deadline to opt out of optional and voluntary fees for Winter 2020 is December 12, 2019.
The Water Institute will be hosting an Ecohydrology Research Symposium on Friday, December 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in celebration "of the years of impactful research conducted by Professor Philippe Van Cappellen, his students and colleagues, past and present," says a note from the event organizers. "Research by Philippe and his colleagues has made innumerable contributions to various scientific fields spanning his career from his graduate studies at Yale to founding the Ecohydrology Research Group here at the University of Waterloo in 2011 and continuing today."
The event, being held in celebration of Professor Van Cappellen's 60th birthday, takes place in DC 1302 and the program will feature opening remarks by Dave Rudolph, chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Water Institute's Executive Director Roy Brouwer, followed by four information sessions that include speakers who have travelled from Berkeley, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Japan, and France. Breakfast, coffee breaks and lunch will be served to registered participants.
The Task Force on Graduate Student Supervision is seeking feedback from faculty members who supervise doctoral or research master’s students. "Your input will provide vital information that will help inform the work of the Task Force, which involves investigating the mechanisms by which the quality of graduate supervision is assessed at the University," says a note from the task force.
The survey will take approximately 3-5 minutes to complete and remain open until midnight on Friday, December 6. This survey is anonymous; participation is confidential and voluntary. Follow this link to participate in the survey: Faculty Survey on Graduate Supervision
If you have any questions about the survey or the work of the Task Force on Graduate Student Supervision, please contact Angela Rooke (a2rooke@uwaterloo.ca), Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
Plant Operations has announced that an exhaust unit atop the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre will be replaced on Saturday, December 7 Sunday, December 8, which requires a complete building lockdown from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The entire building will be closed and inaccessible while the exhaust unit replacement is carried out, and there will be a closure of the Ring Road between the Physical Activities Complex's lower parking lot and the entrance to the Needles Hall parking lot to make room for the crane and support vehicles during the operation. Signs will be posted in the affected areas and buses will be rerouted.
Please note: this activity has been rescheduled to Sunday, December 8.