Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Remembering Laurie Strome

Longtime Library staff member Laurie Strome passed away on Thursday, January 30.

Strome joined the University of Waterloo in November 1986 and started in the Davis Library’s circulation department in August 1988 as a library clerk. In April 2000 she transitioned from Library Clerk-Trainer to Library Assistant. She ended her career at Waterloo as Circulation Services Supervisor: Patron Accounts in the Dana Porter Library.

Laurie was known as a community champion both on and off campus.  She was co-founder of the Sunnydale Community Centre and long-time president of the Sunnydale Neighbourhood Association, and volunteered for over 20 years with the House of Friendship and over 25 years with the Girl Guides of Canada.

In 2007, Strome received a Special Recognition Award, which recognized her commitment to building community, which she continued throughout her career, through involvement with the United Way campaign, student engagement, and organizing toy and coat drives. Strome was also an area rep for the University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA). The Special Recognition Award program, which ran from 2004 to 2008, was intended to recognize staff who make the University of Waterloo a better place.

 “In her role as the accounts supervisor Laurie took a caring approach to hundreds or possibly thousands of students over the years, helping them to see the benefits of working with the Library to resolve any issues with their accounts," says Alex McCulloch, head of the Library's Circulation Services. "She went beyond expectations and helped many students develop a positive view of the Library and university services in general. Laurie assisted her fellow library staff with the same caring approach and she will be dearly missed.”

In November 2011, Strome won the Waterloo Award, considered the city’s highest civic honour. Strome was recognized for her extensive community involvement and volunteerism, including her work with the Sunnydale Neighbourhood Association, the Waterloo community council, the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, Waterloo’s Safe and Healthy Advisory Committee, WatWave and the K-W Social Planning Council.

The City of Waterloo has been flying its flags half-mast in Laurie’s honour this week. In accordance with University policy, the University of Waterloo will be lowering its flags tomorrow, the day of Laurie's funeral.

“Laurie’s Halloween costumes were legendary, as was her ability to encourage others to dress up, including then-University Librarian Mark Haslett,” says Sharon Lamont, director, organizational services at the Library. “Laurie’s enthusiasm for celebrating the moment will be missed by her colleagues and library users alike.”

A visitation will take place on Thursday, February 6 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Erb & Good Funeral Home in Waterloo, with a memorial service to honour and celebrate Laurie’s life in the funeral home chapel at 1:30 p.m. A reception will follow in the Fireside Room immediately following the service.

Coming to a building near you: wayfinding signs

A message from the Campus Wayfinding Project.

Installation of the Campus Wayfinding Project’s first signs is slated to commence Monday, February 10. Over the course of a week, almost 90 signs will be mounted at building entrances across North, Central and East Campus.

This visible first step in the project represents an early emphasis on pedestrian, parking and student residence signage. As the weather improves, further signage work will take place and rapidly so as we continue efforts in the campus interior. 2020 will also see work on a gateway installation at our main entrance on University Ave. 

Full implementation will be staged over a three-year period with final completion slated for 2022. For more information on the project please visit uwaterloo.ca/wayfinding.

Partners 4 Education Job Fair connects students with employers

The 26^th annual P4E Job Fair will take place today at the Manulife Sportsplex, bringing more than 215 employers to the region who are looking to hire for summer, part-time, full-time, or co-op positions.

The fair is sponsored by Partnerships for Employment (P4E), which consists of four partner schools: the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Guelph and Conestoga College. The fair is free for students and alumni from these schools, and more than 2,500 attendees are expected.

Since their launch in 1994, P4E Fairs have brought together more than 140,000 students and 9,000 employers.