Friday, February 28, 2020

Student Voices on Sexual Violence survey results released

Between February and March 2018, postsecondary students in Ontario received an email invitation to participate in a Student Voices on Sexual Violence survey. CCI Research conducted the survey on behalf of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. The goal was to collect student input to help improve student support services and personal safety. More than 160, 000 students from universities, colleges and private career colleges across Ontario participated.

Ontario’s universities recently received a series of reports from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities which outline results from the 2018 Student Voices on Sexual Violence Survey. The information will be used to continue to improve initiatives, policies and research in ongoing efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence.

The survey has some sobering findings, for example twenty-three per cent of university student respondents reported a non-consensual sexual experience. In addition, 63.2 per cent of university student respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment one or more times, while 23.7 per cent of survey respondents reported experiencing stalking one or more times. An overview summary of the survey results, along with a more thorough summary was released on Thursday, February 27.

The University of Waterloo is committed to providing a safe and respectful environment in which all students, faculty and staff can thrive. We acknowledge that sexual violence is a pervasive societal issue: 22 incidents of sexual assault per 1,000 Canadians age 15 and older were reported in 2014 according to Statistics Canada and nearly nine in 10 of these assaults were committed against those who identify as women. University-aged individuals (particularly those from equity-seeking groups) are more likely to experience sexual assault.

While the University of Waterloo has taken significant steps forward to address issues of sexual violence on our campuses since the 2018 survey was distributed, the results from the recently released reports make clear that we can and must do more.

The University of Waterloo, along with other institutions, will participate in an integrated approach to addressing the issue of sexual violence. In a 10-Point Plan, universities are working to further strengthen their on-campus support and prevention programs, and indicate how universities and government can work together to reduce incidents of sexual violence and to support students.

For more details on the steps forward the University of Waterloo has made to prevent and respond to sexual violence, visit the Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion website.

Initiative diverts more than 1900 lbs of waste after residence move-out

A message from Campus Housing.

What happens with the leftover belongings that students leave in residence after they move out?

“There are a lot of students who move out of residence and often they can’t take their stuff with them, which is fair, but if you think about thousands of students moving out from residence each year, that’s a lot of stuff," says Lyndia Littel, project manager, strategic initiatives and investment. "This isn’t a new problem. Every university or college town faces this issue, but we want to do our part to tackle waste from move-outs and make our campus more sustainable.”

This initiative began as a pilot for spring term residence move out and diverted 1,400 lbs of unwanted belongings (everything from non-perishable food items to clothes, electronics, kitchen supplies, you name it!). Spring term holds the least number of residents across all three terms so we knew our impact would grow with thousands of students set to join us in the fall.  

We are proud to announce that after the fall term, 1,900 lbs of discarded student belongings were diverted from the landfill just by sorting these unwanted items appropriately. Approximately 1,000 complete move outs occurred in December (which is comparable to the spring term). However, with the end of winter term just around the corner, will see over 5,200 students leave residence and our impact continue to grow.

Thank you to our partners (past and present), including the Sustainability Office, WUSA, Dana Porter Library, Mission Thrift Store and The Working Centre.

Friday's notes

Joe Petrik of the Cheriton School of Computer Science snapped this pic of a few brave souls, well, braving the elements on a frigid and blustery Thursday. Yes, it was as cold as it looked.

The University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University will host Mike Harris, member of provincial parliament for Kitchener-Conestoga, Amy Fee, member of provincial parliament for Kitchener South-Hespeler and Belinda Karahalios, member of provincial parliament for Cambridge, for an announcement related to research funding from the Government of Ontario as part of the Ontario Research Fund grant. The announcement takes place at 11:45 a.m. at the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy in downtown Kitchener.

The Pension & Benefits Committee has released its 2019 report to the University community. The report provides an overview of issues that the Pension & Benefits Committee has addressed for the calendar year. 

The Pension & Benefits Committee is a standing committee of the Board of Governors responsible for overseeing the University’s employee pension plans, health care and dental plans, sick leave benefits, long-term disability benefit, and life insurance benefit. The committee consists of representatives from the University’s employee groups, administration, Board of Governors, retirees, and affiliated and federated institutions of Waterloo.

If you have difficulty accessing the link, please contact Melissa Holst. If you have any questions, please contact the committee secretary Mike Grivicic.

There's still time to complete the 2020 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) survey. Every three years, the Indiana University Centre for Post-secondary Research releases NSSE to collect data from first-year and graduating undergraduate students at over 1,650 participating North American post-secondary institutions.

NSSE results identify where institutions are performing well and areas that could use improvement. Since 2004, NSSE has been a valuable tool in determining and supporting best practices around Waterloo’s undergraduate student experience. By identifying student needs from their own perspectives, participating students play a significant role in bringing about positive change to policy and practice both in and outside of the classroom. 

First-year and graduating students have already received an email regarding the survey with instructions on how to complete it. Visit the 2020 NSSE website for more information on the survey. For more information about this project at Waterloo, contact Jana Carson, Senior Manager at Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP). The NSSE survey closes April 3.

The Registrar's Office is reporting that the deadline to submit an application to graduate for June 2020 Convocation is March 1. Convocation ceremonies will take place between June 16 and 20, 2020. Students can submit their applications now and contact their academic advisor if they are unsure of their eligibility.