Friday, March 6, 2020

Waterloo named one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers

The University of Waterloo has been named one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers.

Mediacorp Canada and The Globe and Mail partner to publish the Best Diversity Employers ranking as part of the larger Canada's Top 100 Employers competition.

The University was cited for its participation in the UN's HeForShe initiative, its recent review of its hiring practices and its implementation of unconscious bias training, its support of the recruitment and employment of neurodiverse students in co-op jobs, and the establishment of a research grant of $80,000 per year for the next five years to support research and scholarship focused on gender equality.

The official magazine announcing this year's winners was published today in the national edition of The Globe and Mail, reaching over a million readers in print and online.

"Inclusion is a central part of conversations happening across the country," says Kristina Leung, senior editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "Organizations that make this an integral part of their workplace reap the benefits of diverse perspectives, which leads to increased innovation, productivity, and engagement."

Now in its 13^th edition, the Canada’s Best Diversity Employers competition recognizes the nation’s leaders in creating inclusive workplaces for employees from five diverse groups: women; visible minorities; persons with disabilities; Aboriginal peoples; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) peoples. The annual competition is open to any employer with its head office or principal place of business in Canada. Employers of any size may apply, whether in the private or public sector.

HeForShe Writing Contest winners announced

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo Stories.

Gender equality requires a global effort — one that takes the force of everyone who wants to make a change.

The University of Waterloo is proud to be one of the leading institutions in achieving gender equity. As a partner of the HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10, Waterloo closely monitors and improves the framework that encourages gender equality and the empowerment of women across campus and beyond. To honour this commitment, every March Waterloo runs the HeForShe writing contest ahead of International Women’s Day. Students, staff, faculty and alumni are invited to share stories about their hope for social change.

“These talented writers and poets inside this year’s anthology have already added so much to our community,” says Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor. “Their voices have broadened our perspectives and I congratulate each of the winners and all of our newly published writers on their wonderful pieces.”

This year’s theme was LEGACY. Authors were encouraged to consider how the idea of legacy brings us to the present and how our choices today will impact generations to come.

“The diverse stories and experiences within this year’s Anthology highlight how far we have come, but also remind us of the work required to ensure an equitable future for all,” says Diana Parry, associate vice-president Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion. “This writing contest is a catalyst to begin and continue important conversations and action around gender equity, and I am deeply thankful for all who have contributed to this and past editions. Our campus is indebted to you for sharing your experiences.”

Judges from the University of Waterloo selected four winners, each of whom were awarded with a $500 prize. Winners are recognized at Waterloo’s International Women’s Day Dinner held annually at Federation Hall. This year’s event will take place on Friday, March 6.

Category winners include:

WINNER (Poetry)

The Student and the Goose, Sarasvathi Kannan (BA ’16)

WINNER (Poetry)

Dear Son, Anna Wang, student, Computer Science

WINNER (Fiction)

Divine Intervention, Sarasvathi Kannan (BA ’16)

WINNER (Creative Non-Fiction)

Contents of a Jewellery Box, Anonymous student    

Additional submissions have been published and can be found in the printed anthology outside the W Store and the Writing and Communication Centre.

About the HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 initiative

HeForShe is a global effort to engage men and boys in removing the social and cultural barriers that prevent women and girls from achieving their potential, and together positively reshaping society. The United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women created the initiative and hosted an official launch in September 2014 with UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson.

As part of this initiative, the framework involves 10 heads of state, 10 CEOs and 10 university presidents to advance gender equity. Waterloo is currently the only Canadian organization involved in the IMPACT 10x10x10 framework.

To read the winning submissions, check out the full article on Waterloo Stories.

Waterloo mourns the loss of Ambar Roy

This message was originally posted on Waterloo News.

It is with deep sadness that the University of Waterloo community learned of the loss of one of its students, Ambar Roy, a first-year student in the Faculty of Environment.

Ambar went missing in the spring of 2019 near Iqaluit.

The University has reached out to Ambar’s family to offer its condolences and support and stands ready to give them any assistance we can provide. A funeral service for Ambar will be held in Toronto on March 7.

Support is available on and off-campus and we encourage any students, faculty or staff who feel they need of assistance to contact services on campus or in the community.

Services include:

Counselling Services - 519-888-4567;32655
UW MATES (Mentor Assistance Through Education and Support)
Here 24/7 - 1-844-437-3247
Health Services - Student Medical Clinic - 519-888-4096
Grand River Hospital - 519-749-4300
St. Mary's Hospital - 519-744-3311
Good2Talk - 1-866-925-5454
Crisis Services Canada - 1-833-456-4566 or by text 45645 
Employee and Family Assistance Provider (Homewood Health) - 1-800-663-1142
Occupational Health - Linda Brogden at ext. 36264 or Karen Parkinson at ext. 30338

Friday's notes

Here's the latest Nutrition Month myth vs. fact supplied by Health Services Dietitian Sandra Ace:

Myth:

Food waste is inevitable.

Truth:

According to an eye-opening 2019 study by Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization, 58 per cent of food produced in Canada is wasted.  While the majority of this is at the food production, processing and distribution levels, about 20 per cent of food wastage occurs in our homes. As consumers, there many way we can minimize food waste. This helps to reduce the environmental impact of food production but can also save Canadians a significant amount of money. In fact, Second Harvest calculated the annual cost of avoidable food loss and waste to be more than $1,700 per household.

Making small changes can collectively make a big difference. Before you shop, take time to plan your meals by setting aside a few minutes each week to write a quick menu for the week ahead. Check your cupboards, refrigerator and freezer so you can include foods you have on hand that need to be used up. Write out a grocery list and stick to it, avoiding impulse buys which typically increase grocery bills, waistlines and household waste. Shopping without a plan makes it difficult to estimate the right amount of food, with the tendency being to buy too much.

Cook only what you will use up and label and freeze leftovers or search for creative ways to use them. Use perishable foods, like berries, fresh greens and ground meat, fresh fish and poultry, sooner rather than later. If you’re not already doing so, use a green bin to compost organic waste. Find out how long you can safely store food. FoodKeeper is a free Android or iPhone App developed by Cornell University’s Department of Food Science and the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service that provides guidelines on the safe storage of food in the pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Here are other resources that contain strategies to reduce food waste: Health Canada: Food Waste and Loss, Dietitians of Canada UnlockFood.ca Tips On Reducing Food Waste At Home and University of Waterloo’s Sustainability Guide.