Tuesday, March 10, 2020

UpStart Festival to showcase Waterloo talent

A message from the Theatre and Performance program.

The UpStart Festival is a one-act play festival produced by the Theatre and Performance program. All three plays are new works supported by faculty and staff and are written, directed, designed, performed, and led by students, alumni, and visiting artists.

The three plays that make up this year's festival are:

• Things We Lost in the Aftermath written by Alexis Joy Nagum and directed by Mira J. Henderson;
• All Art is Quite Useless with book, music, and lyrics by Gaya Bin Noon and Cameron Slipp and directed by Michael Klein; and
• Bitter/Sweet Fools written by Joanna Cleary and directed by Monica Durlak.

The three productions explore the potent themes of self-identity, forgiveness, and loss, created and staged by some of Waterloo Region's most exciting emerging artists.

All productions will be showcased in the Theatre of Arts in Modern Languages. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors, and $5 for eyeGO passholders. Call the box office at 519-888-4908 for more information.

Warriors proud to continue efforts towards gender equity

Coach Kate Bickle-Ferth, a Waterloo student-athlete, and a student-athlete of tomorrow.

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on the Athletics and Recreation website.

It's part of the university's DNA and it's organic.

This is the description that emerges consistently in discussions with leaders and participants in the University of Waterloo's athletics programs with respect to fulsome and consistent support for women athletes and coaches.

That effort is particularly noteworthy with International Women's Day this past Sunday, with the theme that an equal world is an enabled world.

"A top priority continues to be creating a culture that provides opportunities for women across all areas of our department," says Roly Webster, director of athletic and recreation, who is in his sixth year with the Warriors.

Webster stresses that this support flows not just through the men's and women's varsity athletes, but throughout the entire student body.

"This is an inclusive, supportive culture with a strong sense of community," he says. "And that means Warriors are all of us, not just 600 student-athletes. We want everyone on campus to feel they are a Warrior, and therefore feeling the sense of community."

Within the varsity athlete community, mutual support is encouraged and a favourite story for Webster was when the women's soccer team won a playoff game in a shootout, and members of the football team carried the goalie off the field on their shoulders.

A powerful anchor for the school's gender equity efforts in athletics is the United Nations' HeForShe initiative. Impressively, Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur is one of only 30 impact champions as leader of one of the 10 global universities in that group.

"I am honoured to have been hired full-time for the Warriors," said Dollee Meigs, associate coach with the women's hockey team, joining in August 2019. "I am proud to be a role model to the student-athletes on our team and work on developing them into outstanding students on and off the ice."

"There has been a positive movement in providing more support for female student-athletes over the last few years," says Meigs.

Another example is Kate Bickle-Ferth, head track and field coach, who points to the HeForShe program at UWaterloo as evidence of the commitment to support females at the school, including athletes and coaches.

"The support for female athletes is obvious and I think continues to grow," she says. "And while mine is a part-time, volunteer position, I have been given lots of options for coaching development," so that too points to efforts to promote female coaches. Bickle-Ferth led 13 of her athletes to the national championships in Edmonton this weekend.

"The general evolution toward support for female athletes and coaches is evident," she says, "and is part of the culture."

Read the rest of the article on the Athletics and Recreation website.

Employee Career Advising Program drop-in appointments; other notes

"When it comes to your career, sometimes all you need is just-in-time, bite-sized advice," says a note from the Centre for Career Action. "This month, Employee Career Advisor and Learning Specialist, Sue Fraser, is offering 30-minute drop-in appointments as part of the Employee Career Advising Program to support University of Waterloo employees with résumé review or interview preparation. Get the help you need, right on time!"

The drop-in days are scheduled as follows:

• Friday, March 13: 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
• Thursday, March 19: 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
• Wednesday, March 25: 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 31: 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Staff members seeking support can book these 30-minute appointment timeslots starting at 4:00 p.m. the day before on WaterlooWorks.

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

Myth:

You can’t take too much Vitamin C because it’s water-soluble.

Fact:

‘Tis the season for the common cold and flu – and Vitamin C is one of the many supplements flying off the pharmacy shelves as consumers look for ways to get an immune system boost. However, research has not shown Vitamin C supplements to be helpful in preventing viral illnesses. In addition to this misconception, it is a mistaken belief that taking large doses of Vitamin C does no harm because it is a water-soluble vitamin and does not accumulate in the body. In fact, high doses have been linked to some health concerns, such as kidney stones, especially in men. Taking too much Vitamin C can result in nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea. Vitamin C supplements may interact with certain medications and some laboratory tests. The daily UL, or Upper Limit of Safety, is 2000 mg and should be safe for most adults. However, a good rule of thumb is to check with your healthcare provider before taking large doses of Vitamin C or other supplements.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance for Vitamin C is 75 mg for (nonpregnant) adult women and 90 mg for men. While the body can’t make this important nutrient, it can easily be obtained by eating a variety of vegetables, including broccoli, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, kale and brussel sprouts and fruits such as citrus fruit, strawberries, melons, kiwi and mangoes.