Friday, May 15, 2020

A would-be Boston Marathon runner goes the distance locally

Like many people in April, Hendrik Walther had to cancel travel plans. But this wasn’t going to be an ordinary trip: the researcher in Waterloo’s Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) was to join more than 30,000 others in fulfilling a runner’s dream of participating in the Boston Marathon.

The annual race, which attracts 500,000 spectators each year is usually held on the third Monday in April, but was postponed to September this year due to social distancing measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the pandemic wasn’t going to stop Hendrik, who ran the Waterloo Marathon in 2019 with a time of three hours and two minutes in order to qualify for the Boston race, from running that day. He mapped out the 42 km distance around Kitchener-Waterloo, arranging to pass as many of his CORE colleagues’ homes as possible (which ended up pushing his total distance closer to 46 km).

“I knew when they announced that the Boston Marathon was postponed to the fall that I still wanted to complete the marathon on the same day. I trained for the event and wanted to put that training to use.” says Hendrik.

On the morning of his run, he sent a link to his family and friends to track his progress live. Those in the area could estimate when he would pass by their homes and were able to wave and cheer him on – from a safe physical distance, of course – while others outside of K-W could root for him from afar.

His colleagues even set up a finish line and crafted medals for him to wear.

“Seeing so many of the CORE family at the finish line was an incredible surprise!” says Hendrik.

The [homemade] medals were fantastic and, although my legs were tired, it boosted my spirit on what could have been a disappointing day. Running can be a solo sport, but it certainly didn’t feel that way with the incredible support. The Boston Cream Cake afterwards also helped.”

Hendrik still plans to run the Boston Marathon if it takes place as planned in September and continues to train.

Q & A with the experts: the world of work in COVID-19

Judene Pretti and Jennifer Woodside.

The University of Waterloo has a number of experts available for comment on various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Should you re-write your resume to highlight different skills when you’re looking for a job during the COVID-19 pandemic? How do businesses welcome new employees when they can’t do it in person?

Judene Pretti, director of the Waterloo Centre for the Advancement of Co-operative Education and Jennifer Woodside, director of the Centre for Career Action answer our questions about the new world of work. 

Should people be trying to find jobs right now?

Yes, they should. While it’s obviously a very unusual time to be looking for a job, we are seeing examples of continued and increased hiring in a number of sectors. This has occurred in professional, scientific, and technical services, in information culture and recreation, in manufacturing, and in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing. This is not to say that these areas haven’t been hit hard by the pandemic, but simply to say that there are still opportunities across a number of sectors of the economy. In some cases, there are new opportunities that have arisen. 

What skills should job seekers be highlighting right now, given that most work is now being done remotely?

The increase in working remotely shifts the sought-after skills by employers. Resiliency and flexibility have always been important, but are now needed more than ever. Communication skills, too, fall into this category – they need to be ultra-clear to help others understand us. 

Highlighting experiences that demonstrate time management and working independently, as well as being curious, agile and quick to learn can help an application stand out. Job seekers are also encouraged to emphasize any transferable experience they have working remotely with connectivity tools, even for school projects or other assignments.

How can employers onboard new employees at a time when most offices are closed?

The fundamentals of onboarding when offices are closed haven’t changed. Employees still need to learn about the organization and their new role. When people work together in an office, a new employee learns a lot about the organization by watching and listening, in the lunchroom, in the halls, noticing when people arrive for work and how they interact with one another. Here are three ways onboarding can happen now:

• Provide a variety of informational resources – what webinars, documents, websites can you offer to the new employee to help them learn about your organization and the work of their team?
• Create opportunities for connection – include them in online team meetings, but also schedule 1:1s for the new employee to meet with their supervisor and colleagues who can help them ‘learn the ropes’
• Set clear expectations: are there core working hours and how will you contact them (e.g. email, text, messaging app)?

Students can now apply for emergency benefit

The Government of Canada has announced that students will be able to apply for the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) as of Friday, May 15.

The CESB will provide students with $1,250 per month from May to August, or $2,000 per month from May to August for students with a disability or dependents. Students making less than $1,000 per month are eligible for the CESB, and student grants and loans, scholarships, bursaries, graduate stipends are not included in calculation of these earnings (so if you have loans, grants, bursaries, scholarships or stipends above $1,000 per month, you are still eligible).

In order to apply, students are encouraged to ensure their eligibility online. If students are eligible, they should make sure that they are properly registered with the Canada Revenue Agency:

Step 1: Register a profile with the CRA. If you have never filed an income tax return with the CRA, you may not have a profile with us. Call 1-800-959-8281 to activate your SIN with the CRA.

Step 2: Register for My Account as this is the fastest and easiest way to apply for the benefit.

Step 3: Enroll for Direct Deposit with the CRA through My Account or your financial institution to get your CESB within 3 days of applying. Alternatively, you must ensure your mailing information is up-to-date in My Account to receive a cheque by mail within 10 business days. 

Additional graduate student financial support now available

Graduate student organizations and the University partner to provide support to students.

Recognizing the unprecedented circumstances that graduate students are facing as a result of COVID-19, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and the Graduate Student Endowment Fund (GSEF) with support from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) have extended funding opportunities for spring and fall 2020.

With generous financial contributions from GSA and GSEF, there will be an additional 24 thesis completion awards, available to doctoral and master’s students who are within two terms of completing their degree. These awards will be allocated to the Faculties proportional to enrolment of research students. The distribution of the thesis completion awards will be coordinated by the Associate Deans, Graduate Studies, in the Faculties.

The graduate student organizations’ contributions have also provided support to graduate student financial needs funding programs. These funds are intended to support those students who are experiencing extenuating circumstances that have created unexpected financial need.

“The University is absolutely thrilled to partner with our graduate student organizations,” said Jeff Casello, the University’s associate vice-president, graduate studies and postdoctoral affairs. “These contributions will be incredibly impactful in supporting our students in these remarkably challenging times. I want to thank the leadership of the GSA and GSEF for their eagerness to work collaboratively to achieve this important outcome.”

The University is also eager to continue to support graduate students personally and academically. Students are encouraged to visit the University’s coronavirus information page and the GSPA page dedicated to information for graduate students.

Notes as Victoria Day beckons

The second holiday weekend under quarantine is upon us. Victoria Day honours Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901, and now serves as the official birthday celebration of the Queen of Canada, and is a statutory holiday.

Most campus closures in place due to COVID-19 will continue as normal over the long weekend. There will be no changes to Housing or Food Services operations, for example.

Print + Retail Solutions will begin processing online W Store and W Print orders placed over the long weekend on Tuesday, May 19.

Central Stores will be closed on Monday May 18 and will resume services on Tuesday, May 19.

Scott Pearson of the Student Life Centre reports that the SLC will close Friday at 4:00 p.m., reopening on Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00 a.m.

GO Transit will operate on a Saturday Schedule on Monday, May 18. Greyhound has suspended all service in Canada as of May 12 due to COVID-19.

According to Pearson, GRT/ION has a new schedule starting on May 18 with more service reductions, and will operate on Victoria Day as a holiday schedule. GRT continues to be free until May 31 systemwide and is for essential travel only.

As always, even on holidays, the University police (ext. 22222, or 519-888-4911), and the central plant will monitor campus buildings (24-hour service and maintenance line, ext.33793).

Please bear in mind that the Quantum-Nano Centre is to be closed Wednesday for repair work as an exhaust unit atop the building will be replaced. This operation will require a crane and several service vehicles that will occupy a space between the PAC lower parking lot and the Needles Hall parking lot. Both that section of the ring road, and the entire QNC itself, will be inaccessible from about 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m on Wednesday.

Finally, have a great long weekend, and see you next Tuesday.

A long weekend's worth of Good Buddies of the University

"I want to thank the Daily Bulletin for the joy the Good Buddies column is bringing to our house in this challenging time!" writes Martha Foulds, director of planning in the Faculty of Mathematics. "It’s become a tradition for my 10-year-old animal-loving son and I to check together every day. He’s disappointed we only have animals of the stuffed variety at our place, but he’s started posing them for Good Buddy photo shoots nonetheless. And thank you to all my campus colleagues who have shared buddy photos."

"At this time of the evening while resting at home I've decided to share with you a picture of our family members Tigger and Emily," writes Jose Rivera, who works in Housing and Residences. "My wife and I welcomed Tigger into our lives 13 years ago, and Emily joined us one year later. It turns out they are actually brother and sister. Emily was suppose to be a miniature Schnauzer-Mixed-Poodle but she end up growing taller than Tigger, who is one year older. They are very spoiled and friendly puppies and they really enjoy our daily walks by the parks and river trails close by."

"Here is Flurry - a small white whirlwind of a cat," writes Leslie Copp, director, funding agencies and non-profit sponsors in the Office of Research. "After the first few days of excitement of having me home, both my cats pretty much ignored me during the work day – I think because my basement office-cum-guest-bedroom is too chilly. That all changed the day I had a tuna sandwich for lunch at my desk. I became the focus of very intense scrutiny – as she watched every last morsel disappear. Ever the optimist, Flurry checks in routinely now, in case tuna happens again. And if no tuna is forthcoming – a quick belly rub seems an acceptable substitute. Happiness for both of us!"  

"I’m sending along a photo of our new-hire Rafael, settling in well to his role of Chief Snuggle Officer.," writes April Tanner, alumni advancement officer in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. "Here he is, waiting (more patiently than usual) for the laptop to move so he can do his job!"

"My wife and I are both working from home and are very carefully supervised by our three long hair dachshunds, Seamus, Neville and Max," writes Julie MacMillan, manager, graduate admissions in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. "They respond best to any of our requests if treats are involved and love all of the extra attention they are getting including more walks than ever! They don’t hesitate to provide input if we are on a phone call or in a virtual meeting (sorry colleagues)! In between all of the new responsibility tied to us working from home, they can be found “resting”."