Friday, October 9, 2020

Update to campus mask guidelines

The University has made changes to its guidance around mandatory face coverings.

The announcement came in a memo from Director of Safety Kate Windsor circulated to students and employees yesterday.

"If you need an exemption for a medical condition or disability, you must now provide appropriate documentation to the University," says the memo. "You will be required to submit a completed Face Covering Exemption Request Form and work with AccessAbility Services (students) or Occupational Health (employees) to develop an accommodation plan. If wearing a face covering impedes instruction, classroom instructors may be exempted from wearing a mask, but physical distancing must be maintained."

A face covering can be a medical or non-medical mask or other covering, including a bandana, scarf or other fabric that covers the nose, mouth and chin to create a barrier to limit the transmission of respiratory droplets.

• Masks or respirators with an exhalation valve are not suitable face coverings. These types of masks are proven to be ineffective as a source control measure.
• Mouth shields are not a suitable face covering option as they do not fit snugly around the mouth, nose and chin. Mouth shields allow infectious respiratory droplets to spread outside the mask, and do not help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Learn more on the face coverings web page.

"Thank you for doing your part to help keep the campus safe," Windsor writes. "If you have any questions, please contact safety@uwaterloo.ca."

Thrive is back for Fall 2020

A message from Campus Wellness.

Thrive is a series of events focused on building a culture of wellbeing and normalizing mental health struggles for University of Waterloo (UWaterloo) students and employees (staff, CUPE employees, faculty). It is also a mindset that encourages one to flourish. Thrive aims to increase mental health literacy, build healthy habits and self-care skills, and create an inclusive and supportive campus environment through various events and initiatives. We encourage everyone to share responsibility for promoting mental well-being on campus and have open conversations about mental health challenges.

Thrive Week 2020 is from November 2 to 6. We hope to see you in some of the exciting Thrive events happening throughout the week. Two of these events are:

Thrive Creative Showcase: Share your mental wellness journey through writing, art or music.

Submit your writing or art/music piece by filling out the Thrive Creative Showcase Form between Oct 7-Oct 23.

Mindful Morsels: Thrive through cooking

Join us and our special guest award-winning Chef Javier, for a virtual home cooking event. Here you will have an opportunity to explore your cooking talents and cultural flavors through food. You will also receive tips on healthy, mindful eating and its connection to mental wellness from Nicole Pin, Dietitian at UWaterloo Food Services. 

• Register for the Mindful Morsels: Thrive through Cooking (November 2) event.
• Register for the Mindful Morsels: Thrive through Cooking (November 6) event.

Partner with Thrive:

Promote a culture of well-being on campus by planning events or initiatives focused on promoting mental wellness in your department or unit. Fill out the Partner with Thrive form to inform us of your event. We can promote it on the Thrive website. We are so excited to (virtually) see you soon.

Director of Sustainability will report to President

Effective October 1, Mathew Thijssen, the University's director of sustainability, will report directly to President Feridun Hamdullahpur in collaboration with Dean of Environment Jean Andrey. 

"Waterloo’s commitment and action on environmental sustainability is campus-wide and supports both academic and operational objectives," says a note circulated to the University's Executive Council advising them of the change in accountability. "This work has expanded considerably over the past five years thanks to Mat’s leadership and the efforts of the Sustainability Office. This is evident through the development of Policy 53: Environmental Sustainability, the Environmental Sustainability Strategy, Waterloo’s Shift: Neutral climate action plan, and commitments within the institutional Strategic Plan."

Mat Thijssen joined the University in 2015 as its sustainability coordinator under the Dean of Environment, with a campus-wide focus on sustainability. In 2017, he helped develop the University's Policy 53 and the institutional sustainability strategy, with his title changed to Sustainability Manager, reflecting the commitments across academics, operations and engagement on sustainability issues. In 2020, with integration into the Strategic Plan and the development of the University's climate action plan, his title was changed to Director of Sustainability.

"This transition in reporting structure will enable further implementation of Waterloo’s sustainability goals, supported by the President’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability and in collaboration with numerous campus partners," the EC note concludes.

Going the extra distance

By Namish Modi. This article was originally published on Waterloo Stories.

From supporting a vital social project in India to developing an innovative mindset right here in Kitchener-Waterloo, University of Waterloo students continue to develop critical skills for the future of work. This is all thanks to our outstanding employer partners.

For the first time, six employers are being recognized with a Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) Employer Impact Award for excellence in their industry and providing outstanding opportunities for Waterloo students. Announced October 8, this year’s recipients include:

• Impact in Innovation – Shopify Inc.  
• Impact in Interdisciplinary Recruitment – Arup Canada Inc.  
• Impact in International Excellence – Curvegrid Inc.
• Impact in Research – The Centre for Applied Genomics 
• Impact in Sustainability – Avani Bio Energy  
• Impact on Student Experience – Splunk  

“It’s an honour to work with our global network of employers to create rich, quality-learning experiences for students,” Norah McRae says, associate provost of CEE. “Collectively, we future-proof our economy by developing adaptable, resilient and talented students with a strong desire for lifelong learning.”  

A win-win partnership

CEE employers provide work-integrated learning opportunities for more than 23,000 co-op students. More than 7,100 employers from 60+ countries come to Waterloo to access student talent from the world’s largest co-op talent pool. The program continues to help students develop skills that make them ready to tackle the workforce. 

“Every co-op experience creates a space for our employers to harness the power of students’ enthusiasm, academic knowledge and interest in learning,” Ross Johnston says, executive director of Co-operative Education. “Through such supportive and inclusive co-op experiences, our students find meaning and are enabled to be future-ready.” 

Get to know all the award recipients and learn more about their work below.

Read the full list of award categories and recipients on Waterloo Stories.

What's open and closed this Maskgiving Long Weekend

It's hard to believe, but it's turkey time, with Thanksgiving weekend and a statutory holiday upon us. Here's what is open and closed on campus for the long weekend.

The Student Life Centre will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Monday October 12, and will reopen on Tuesday, October 13 at 7:30 a.m.

The Library's chat and email reference service will be available from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The Davis Centre Library's study space, normally available by appointment Monday to Friday, will be closed Monday.

Campus Wellness operations will be closed on Monday, October 12.

Food Services operations are closed for holiday Monday and for the remainder of Fall Reading Week, with the exception of The Market at UWP in Claudette Millar Hall.

All W Store, W Store Essentials and W Print locations will be closed on Monday for Thanksgiving and will have modified hours for Reading Week next week.

As always, there are a few essential University services that never shut down: UW police, reachable at 519-888-4911 or extension 22222, and the Plant Operations maintenance emergencies hotline at extension 33793.

Have a safe, socially distant Thanksgiving long weekend. The Daily Bulletin will return on Tuesday, October 13.

Friday's notes

The Secretariat is encouraging regular faculty and graduate students are to vote in their respective Senate by-elections. There are vacant seats for a Faculty of Mathematics representative, a Faculty-At-Large representative, and a Graduate Student representative. Voting closes at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, October 13. For more information on the candidates and how to vote, visit the Secretariat's election website.

The Writing and Communication Centre will be hosting an online Dissertation Boot Camp (DBC) from Tuesday, October 13 to Friday, October 16. The DBC combines workshops with writing time and consultations to help thesis and dissertation writers set goals and make progress in their work. Applications are now closed.