Friday, February 4, 2022

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• The president's forum in focus
• University announces Thank You days for employees
• We're here to help, says the SSO
• W Store Supports Pink Shirt Day
• Exercise can provide relief for dry, itchy eyes
• Friday's notes

The president's forum in focus

More than 1,600 students, faculty and staff joined the virtual President's Forum on Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, February 2. President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel and Vice-President, Academic & Provost James Rush gave a situational and operational update on key COVID-19 issues and their impact on the University as we prepare for a return to in-person learning experiences next week.

Watch video on YouTube

President Goel put the University's re-opening plans in the context of the COVID-19 outlook at the national level, the province's own re-opening plans, and the advice of local public health experts, citing wastewater signals and hospital admissions. He spoke about the University's planning principles that prioritized the health and safety of the University community while recognizing the University's responsibility to provide in-person learning and student-centric experiences on campus. The President also shared highlights from the recent employee survey.

Provost Rush provided an operational update and indicated that the University recognized the need to have a robust dialogue about the future of learning and what work looks like at Waterloo in the long term. He reiterated the University's commitment to public health precautions, spoke about prioritized rapid antigen screening, and ventilation improvements across campus. 

Including questions submitted in advance, forum organizers received over 500 questions for Wednesday’s event. Following the operational update, Vice-President, University Relations Sandra Banks opened the Q and A with a topic raised by many: why is now is the right time to return to in person experiences? Referencing the data in his presentation, Dr. Goel highlighted that cases in the community are continuing to decline. Today, due to vaccines, the situation is different, said Dr. Goel: and in our community, 99 per cent of the population coming to campus has been vaccinated. With more knowledge of the virus and many safety precautions in place, Dr. Goel notes that the level of individual risk to those on campus is very low. “We also know that education has to be a priority, and an essential service,” said Goel. “It’s our responsibility to get back.”

From an employee perspective, many questions revolved around workforce planning, the current work from home policy, and absenteeism. From a student perspective, key issues involved sickness in the classroom and the option for online learning. Both groups raised concerns about tracking and tracing, safety measures (such as ventilation and rapid testing), and mental health.

Many of these questions have been posted on the President’s Forum page, including those that forum presenters did not have time to answer during the event. The University is working on answers to these questions and will provide an update as soon as it is available. 

University announces Thank You days for employees

A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor and James W.E. Rush, Vice-President, Academic & Provost.

Our recent survey of employees, together with feedback you have been giving to your supervisors, managers and department heads, has made it very clear that the pandemic has placed extra strain on us all. 

We are enormously grateful to every employee who has done so much to keep the University working in support of our students over the course of the pandemic. Whether you are an instructor juggling changing modes of learning, a central plant worker monitoring ventilation systems, a recruiter meeting excited prospects online or a lab technician keeping essential systems running – all of us have experienced repeated challenges and changes over the last couple of years. 

Everyone who works for this university has done so much to keep us focused on what matters most: giving our students an experience worthy of their talent. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for everything you have done and continue to do as we seek to provide the best experience we can for everyone who comes to learn, live and work here. 

Recognizing the extra efforts you have put in, we are announcing two additional days away from work to give you a break. These days will coincide with existing closure days to make fixed, four-day weekends with the aim that more of you are able to enjoy this extra time off knowing your colleagues will also be off work on those days. 

The new Thank You Days are: 

• Tuesday, February 22, extending the Family Day weekend.  

• Tuesday, October 11, extending the Thanksgiving weekend.  

For employees who must work on these days to keep essential campus services running, we will work with you to make sure you also get the benefit of two additional days off. 

We also know that our students have faced challenges throughout the pandemic. As a symbol of our recognition of those hardships we’re letting students know today about the additional days off, and that we will be providing a $125 payment to students to help them cover additional costs related to the pandemic. 

We acknowledge that these are relatively small benefits we are giving everyone in recognition of your service and sacrifice. You have our commitment that we will continue to listen to your feedback and find more ways in which we can recognize the amazing work you have put in to help the University of Waterloo keep working and charting new futures for the world. 

We're here to help, says the SSO

A message from the Student Success Office (SSO).

For many new and returning students, February 7 will be the first time they step foot on Waterloo’s main campus. To provide support and a warm welcome, the Student Success Office is relaunching the Here to Help campaign and will offer wayfinding events during the weeks of February 7 and February 28.  

Each morning from February 7 through 11, volunteers will be situated in high traffic outdoor areas around Ring Road. Students will be able to access knowledgeable volunteers in the following locations:  

• In front of SCH;
• In front of BMH;
• In front of DC, near the bus stops;
• In front of the SLC; and 
• Between MC, QNC and B1, in the Peter Russel Rock Garden. 

With most large classes returning to in-person learning the week of February 28, there will be three indoor Here to Help ‘Ask Me Booths’ from Tuesday, March 1 to Thursday, March 3, operating from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Volunteers at these booths will support navigation, and share information about key resources available to students at Waterloo in the following locations:  

• Davis Centre (DC) – Main foyer ;
• South Campus Hall (SCH) – Main foyer; and
• Student Life Centre (SLC) – Great Hall.   

The @UWaterlooLife Instagram account will be sharing information for students about the wayfinding and boothing activities during the events. Students can DM the account with their questions as well. 

If you are interested in volunteering, please email success@uwaterloo.caby 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 4. 

If you are unable to volunteer in person, you can still support our studentsby wearing a Here to Help button or sticker. Wearing the sticker signals that you are more than just a friendly face – it shows that you are ready to share your knowledge of our campus and support new students in our community. If you do not have a sticker, you can pick up a sticker at a booth or at the Student Success Office front desk in SCH. 

W Store Supports Pink Shirt Day

A message from Print + Retail Solutions.

In partnership with the Waterloo Undergraduate Students’ Association (WUSA), W Store is pleased to support Pink Shirt Day on February 23, 2022. The Waterloo community can show their support for this initiative by purchasing a Pink Shirt that features the message “Choose Kind” with the University of Waterloo logo on the sleeve.

During the month of February, W Store and WUSA aim to raise awareness for this important initiative and to create a more kind and inclusive campus for all students, staff and faculty.

“With everything that has happened over the last two years, Print + Retail Solutions felt it was important to remember that we can all benefit from showing one another some compassion and kindness,” says Ryan Jacobs, Director of Print + Retail Solutions.

These shirts retail for $19.99 and $4.00 from every t-shirt sale goes directly to support the important work of Mates, Raise and The Women’s Centre on campus. T-shirts can be purchased in-store at W Store located in South Campus Hall or online at wstore.ca.

“WUSA is pleased to be involved in supporting this initiative and the student-led services will definitely benefit from these funds with the work they do everyday to support our students,” says Brendan Lowther, Director, Student Engagement.

For more information about these t-shirts, please email wstore@uwaterloo.ca. Please visit wstore.ca for our hours of operation by location.

Exercise can provide relief for dry, itchy eyes

This article was originally published in Waterloo News.

A team led by researchers from the University of Waterloo discovered that a significant increase in tear secretion and tear film stability after participating in aerobic exercise can be another remedy for relieving dry, itchy eyes.

Every time we blink, our eyes are covered in tear film—an essential protective coating necessary for maintaining healthy ocular function. Healthy tear film comprises three layers–oil, water, and mucin–that work together to hydrate the ocular surface and protect against infection-causing irritants like dust or dirt.

When any part of the tear film becomes unstable, the ocular surface can develop dry spots, causing eye symptoms like itchiness or stinging and burning sensations.

“With so much of our activity tied to screen usage, dry eye symptoms are becoming increasingly common,” said Heinz Otchere, a PhD candidate in vision science at Waterloo. “Instead of having to use eye drops or other alternative treatments, our study aimed to determine if remaining physically active can be an effective preventative measure against dryness.”

Fifty-two participants were divided into two groups—athlete and non-athlete—to participate in an exercise session. Participants in the athlete group exercised at least five times per week, while non-athlete participants exercised no more than once per week. Researchers, which included experts from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, performed visual examinations before and five minutes after each exercise session, where tear secretion and tear break-up time were assessed.

While participants in the athlete group showed the largest increase, Otchere says all participants experienced a meaningful boost in tear quantity and tear film stability after the exercise session.

“It can be challenging for people to regularly exercise when the demand is there to work increasingly longer hours in front of screens,” Otchere said. “However, our findings show physical activity can be really important for not just our overall well-being, but for our ocular health too.”

The study, Differential effect of maximal incremental treadmill exercise on tear secretion and tear film stability in athletes and non-athletes, was co-authored by Otchere, the University of Cape Coast’s Samuel Abokyi, Sekyere Nyamaah, and Michael Ntodie, and Ghana’s Our Lady of Grace Hospital’s Yaw Osei Akoto. It was recently published in the Experimental Eye Research journal.

Friday's notes

There's still time to complete the employee wellness survey that has been initiated by Reshma Patel, a fourth-year Health Studies student in the Faculty of Health as part of an undergraduate research project.

The survey, which aims to assess how the wellness needs of employees have changed through the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and understand the gaps surrounding employee wellness at the University, is available on Qualtrics or at the following link: 

• https://uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bKsHaPgxUiwkk8S

The survey closes tonight at 8:00 p.m.