Tuesday, March 21, 2023

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• Waterloo increases access to inclusive washrooms on campus
• Campus remembers Ian Taylor
• Water Institute welcomes climate scientist Giulio Boccaletti for fireside chat March 22
• Eight teams will compete at the Velocity 5K finals
• April Anti-Racism Reads tackles The Equity Myth

Waterloo increases access to inclusive washrooms on campus

In close cooperation with the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association and the Glow Centre, the University of Waterloo is making campus more inclusive for Two-Spirit, Trans, Non-Binary and gender non-conforming members of the campus community by increasing access to all-gender washrooms.

By early May, almost every building on campus will have an all-gender washroom available for anyone to use. 

“All-gender washrooms are an important way for the University of Waterloo to make our campus safer and more inclusive,” said Dr. Christopher Taylor, Associate Vice-President of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism, whose office is leading the work. “We are very proud to have worked so closely with our students and the broader trans community here at Waterloo on this project. We thank our partners for their hard work in making this happen.” 

Research has shown that gender-specific washrooms are often sites of harassment and discrimination for Two-Spirit, Trans, Non-Binary, and gender non-conforming people. According to a 2018 study conducted by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, up to 70 per cent of trans people have experienced some sort of negative reaction when accessing a public bathroom. The same study indicates that 57 per cent of trans Ontarians have avoided using public washrooms for fear of harassment.  

The conversion of some gendered washrooms on campus to all-gender washrooms is the first of three phases of work with the goal of a more inclusive experience for the Waterloo community. Phases two and three will involve assessing  washrooms for minor accessibility and infrastructure improvements and where possible, exploring possibilities for ablution and the addition of other amenities to enhance washroom inclusivity for everyone. The construction of new, all-gender, single stall washrooms in strategic locations across campus  will also be a focus of the later phases of this work. 

"The Glow centre has pushed for decades for the university to install all gender washrooms across campus for Two-Spirit, Queer, Trans students and employees," said a spokesperson for GLOW.  "We are very happy that this project is reaching its first stage of completion and that Two-Spirit, Queer, and Trans individuals across campus will have a safe place to use the washroom wherever needed."

Every newly converted all-gender washroom will include a sign indicating that it is a multi-stall washroom, and noting the fixtures  inside (for example toilets, urinals) to allow people to select a washroom with the fixtures they’d like to use.  Each washroom will also include menstrual waste disposals, sharps disposals and privacy strips on individual stall doors where needed. All-gender washrooms include options with urinals, and options without.  

To learn more about this project, please visit EDIR-O’s website.

Campus remembers Ian Taylor

A message from Central Stores, Faculty of Engineering - Management Sciences, and Athletics and Recreation

With a heavy heart, we write to inform you that Ian Taylor, current Central Stores staff member and former colleague in Management Sciences and Athletics passed away suddenly in a tragic accident on Saturday, March 11.

Ian worked at the University of Waterloo for over 20 years. He spent 15 Years in Athletics and 10 years in the Faculty of Engineering, before moving to a new role with Central Stores in September 2022.

Ian had a great passion for music. He was an exceptionally talented guitarist and spent much of his free time performing in a local blues band as its lead guitarist and vocalist.

We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time. Ian’s family will hold a memorial service for him at 3:00 pm, Sunday, March 26, 2023 at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home Chapel, 171 King Street South in Waterloo.

We understand this news will be distressing to many. I encourage you to take care of yourselves and one another. Please know that counselling services are available to help you deal with this sad news and can be arranged through Waterloo’s employee assistance plan, employee extended health benefits and occupational health.

The University of Waterloo flag will be lowered on Sunday, March 26 to mark Ian's funeral.

Water Institute welcomes climate scientist Giulio Boccaletti for fireside chat March 22

The Water Institute will welcome author, water expert and climate scientist Giulio Boccaletti for a fireside chat on Wednesday, March 22 as part of World Water Day.

For the past two decades, author, water expert and climate scientist Giulio Boc­caletti has been fascinated by the nexus between science and politics, and the central role water has played in civilizations and political institutions.

Boc­caletti spent his early career as a scientist, working on climate dynamics and physical oceanography at Bologna University, Princeton University, as a NASA Earth Systems Science Fellow and MIT.

In search of impact, he left academia and went into business, working for the global consultancy McKinsey & Company, where he became a partner, one of the leaders of its Sustainability and Resource Productivity practice, and co-founder of its Water practice. ​

He has produced several reports on key sustainability issues, including carbon and water security strategies for countries, the role of the ICT sector in climate transition, the economics of climate adaptation, and the economics of water security. In 2013 he joined the Nature Conservancy, one of the largest conservation organisations in the world, as Global Managing Director for Water, then as its Chief Strategy Officer. 

In 2021 Boc­caletti authored the book Water: A Biography, a historical journey spanning continents and millennia illustrating how humanity’s reliance on and relationship to moving water has shaped civilization, transformed political institutions, and defined people’s lives.

Beginning with the earliest civilizations of sedentary farmers on the banks of the Nile, the Euphrates, and the Yangtze, he describes how these societies developed institutions that responded to changes in climate and sea level, following the last glacial melt.

He illustrates how irrigation and flood control interacted with society to influence political systems: how, in Ancient Greece, the distribution of power mapped onto the distribution of water; how Roman water security was inextricably linked to the tax system of the empire. And he makes clear how the modern world as we know it began from that legacy: from a legal system that made possible the systematic development of water infrastructure, and political systems that succeeded in harnessing its power.

The book offers important lessons on how the rise of the modern republic is linked to the central role water had in society, and shows how, behind the illusions of technological modernity, humanity’s long, difficult relationship with moving water still shapes today’s politics and economics.

Boc­caletti will be speaking in Waterloo on March 22, for the World Water Day fireside chat entitled WATER: Life, History, Art, where he will explore our intricate relationship with water; how it has shaped civilizations, reconfigured landscapes, formed political institutions and inspired culture and art. He says: “Interdisciplinarity inspired my book and is at the heart of exploring our relationship with water. I very much look forward to this conversation!”

The fireside chat will feature Boccaletti, Ulrike Al-Khamis, Director and CEO, Aga Khan Museum and Dustin Garrick, Professor and University Research Chair in Water and Development Policy, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo.

Learn more and register on the event website.

Eight teams will compete at the Velocity 5K finals

A message from Velocity.

Narrowed down from a record number of applicants since in-person events resumed, after two nights of 28 student teams pitching live to a packed room, eight teams will advance.

The finalists, comprised of undergraduate and graduate students from Faculty of Science and Faculty of Engineering, will pitch once more during the finalist event on March 30 in the Black and Gold room at SLC from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.

Finalists include:

• Foodage Inc.;
• MetaCycler BioInnovations;
• Pharmabox;
• TrashTalk;
• Med Melanin;
• MemoryHaven; and
• Whale Safe Fishing Gear.

Ideas sprung from research to personal experience

From telemedicine provider for women of colour to digital legacy solutions, the innovative businesses presented during the semi-finals were wide-ranging and sprung for different sources, including personal experience, capstone projects, and other research.

Osose Itua, founder of Foodage Inc., said the idea to work on food sustainability and reduction of food waste in particular was in response to differences she saw between her home country of Nigera and Canada.

“In Nigeria, we are taught not to waste food — we do everything possible to preserve it,” she said. “Here, restaurants face complications to giving away food but back home if someone needs food, we try to give it to them.”

Osose, who is an undergrad in mechatronics engineering, spoke to 70 restaurant owners to research what customers needed. Her solution reduces food waste by predicting food demand, so restaurants don’t purchase more food than they need.

By exploring entrepreneurship options at the University of Waterloo, including taking Velocity’s Cornerstone program, Osose realized she didn’t need permission to follow her passion for innovation.

“I realized I didn’t have to be older to be an entrepreneur, which is one of the reasons I decided to participate in the Velocity $5K,” she said.

Finalist team Whale Safe Fishing Gear, which is developing fishing equipment for lobster and crab fishers, has worked on their project for eight months.

“This is actually our Capstone project but our first time working with Velocity,” said Collin Bolt, mechanical engineering undergrad who pitched on behalf of the team. “We have been working together for four years and we thought pitching Whale Safe was a great opportunity.”

After another round of live pitching during the March 30 finals, Velocity will grant over $20,000 in funding to help the sprouting businesses.

Read the full article

April Anti-Racism Reads tackles The Equity Myth

A message from the Library and Print + Retail Solutions 

We are pleased to announce that Kwasi Sarfo, Associate Director, Anti-Racism Response, will facilitate the April edition of Anti-Racism Reads. He will be facilitating a discussion of The Equity Myth with Carl E. James, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora in the Faculty of Education at York University. Challenging the myth of equity in higher education, The Equity Myth brings together leading scholars who scrutinize what universities have done and question the effectiveness of their equity programs. 

This event is scheduled for Thursday, April 6 from 3:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. and will be held virtually. To register for this event, please visit the Library’s website. 

Copies of The Equity Myth are available through the Library's reserve system or for purchase at the W Store. Please note: We are working towards removing barriers to participation, providing easy access to the selected text. We have limited copies available free of cost for those who sign up for the event and indicate they'd like a copy on the registration form.