Friday, December 22, 2023

It's (almost) the most wonderful time of the year

Here we are at the end of what seemed like a very long year for the University. The examination period is complete, most students are going home for the holidays, and campus is about to settle in for a long winter's nap to close out 2023.

For employees on the monthly pay cycle, today is payday, which should come in handy for those of us doing last-minute Christmas shopping. Employees on the biweekly pay schedule were paid on Thursday, December 21. For a sneak peak at 2024's pay dates, whether you're paid biweekly or monthly, check out the Human Resources website.

Central Stores will provide normal delivery/pickup services for all departments today from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Most Print + Retail Operations locations are having a normal one today, though W Store Essentials in Mathematics & Computer is closed.

The ECEC children’s program closes today at 11:30 a.m.

Food Services operations are mostly shuttered, with Brubaker's, DC Bytes, The Market at UWP, Browser's, CEIT Café, Chatime, Ev3rgreen Café, Eye Opener Café, H3 Café, Jugo Juice-CIF, Jugo Juice-SLC, Liquid Assets Café, ML's Diner, Mudie's, REVelation, Rolltation HLTH, Southside Marketplace, Starbucks HLTH, the University Club, Tim Hortons - ML, and Tim Hortons - EC5 already closed for the holiday break today.

What's open today, you might ask? Starbucks STC is open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tim Hortons DC is open 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Tim Hortons SLC is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Tim Hortons SCH is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Campus Wellness will close today at 4:00 p.m. to Monday, January 1, 2024. During the break, Campus Wellness phones and emails will not be monitored and documents will not be processed.

Athletics facilities will close at 4:00 p.m. today.

IST's physical service desks in Dana Porter, Davis Centre, and Village 1, will close at 4:30 p.m. today. "We will be available virtually via live chat, phone and email from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.," says a note from IST. 

Special Constable Services will begin locking up campus buildings at 4:30 p.m. today. Buildings with electronic locks will be similarly shuttered. Acting Director of Special Constable Services Mike Becks would like to remind the campus community that all buildings will be locked during the holiday break.

The CIBC in the SLC basement will be open till 5:00 p.m. today.

Front Desks at MKV, REV, UWP and V1 are open until 5:00 p.m. on Friday December 22. The CLV Front Desk will remain open until 8:00 p.m. on December 22.

The Safety Office already sent out its December Holiday Laboratory Shutdown Memo (PDF) to faculty health and safety coordinators for distribution to all lab users last week. Due to winter weather conditions, utilities (especially electricity) may be affected. It is a general rule that all laboratory processes be designed to safely survive a service failure. Please review the memo for more information and contact the Safety Office with any questions.

In the event that you have a lab incident, the Safety Office asks that you report failures of equipment or physical plant to Plant Operations at x33793. Contact the Safety Office or UW Spill Team through Special Constable Services at 519-888-4911 or x22222 if you have concerns relating to hazardous materials spills.

"This is just a reminder that if you are leaving your office/residence unattended over the holiday season, take your valuables with you and ensure that all doors and windows are locked and secured prior to leaving for the break," says a note from Special Constable Services. "The University of Waterloo Special Constable Service will continue patrols of the campus over the holiday shutdown period and can be contacted at phone number (519) 888-4911 or email address uw-special-constable-service@uwaterloo.ca."

What's open and closed on campus over the holidays

Waterloo's campuses will be closed down from Saturday, December 23 to Monday, January 1, 2024, with operations resuming on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. The co-op term begins on Monday, January 8, 2024, with winter term classes and lectures also set to begin on Monday, January 8, 2024. Until then, here's what's going on, or in most cases, what's not going on: 

The School of Architecture, the School of Pharmacy, and the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business will follow the main campus's holiday shutdown.

The Centre in Needles Hall is closed from 4:30 p.m. on December 22 to 8:30 a.m. on January 2, 2024. "Documents will not be processed, phones and emails will not be monitored, and in-person service will not be available during this time," says a note from the Centre. "Have a safe and happy holiday!"

Athletics facilities will be closed from December 23 to January 1, 2024 inclusive.

Library facilities will be closed beginning Saturday, December 23 through to January 1, 2024. Special Collections & Archives will be closed for on-site appointments until January 8, 2024. "Contact archives@uwaterloo.ca for virtual reference and research support before and after the University’s winter break closure," says a note from SCA.

IST Service Desks will be closed from Saturday December 23 to Monday, January 1, 2024 inclusive. 

W Store in South Campus Hall and W Print in the General Services Complex will be closed from December 23 to January 1, 2024, reopening January 2, 2024. W Store Essentials in Mathematics & Computer will be closed from December 22 to January 5, 2024. 

During the winter break, the CLV front desk will be open on December 29 and December 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Regular CLV Front Desk hours will resume in the winter 2024 term at 8:00 a.m. on January 1, 2024.

Snow removal on the main campus over the holiday period will be limited, according to Giovanna Zinken, Director of Campus Services, within Plant Operations. "Grounds staff will respond to snow eventswhen deemed necessary," is the official word, priority areas such as the ring road take precedent and Grounds staff will be on call to do winter maintenance of emergency routes on campus when requested by either Special Constable Services or Central Plant.”

Plant Operations requests that pedestrians and campus travelers observe the signs marked on trails and other travel paths around the campus stating that there is no winter maintenance and that all use is at their own risk.

All parking lots will be open and free throughout the holidays, except for lot D under Needles Hall and the Early Childhood Education Centre (ECEC) lot at the Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology (PAS) building. Gates to the lots around campus are raised and open.

A major exception to the campus shutdown is the Student Life Centre. Scott Pearson, Facility Operations and Membership Manager of the SLC, writes that the building will be open throughout the holiday season, as always. The Turnkey Desk (519-888-4434) “will be staffed 24 hour a day with friendly Turnkeys to provide assistance to those who stay on campus,” says Pearson. The exception to the exception of course, is the Turnkey location in the Davis Centre, which will reopen after extended renovations on Wednesday January 10, 2024. 

"Only the Ring Road and Turnkey doors will be open during the holiday shutdown, however the building is open for student use," Pearson says. "All other entrances will be exit-only."

Most of the SLC's businesses will shut down entirely throughout the break including Lifetouch Photography, Tim Hortons, Brubakers, Flock Stop, Student Health Pharmacy and SOS Physiotherapy.

The CIBC branch in the SLC will be open on December 27, 28, and 29, for regular hours (9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) The branch is closed on December 24, 25, 26 and January 1, 2024. Regular hours will return on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.

GO Transit will continue to service campus throughout the shutdown. Full ticketing and travel information is online or available at the Turnkey Desk. GO Transit will operate on a Saturday schedule on December 25, 26 and January 1, 2024. Service is free on the entire GO Transit system starting at 7:00 p.m. on December 31 until service ends for the day. No ticket is required. 

Grand River Transit will continue to service campus throughout the shutdown. For specific holiday schedules please visit the GRT website.

What to expect as we look ahead to 2024

With the winter term not kicking off until Monday, January 8, 2024, there will be a few more quiet days as employees return to campus in January for a short week that begins Tuesday, January 2, 2024:

Winter 2024 move-in for undergraduate students will begin at noon on January 2, 2024, and end on January 8, 2024. Graduate students can move into CLV as of 8:00 a.m. on January 1, 2024.  

Front Desks at MKV, REV, UWP and V1 will re-open on Tuesday January 2, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. and will resume regular business hours. 

• The Front Desks at REV, UWP and V1 are open 24/7.
• The Front Desks at CLV and MKV are open 8:00 a.m. - midnight, daily.

Campus Wellness will open at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.

Athletics facilities will reopen on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.

Food Services operations will open in stages, with Starbucks STC, Tim Hortons SLC, and Tim Hortons SCH all opening for limited hours on January 2, 2024 through January 5, 2024. Tim Hortons DC is also back to it on January 2, 2024. Mudie's in Village 1 re-opens on January 3, 2024. The Market at UWP is closed until January 4, 2024, reopening January 5. The remaining Food Services locations will reopen on Monday, January 8, 2024.

IST will re-open all service desks on Tuesday January 2, starting at 8:30 a.m. The V1 service desk will be open physically from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. beginning January 2, 2024, according to a note from IST.

The Library will be operating under intersession hours from January 2 to January 7, 2024 as follows:

• Dana Porter and Davis Centre: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.;
• Chat With Us: Monday to Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday - not available;
• Email Us: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For full details check the Library's hours page.

From January 2 to January 5, 2024, IST's physical service desks in Dana Porter and Davis Centre will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and virtually available from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. On January 6 and 7, 2024, the physical service desks in DP and DC will be open from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and virtually available from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The ECEC children's program will re-open on Monday, January 8, 2024 with regular hours.

The Daily Bulletin will return Tuesday, January 2, 2024.

Marking the passing of retirees and employees in 2023

A number of former Waterloo staff and faculty members, as well as active employees, have died this past year, and here are notes about some of them who have not been previously noted in the Daily Bulletin.

Mike Mehta, who started at Waterloo in January 1990 and retired in January 2015, died on December 31, 2022.

Dr. Richard Preston, who began working at the University in July 1971 and retired from the Geography department in July 1996, died on January 31, 2023.

Carman Machan, who joined the University in November 1969 and retired in April 2007 as Mechanic-Millwright in Plant Operations, died on February 2, 2023.    

Dr. John Whiton, who began his academic career at Waterloo in July 1969 and retired from Germanic and Slavic Studies in July 1996, died on February 28, 2023.           

Mary Bruckler, who started at the University in September 1972 and retired from Food Services in April 1986, died on April 1, 2023. 

Eileen Neil, who began working at Waterloo in November 1984 and retired from Finance in July 1994 died April 19, 2023.

Helen Weiler, who joined the University in March 1969 and retired in April 1992, died on April 20, 2023.  

Allan Connolly, who started at Waterloo in December 2000 and retired as Equipment Operator in Plant Operations in August 2016, died on April 22, 2023.        

Edith Modrowski, who began working at Waterloo in September 1978 and retired in September 1994 died on May 15, 2023.     

Former faculty member in Electrical & Computer Engineering Dr. Andrei Sazonov, who worked at the University from January 1998 to April 2020, died on May 16, 2023.

Shirley Dorsch, who joined the University in September 1976 and retired in June 1996, died on June 21, 2023.

Brian Forler, who started at the University in December 1987 and retired as Service/Surplus Co-ordinator in Central Stores in January 2016, died on June 5, 2023.

Phyllis Didur, who started at the University in August 1990 and retired in June 1999 as Instructional Support Coordinator in Computer Science, died July 11, 2023.

Mary Schaefer, who joined the University in September 1979 and retired in September 1993, died on July 29, 2023.

May Shane, who began working at Waterloo in June 1987 and retired as Office Assistant at Ron Eydt Village in Campus Housing, died on August 4, 2023.

John Henry Hilhorst, who began working at Waterloo in December 1966, died on August 12, 2023.

David Howe, who began working at the University in May 1981, and retired as a Custodian in Plant Operations in October 2009, died on August 15, 2023.

Luzia Pereira, who joined the University in February 1991 and retired as Custodian in Plant Operations in November 2007, died on September 10, 2023.

Johann Unruh, who joined the University in January 1979, died on September 29, 2023

Ker-Ai Lee, who started working at Waterloo in September 1997, most recently as a Statistical Programmer and research associate in Statistics and Actuarial Science, died on October 9, 2023.  

Kathleen McKechnie, who worked in the Registrar’s Office before her retirement, died on December 17, 2023.

Thanking Daily Bulletin contributors

Throughout 2023, I have had the privilege of working with many talented people across campus and beyond who have written material for the Daily Bulletin and who have helped keep the campus community informed about life at the University of Waterloo. 

Here is 2023's honour roll:

Michelle Angkasa; Agata Antkiewicz; Heather Bean; Jean Becker; Amy Bender; Emily Brant; Jenna Braun; Catherine Burns; Brian Caldwell; Bruce Campbell; Sam Charles; Janice Cooke; Tracelyn Cornelius; Asia Dale; Charlotte Danby; David DeVidi; Fram Dinshaw; Angie Docking; Donald Duff-McCracken; Nenone Donaldson; Michael Dorr; Anna Esselment; Jordan Flemming; Claire Francis; Dana Francoeur; Vivek Goel; Naomi Grosman; Roan Haggar; Nancy Harper; Krista Henry; Michelle Hollis; Ellen Hou; Ryon Jones; Rachel Jou-ter Woort; Farah Jurdi; Matthew King; Alex Kinsella; George Labahn; Scott Leatherdale; Stephanie Longeway; Bernice Ma; Milana Madzarac; Fred W. Martin; RJ McArthur; Carolyn McCoey; Megan McGarry; Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher; Namish Modi; Neal Moogk-Soulis; William Muir; Kaitlin O’Brien; Jon Parsons; Joe Petrik; Wendy Philpott; Nicole Pin; Lata Punetha; Michelle Radman; Chris Read; Elizabeth Rogers; Melodie Roschman; Ian Rowlands; James W.E. Rush; Angelica Sanchez; Rose Simone; James Skidmore; Graeme Stewart; Christopher Taylor; Monika Terzic; Zoe Tipper; Sam Toman; Chantal Vallis; Ian VanderBurgh; Olivia Vanderwal; Valerie Vaz; Emma Vossen; Rebecca Wagner; Lauren Ward; Mary Wells; Melanie Will; Courtney Wilson; Jeff Wilson; Selah Woelk; Megan Vander Woude; and Christine Zaza.

My apologies if I have missed giving someone a byline. In addition, I would like to thank communications staff in the Faculties, departments, academic support units, committees, and other organizations who have contributed material to the Daily Bulletin this year without credit. I know who you are, and you know who you are, and you deserve thanks for your continued efforts to support the University.

I would also like to thank my podcast co-host Pamela Smyth for her incredible work on the Beyond the Bulletin Podcast this year running the interviews and doing the behind-the-scenes production work, in other words, making us sound good! We switched things up in 2023 and went biweekly, publishing 16 episodes this year. While I'm on the subject, a special thank-you to all our podcast guests in 2023 for their insights and perspective. Here they are in reverse chronological order, with repeat appearances removed:

Marcus Shantz; Dr. Jenna Gilchrist; Dr. Suzanne Kearns; Mathew Thijssen; Jake Chateauneuf; Jeremiah Hyslop; Rastin Rassoli; Dr. Geoffrey Fong; Dr. Rebecca Rooney; Dr. Dillon Browne; Tracelyn Cornelius; Jess Roque; Dr. Charlie Clarke; Nasif Chowdhury; Dr. Ashley Mehlenbacher; Darrell Adams; and Jennisha Wilson.

As previously mentioned, Beyond the Bulletin will be on hiatus in the first half of 2024 as the communications team tackles other priority projects. To celebrate, on Monday night the University Communications team suprised Pamela and me with a celebratory cake commemorating the first 166 episodes we produced from 2019 to 2023. Much like the podcast, it tasted as good as it looked. If you miss the podcast, check out our archives and give the episodes there a listen.

The Internal and Leadership Communications team is here to amplify the many voices on campus that contribute to the daily life of the University in print, online and on the Beyond the Bulletin Podcast. We wouldn't be able to do it without you. We look forward to continuing that tradition into the new year.

And so, as we close the book on 2023: a thank-you to all, and to all a good night.