Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Revised Policy 29 - Smoke-Free Campus has now been approved

The recent revisions to Policy 29 – Smoke-Free Campus have been approved. Thank you to members of the University community who provided feedback and participated in the policy review process.  

The revised policy is currently posted on the Smoke-Free Waterloo website and will be moved to the Secretariat’s website once revisions go into effect on July 1, 2024.  

The Smoke-Free Waterloo website contains smoking cessation supports, including upcoming in-person and online sessions for people who would like to quit smoking and those who are supporting them, as well as a Frequently Asked Questions section. 

By providing information on available support for smoking cessation, we’re fostering a supportive environment for employees and students who are trying to reduce or stop smoking while creating a healthier living, learning, and working environment for all members of the University community. 

If you're thinking about quitting smoking or looking to support someone in your life who wants to quit smoking, join an upcoming smoking cessation session that will be delivered by a Public Health Nurse. It will focus on tips and tricks for quitting and the variety of supports available to help with quitting, including free nicotine replacement therapy.  

Supports for Quitting Smoking: In-Person Session Registration 

• Date and time: Monday, April 29, 12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m., Math 3 1006

Supports for Quitting Smoking: Online Session Registration 

• Date and time: Tuesday, May 28, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 

If you have additional questions about Waterloo’s transition to a smoke-free campus, contact  smokefree@uwaterloo.ca. 

Bringing Waterloo's equity data to your fingertips

A message from Institutional Analysis and Planning in partnership with the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Office and the Office of Indigenous Relations.   

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are values that help create fairer, more accessible workplaces for all. Waterloo committed to making our campus a more equitable space through the Waterloo at 100 vision, actions to address reconciliation, and the President’s Anti-racism Task Force.  

In 2021, Waterloo began the process of collecting socio-demographic data about our employees and students, and how they identify themselves, through two surveys -- a student survey and employee survey. We refined our approach and in 2023 we began to collect employee data through our existing human resource system – Workday. We want to encourage employees in all different roles across the Waterloo community to engage with this data and think about how it can inform their work.   

 This equity data can help us have a more profound and nuanced understanding of our community – and help us be even more reflective of the communities we serve, and a more welcoming and hospitable environment for all. It can help inform program evaluation questions to identify barriers or potential inequities, help us understand the make-up of our community (or programs and services that are a part of it), and assess representation, participation, and outcomes.    

 The new employee dashboard is a user-friendly platform to view the equity datay – data about our community members’ gender, sexual, and racial identity, disabilities, level of education, citizenship, and residency. Members of the university community can view the data by different variables, including academic unit or Faculty, type of employee, or by a specific equity characteristic. The data is provided at an aggregate level – no individuals can be identified. A student version is coming soon!  

You can view the employee dashboard by entering your WatIAM credentials. This information is confidential and for internal use only. In addition to the employee dashboard, you can view other equity data from the 2021 Equity Census. Data can be viewed by student and employee groups. University stakeholders who need a more specific set of data can request a customized data report by email, or through our requisition process.  

Learn more about the Employee Equity Census or register for our information session, Equity Illuminated: Using socio-demographic data to support your work at the Waterloo Staff Conference on April 11.   

If you have any questions about the census or how you can use this data to inform your work, email us.   

If you haven’t participated in the Employee Equity Census, it’s available at any time through your Workday profile and only takes a few minutes to complete.  

2024 Inter-Institutional Forum of the Scarborough Charter coming up in May

A message from the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Office.

The University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University are excited to host Bridging Black: Building Black Connections for Black Flourishing, the 2024 Inter-Institutional Forum of the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education. 

From May 9 to 10, scholars, administrators, students, and activists from across Canada have been invited to come together and share their research, knowledge, and experiences, and develop concrete actions for addressing anti-Black racism and supporting Black flourishing in academia.  

Through esteemed speakers, interactive sessions, and community networking, the program has been built to prioritize, share, and legitimize the experiences and knowledges of Black people participating in the institution as well as the knowledges that have historically contributed to the flourishing of the academy.  We hope that by providing the room for intentional idea exchange around the principles of the Scarborough Charter, leaders and participants can leave with more tools and reinvigorated spirits to follow through on redressing anti-Blackness in higher education.  

For a more detailed program and registration information, please visit the forum website.  

Remembering Distinguished Professor Emeritus John Moffat

Distinguished Professor Emeritus John Moffat, an early figure in the University of Waterloo’s chemistry department, died on March 15.

After completing a PhD in physical chemistry at the University of Toronto in 1956, Moffat worked as a research chemist for Du Pont of Canada, Ltd. Before joining the University of Waterloo in 1961 as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Science. His fields of interest included surface chemistry, quantum chemistry, and physical chemistry. Dr. Moffat was promoted to associate professor in 1965, and full professor in 1988.

Among his honours and accolades, Dr. Moffat received the Chemical Institute of Canada’s Catalysis Award in 1988. In 1996, Dr. Moffat was honoured with the Canadian Catalysis Lectureship Award, sponsored by the Canadian Catalysis Foundation and granted to a researcher who is a leader in the field of catalysis in Canada. He was a member and Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Faraday Society, the American Chemical Society, and the American Physical Society.

He retired from the University in July 1996 after 35 years, and remained active in research.

In 1999 he was named Distinguished Professor Emeritus during the University of Waterloo’s 79^th Convocation ceremonies.

A memorial visitation was held on March 23.