Monday, July 8, 2024

President issues statement as the encampment comes to an end

A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor.

Yesterday, the encampment which formed on Grad House Green on May 13 was peacefully dismantled. Grad House Green is being restored to its usual condition so that the whole community can once again enjoy the space together. The University is now withdrawing its claim and injunction proceedings, ending the legal actions it filed on June 25. 

I’m grateful to everyone who worked so hard to ensure that the encampment came to a peaceful conclusion.  

The University’s mandate is to advance learning and knowledge through teaching, research, and scholarship. This is only possible in an environment of free expression and inquiry. We have and will continue to fiercely protect these rights on our campuses. Complex ideas belong here. Diverging viewpoints belong here. Debate and scholarly disagreement have a home in our classrooms and in all university spaces; protest and protest movements do too. Everyone at Waterloo has a unique contribution to make to our community. Each and every one of you are valued. Each and every one of you belong here. 

This has been a difficult and divisive time for our community. I know that some members of the community disagree with some of the actions taken by the University. I also know that many of you – employees and students alike – have experienced harms on campus. Instances of antisemitism and of anti-Palestinian racism have been reported on many occasions over these past few months.  

Healing from this division will take time and effort. The Task Forces’ consultative processes will give us an opportunity for dialog on our principles for partnerships and investments. We are also examining opportunities for discourse and engagement that will bring our diverse community together to do what we are best at: learn about and identify solutions to society’s most complex challenges.  

The Israel-Hamas war continues to devastate us and to affect many in our community very profoundly, and personally. I urge you to remember that you have access to supports if you need them.  

As we look ahead, let’s reflect on the values that make our institution such a special place to work and learn: we think differently, act with purpose and most importantly, work together. I hope that these next few weeks will see us work together to bring healing and peace to our community. 

Supports are available to University community members including the Employee and Family Assistance Program (for employees), Counselling Services (for students) and 211Ontario (for people with no affiliation to the University).  

Embracing AI to tackle real-world problems

A message from Velocity.

Whether to help businesses increase profitability and productivity, or improve personal health management, students are drawing on real-life experiences and market research to influence their startup ideas. And many are employing artificial intelligence to solve these real-world problems.  

The summer 2024 Velocity Pitch Competition semi-finals saw students embrace the newest technologies for their startup ideas. After two nights of live pitches, eight teams were chosen from a pool of 24 to advance to the Velocity Pitch Competition finals and pitch to win their share of $20,000. 

Learn more about the top 8 finalists of Velocity Pitch Competition finals on July 25 from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m.

Register on the Velocity website.

Shad program begins

A message from the Department of Knowledge Integration.

The University of Waterloo will be running the Shad Waterloo program from June 30 to July 26 for 54 grade 10 and 11 students from across Canada. 

We have been proudly hosting the Shad program on Waterloo’s campus since 1983. This transformational experience has a profound impact on these bright and curious students. Many students love the Shad Waterloo program so much, they decide that Waterloo is where they’d like to pursue their undergrad studies. 

At Shad, students participate in hands-on learning, collaborate in design groups, explore post-secondary, engage with academic and entrepreneurial mentors, experience vulnerability training, and meet some of the most passionate peers in the country. There are over 22,000 alumni from this competitive-application program. This summer, Shad’s live-in program (ShadOnCampus) will be hosted at 20 campuses across Canada, while the virtual ShadAnywhere program will give students the Shad experience anywhere they have a digital connection.

We will be delivering the 2024 program with workshops, lectures, and mentorship from Waterloo faculty across the campus that focus on STEAM learning, design thinking, entrepreneurship, all while building a meaningful community. For the first time this year, we are hosting an Unplugged Shad experience, which means students will be leaving their smartphones behind as they engage in the program. After hearing from so many students how they wish to disconnect from the pull of social media, reconnect with the people around them, and engage in activities without the distraction of their cell phone, we are excited to be one of the two campuses offering this new version of Shad.

The Department of Knowledge Integration (KI) is proud to run Shad Waterloo on behalf of the campus. Rob Gorbet, Shad Waterloo Program Director and Associate Professor in KI, has been involved with Shad since 2008. “I love the diverse community that Shad brings together, and the impact it has on participants. Urban and rural, gender-diverse, from all across the country, participants are united by curiosity and a love of learning. It’s an incredible age and opportunity for them to explore and push the boundaries of their capabilities.”

Each year, Shads take on a group design challenge to solve a social and economic issue with a STEAM lens. Each campus tackles the same real-world problem in designated design groups, with assigned mentors, as they develop their solutions. This is an entrepreneurial experience with a social impact twist, and one of the most impactful aspects of Shad’s program.

This year the design project theme is “How might we help people in Canada integrate affordable and reliable green energy sources into their everyday lives to create more sustainable communities?”

Shads will hold a public open house to show off their achievements, including creative ideas they have come up with to tackle this year’s design project theme, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, in the Great Hall at Conrad Grebel University College.

SVPRO workshops and other notes

The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO) has announced a number of workshops for students, faculty and staff this month, including:

Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence for staff and faculty, Wednesday, July 10, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., QNC 1506.

Featuring facilitators Taneah Ugwuegbula and Jay Love, this is a training session designed learn about sexual and gender-based violence, and best practices for supportively responding to disclosures of sexual violence, including building confidence in preparedness for response. Register here.

Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence for students, Thursday, July 11, 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

Featuring facilitators Taneah Ugwuegbula and Jay Love, this is a training session designed learn about sexual and gender-based violence, and best practices for supportively responding to disclosures of sexual violence, including building confidence in preparedness for response. The session location will be disclosed to attendees upon registration. Register here.

NeuroMinds Collective for students, Thursday, July 11 and Thursday, July 25, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Featuring facilitatorsChris Martin and Rania Ibrahim Ambrad, NeuroMinds Collective is a safe haven for students where neurodiversity is celebrated, understood, and supported. We're a community of students who share diverse cognitive profiles, including ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, and more. Our aim is to build a tight-knit network where you can freely express your thoughts, concerns, and achievements in a judgment-free zone. These virtual sessions are open to any and all self-identified neurodivergent UW students – no diagnosis necessary. To learn more and/or to register, please contact Chris Martin.

You may notice an influx of students and parents on campus today as Faculty Ready Days kick off this week. Dates are as follows: 

• Health Ready: Monday, July 8
• Math Ready: Tuesday, July 9
• Science Ready: Wednesday, July 10
• Arts Ready: Thursday, July 11
• Engineering Ready: Saturday, July 13
• Environment Ready: Wednesday, July 17

As part of the programming, new students and their supporters will have the opportunity to attend mock lectures and tutorials, meet their upper-year student peers, staff and professors, and learn more about the services available to undergraduate and graduate students.