Friday, August 30, 2024

Enhancing access to health and well-being resources for students

A message from Campus Wellness.

Mental health and well-being are more important than ever as students navigate the varying demands of university life. At Campus Wellness, we remain dedicated to prioritizing students' mental health and well-being, with a continued focus on improving the student experience.  
 
In partnership with the UWaterloo Life team, we’re making enhancements to our web presence to provide health and well-being information to students in an easy-to-navigate student-first site. Student information about health and well-being supports and resources have been integrated into the current student's site. This move marks an important step forward in building on the foundation of the site as a resource hub for students, based on student-identified themes rather than individual units. 

In addition, resources for student supporters (staff and faculty) are now available on a new website—Campus Wellness Resources. 

Overview of site updates

• Student Impact: Information about Campus Wellness supports and resources is being integrated into the current student's site, under the health and well-being theme. 

• Student Supporters: Information for faculty and staff supporting students is available on a new website – Campus Wellness Resources 

• Redirects: 1:1 redirects from key Campus Wellness pages to the current student site and the staff and faculty resources have been set up to reduce impact to our students and ease the transition. 

• Bookmarks: we recommend updating your bookmarks and verifying website links to ensure they direct to the correct location (see below). 

Resources have moved

• Campus Wellness homepage --> Health and well-being 

• Counselling Services --> Counselling Appointments 

• Health Services --> Primary Care Appointments 

• Get Mental Health Support When You Need It --> After Hours Support 

• Faculty and Staff homepage --> Campus Wellness Resources 

Thank you for your support as we continue to make enhancements to student health and well-being information. If you have feedback or questions, please contact Alayna Pinto or Jennifer Halcrow. 

W Store launches new Indigenous collection

By Emily Brant. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Two years after the successful launch of the first Indigenous collection at the W Store, in collaboration with local artist Alanah Astehtsi Otsistohkwa (Morningstar) Jewell, the Office of Indigenous Relations (OIR) and Print and Retail Solutions have partnered again to feature an exciting new line with Anishinaabe Onyota’a:ka artist, Tehatsistahawi (Tsista) Kennedy. 

Kennedy is from Beausoleil First Nation and Oneida Nation of the Thames. A self-taught artist, Kennedy often creates his art digitally and works with various mediums like etching on birch bark and ink on paper. His passion for art started during his childhood, and at 14 years old, he created his first woodland-style piece. Since then, he has developed a unique variation of woodland style art, characterized by semi-bold black lines, intricate patterns and vibrant colours that make his artwork flow elegantly across the canvas.  

Tehatsistahawi (Tsista) Kennedy, Anishinaabe Onyota’a:ka artist, who designed the new Indigenous collection at the W Store.

“I grew up in Kitchener-Waterloo for the first 14 years of my life before moving off elsewhere, so when I was approached by the University of Waterloo for this project, I was very excited to put together some artwork for them,” Kennedy says. 

“In my initial meetings with the client, they mentioned how the Canada goose was the unofficial mascot of the university, for how many that hang around the campus. This sparked a lot of fond memories for me as a kid growing up in this city; getting chased by them unprovoked, feeding them bread in the park with my family, and from a distance enjoying the sight of the fluffy little goslings come springtime.” 

The collection, which prominently features Canada geese, will include a variety of unique items such as apparel, drinkware and gift items.  The entire collection will be available to shop at the W Store located in South Campus Hall (SCH) and the online store at wstore.ca on September 5, following the official launch ceremony at the W Store. 

“It has been an enormous privilege working with the team in the OIR to launch two collections of exclusive products designed by talented local Indigenous artists,” says Ryan Jacobs, director of Print and Retail Solutions. “The campus community made it clear how much they value having access to Indigenous items when we launched the first partnership in 2022, and we are pleased that Tsista was willing to share his talents with the University and provide us with a beautiful new design.” 

The initial collection designed by Jewell has generated more than $40,000 for the Indigenous Student Development Fund, formerly the Indigenous Student Success Fund. The W Store will again be transferring a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this new collection to support the fund, which was established to provide financial assistance to those  Indigenous  students who are most at risk of abandoning their education due to financial hardship.  

“We are thrilled to see that the Indigenous collection featuring Alanah Jewell was so well received and are excited to see another collaboration happening, featuring another talented and local artist,” says Jean Becker, associate vice-president for the OIR.

Join us for the official launch ceremony 

This collection officially launches the first week of September and all are welcome to attend the launch ceremony on Thursday, September 5, at 8:45 am at the W Store located in SCH. Light refreshments will be provided. 

Items are available for purchase in-store or online at  wstore.ca. For more information about this collection, please contact the W Store via email at  wstore@uwaterloo.ca. For more information about decolonization, reconciliation and indigenization on campus please visit the Office of Indigenous Relations website.  

What's open and closed Labour Day long weekend

If that's summer, I guess we've had it! The Labour Day long weekend is ahead of us, and while it may be a break for many in the rank and file, the University will be anything but quiet as Move-In and Orientation go into overdrive.

W Store in South Campus Hall will be open from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1, but will be closed on Labour Day Monday, September 2. All other Print + Retail Solutions will be closed on Labour Day Monday, September 2.

Food Services operations are a mixed bag. Most locations will be closed until the first week of term, with the following exceptions:

• Subway in the SLC Brubaker's Food Court will be open Saturday, August 31 
• Mudie's in Village 1 will be open on Saturday, August 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sunday, September 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Labour Day Monday, September 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• REVelation in Ron Eydt Village will be open from Saturday, August 31 to Labour Day Monday, September 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily.
• The Market at UWP will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, August 30 and Saturday, August 31, and open from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 1 and Monday, September 2.
• Starbucks at STC will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 31 but will be closed Sunday, September 1 and Monday, September 2.
• Tim Hortons SLC will be open all weekend, including Labour Day Monday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Check Food Services' hours and locations website for more detailed information.

The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but will be closed Labour Day Monday, September 2. Check the library's hours and locations site for more detailed information.

Athletics facilities include the Physical Activities Complex, which will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 31 and from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 1 and Labour Day Monday, September 2. The Columbia Icefield (CIF) will be open on Saturday, August 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. but will be closed Sunday and Monday. Check the Athletics Facilities hours of operations page for more details.

The Student Life Centre, Turnkey SLC and Flock Stop will be open 24/7 throughout the Labour Day weekend, according to SLC Director Scott Pearson. Turnkey@DC is closed all weekend and will reopen on September 4.

The Centre in Needles Hall will be open to welcome new students from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1, and will be closed on Labour Day Monday, September 2. 

Other operational changes to note:

With Campus Move-In happening this week and into the weekend, Sustainable Transportation reports that parking lots K, J, S, and V will be closed to Staff and Faculty permit holders from August 31 to September 1. "This weekend, the University will be welcoming many new and returning students as they move into on-campus housing," says a note from Sustainable Transportation to affected passholders. "Permit holders who are affected by the closures can park in lot X for free over the weekend. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your cooperation."

And in other news:

Information Systems & Technology (IST) has published the latest in the Atlassian Blog series entitled Boost Your Team's Efficiency with Calendars in Confluence.

Have a relaxing, enjoyable long weekend, and catch your breath before the pace of the fall term picks up next week. The Daily Bulletin will return on Tuesday, September 2.