Monday, September 30, 2024

Waterloo observes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The University of Waterloo is holding a ceremony to recommit to reconciliation in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Members of the public are invited to join the Waterloo campus community for the event. Flags on campus will be lowered today to mark the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

"On a bright and sunny day two years ago, in front of a large gathering on the BMH Green, we joined members of the Indigenous community to recognize and celebrate Waterloo’s commitment to decolonization, indigenization and reconciliation," writes President Vivek Goel in a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation message on his website. "It was a momentous day, and just the first of many on a long journey ahead as we continue to work towards that commitment."

"This year, as we renew this commitment, we must not lose sight of the importance of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in acknowledging the painful history of colonialism in Canada. As the original inhabitants of the lands we now call home, Indigenous Peoples have suffered devastating loss and cultural disconnect as a result of the residential school system. It is important to honour the children who never made it home and the Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities."

"Today, on the site where we made our initial commitment stands a permanent Indigenous gathering space. It is a physical reminder of indigeneity on campus and another step towards meeting our commitment. We also broke ground this summer on a new 500-bed residence building that will prioritize Indigenous engagement and principles into its design."

Read the president's full message.

The commemoration events began this morning with a sunrise ceremony at 7:00 a.m. at the BMH Green.

At 9:30 a.m. the Indigenous Gathering Space will be officially opened and there will be a commitment polishing ceremony in recognition of the University's public commitment to reconciliation, indigenization and decolonization.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation remarks will follow at 11:00 a.m. and there will be a walk around Ring Road.

At 12:30 p.m. there will be a soup and bannock lunch, drumming, and dance.

All of the ceremonies will start and end at the BMH Green.

The Office of Indigenous Relations has resources and information about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation available on its website.

Alumni return home to Waterloo

By Jennifer Ferguson. This is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared on Waterloo News.

Warrior Field was a sea of black and gold on Saturday, September 21 for Homecoming, featuring the annual Battle of Waterloo football game.

More than 3,000 alumni, staff, students and community members filled the grandstands to cheer on the Warriors in a hard-fought 39-23 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks.

Formerly Alumni Black and Gold Day, Homecoming is more than a football game for many alumni like Eric Celentano (BSc ’79). It’s a chance to connect with the University of Waterloo community.

“You see a real mix in the crowd from students through to graduates from the 60s and 70s,” said Eric who has been attending alumni game days and eventsfor the past decade. Eric is also a member of the UWaterloo Alumni Council.

“The best part of the day is catching up with people you know and meeting new people. It becomes a network.”

In the Parking Lot Party before the game, the smell of popcorn and barbecued food filled the air as alumni and families played lawn games, captured memories at a photo booth and sang along to live music from The Alibi, an alumni band.

Stirring up nostalgia

Popular stops for alumni at Homecoming were an archival photo wall in the Parking Lot Party and a Warriors memorabilia display in the Warriors Fan Zone, curated by the Library’s Special Collections & Archives.

When Scott Ryan (BMath ’86) browsed through photos, he was reminded of the opening of Federation Hall, where he worked as a student.

“It was a major concert venue for the area. The most noteworthy performance was David Wilcox, he came almost every year.”

As a former football player, Scott was excited to return to campus for Homecoming and show his support for the Warriors team.

"It's great to reconnect with old friends,” says Scott. “I’ve run into a couple guys I played football with and hopefully I’ll see a few more.”

Read the full article and check out the Homecoming photo gallery on Waterloo News.

Celebrating September's retirees

Human Resources has announced that a number of staff and faculty retired in the month of September, including:

• Peter Huck, who started working at Waterloo in November 1990, retired as regular faculty member in Civil and Environmental Engineering;
• Scott Nicoll, who joined the University in February 1982, retired as Director, Space Planning;
• Gordon Willmot, who began working at Waterloo in January 1986, retired as regular faculty member in Statistics and Actuarial Science;
• Kevin Lamb, whose career at the University began in August 1997, retired as regular faculty member in Applied Mathematics;
• Trefford Simpson, who started at Waterloo in February 1994, retired as regular faculty member in the School of Optometry and Vision Sceince;
• Chris Ford, who began working at the University in August 2014, retired as Manager, Energy in Plant Operations;
• Rob Gleeson, who started at Waterloo in September 2018, retired as Senior Resource Design Specialist in the Centre for Education in Math and Computing;
• Ken Hirschkop, who joined the University in August 2005, retired as regular faculty member in English Language and Literature;
• John Ravenhill, who started at Waterloo in September 2013, retired as regular faculty member in the Political Science department;
• Caryl Russell, who began working at the University in May 1980, retired as Director, Instructor and Clinical Programs in Kinesiology and Health Sciences;
• Ann Marie Rasmussen, who joined the University in January 2015, retired as regular faculty member in Germanic and Slavic Studies;
• Marianne Vandergriendt, who started at Waterloo in July 1982, retired as Biogeochemical Research Technician in Earth and Environmental Sciences;
• Ursula Barnett, who joined the University in January 2013, retired as Account Coordinator in CEE Operations;
• Maurice Dusseault, whose career at Waterloo began in September 1982, retired as regular faculty member in Earth and Environmental Sciences;
• Elizabeth Irving, who joined the University in April 1985, retired as regular faculty member in the School of Optometry and Vision Science;
• Leanne MacKay Bain, who started working at Waterloo in May 2012, retired as Reception and Administrative Assistant at Conrad Grebel University College;
• Daphne McCulloch, who joined the University in March 2013, retired as regular faculty member in the School of Optometry and Vision Science;
• Pu Chen, who started working at Waterloo in July 1998, retired as a regular faculty member in Chemical Engineering;
• Conrad Hewitt, who joined the University in May 2014, retired as a regular faculty member in the Centre for Education in Math and Computing (CEMC);
• Andrew Kennings, who started at Waterloo in April 2002, retired as a regular faculty member in Electrical and Computer Engineering;
• Karuna Ausman, whose career at the University began in May 2017, retired as International Recruitment Specialist in the Registrar’s Office;
• Barbara Forrest, who began working at Waterloo in September 2004, retired as a regular faculty member in the Faculty of Mathematics;
• Sherry Dupuis, who joined the University in July 2001, retired as a regular faculty member in Recreation and Leisure Studies;
• Patricia Skinner, who began working at Waterloo in May 2006, retired as a faculty member at Renison University College;
• Tod Rutherford, who joined the University in March 2001, retired while on leave;
• Peter Frick, who started working at Waterloo in September 1999, retired as a professor at United College;
• Trien Nguyen, whose career at the University began in August 1983, retired as a regular faculty member in the Economics department;
• Glenn Anderson, who started working at Waterloo in September 1980, retired as Computing Consultant in Information Systems & Technology (IST);
• Melanie Campbell, who joined the University in October 1984, retired as regular faculty in Physics and Astronomy;
• Michael Worswick, whose career at Waterloo began in July 1998, retired as a regular faculty member in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering;
• Esther Pinnock, who joined the University in August 1975, retired as Library Assistant: Holdings Maintenance in the Library; and
• William J. Cook, who started working at Waterloo in June 2013, retired as regular faculty member in Combinatorics and Optimization.

Congratulations all on your well-deserved retirement!

Notes at the end of September

"We’re excited to announce that our XChanges Conference is back this fall!" says an exuberant exclamation from the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) and RAISE. "This year’s theme is Dissecting Barriers: Mental Health from a Racialized Lens. The conference will be filled with exciting speakers, refreshments, giveaways and more!"

All members of the University community are invited to join in on October 5. To learn more about XChanges and to reserve your tickets, visit the WUSA website.

As I mentioned earlier, flags on campus are lowered to half-mast today in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. However, people who visited campus yesterday may have noticed that flags were also at half-mast. This was done in recognition of Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day, which is held on the last Sunday in September.

Well, it's hard to believe September is behind us and the fall term is well and truly underway. As we look ahead to October, a few items of interest:

Join the Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Office (SVPRO) on Thursday, October 3 from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. to, as they put it, "build consent culture from the ground up" with a virtual lunch and learn entitled "Talking to Children About Consent."

"This virtual lunch and learn will discuss and answer questions about the importance of talking to young children about consent, setting boundaries, and using the proper names for body parts to help build a culture of respect and consent," says a note from SVPRO. "Although the session specifically focusses on young children, many of the ideas and suggestions are transferrable to older children."

Resources and slides provided. You can register for the webinar on Portal. For more information contact Stacey Jacobs at s3jacobs@uwaterloo.ca.