Monday, April 21, 2025

Parking rates to increase on May 1

"Sustainable Transportation is committed to responding to the ever-increasing demands of our growing community through innovative and sustainable means," wrote Jacinda Reitsma, Vice-President, Administration and Finance in an email circulated to employees last Thursday. "Last year, Sustainable Transportation increased its fees for the first time in 12 years. This has allowed us to expand and enhance our services, which included a shift to digital payment for visitor parking, an extension of our X lot shuttle service, and more."

"This year, we continue to face inflationary pressures with the rising costs of goods and services. As a result, our fees will increase by 3.5 per cent effective May 1 and will affect all employee permit holders, visitor parking, and bike parking at the Waterloo and Kitchener campuses. This increase is consistent with those of our ancillary unit counterparts.  The cost of student parking permits will increase in September."

Reitsma's email outlined several Sustainable Transportation initiatives currently underway, including:

New secure bike parking 

A new bike room will be available this spring in EC3, with a target opening date of May 12. The heated, enclosed room with camera surveillance will house 32 bike racks. In addition, Sustainable Transportation is working with Special Constable Services on an outside security initiative to move bike racks to more populated areas, with the goal of reducing the risk of bike thefts. 

Expansion of EV charging infrastructure 

There’s been an increase in the use of our electric vehicle charging stations across campus but recent thefts of EV charging cables have resulted in additional costs to maintain the infrastructure. We will continue our work with Special Constable Services to prevent future theft. If you notice any suspicious activity around these charging stations, please contact Special Constable Services. 

Parking lot rehabilitation study 

This study, completed every 10 years, provides information on the status of our parking lots and helps to determine the order of priority for pavement resurfacing and repairs. We will include our satellite campus lots for the first time this year.  

Sustainable travel options 

Lastly, as the weather warms, a reminder that we provide several incentives to consider sustainable travel to campus.  

Our summer parking suspension program offers employees who would like to walk or bike during the summer months the option to suspend their parking pass.  

In addition, Grand River Transit’s Corporate Pass offers Waterloo employees 15% off a monthly pass or stored value throughout the year. Sustainable Transportation staff has recently collaborated with GRT to implement improved travel options around campus: 

• Routes 9 and 30 are now interlined, allowing seamless travel between north and main campus without the need to transfer.  

• To better serve a busy part of campus, a new stop has been added in front of the Davis Centre.   

"Over the spring term, we will also be updating our website to create a more streamlined user experience that will highlight our services and commitment to sustainable efforts on campus," Reitsma writes. "Thank you for your continued support as we strive to create an exceptional campus experience."

Anti-Racism Reads continues in May with See No Stranger

A message from the Libraries and Print + Retail Solutions 

 Join the Libraries and Print + Retail Solutions for the next Anti-Racism Reads discussion on Tuesday, May 13. Jermal Jones will be facilitating a conversation about Valarie Kaur’s See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love.  

This in-person event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Dana Porter Library’s Learning Lab. We are encouraging registration via the Libraries’ website.

CEL offers TA training for facilitating online courses  

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash.

A message from the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL).  

The Centre for Extended Learning (CEL) is hosting an online certificate course entitled Getting Ready to Facilitate Online Courses:  TA Training – Spring 2025, which will run from Monday, May 26 until Friday, June 20.

This 4-week, online certificate course is suitable for any current or future UW teaching assistant (TA) wishing to build skills and knowledge of best practices in facilitating fully online courses. You will discover how to successfully contribute to the facilitation of an online course, foster student engagement, support student outcomes, and build a sense of community using various forms of interaction. Participants will also learn how to use LEARN LMS tools to create presence and connection, assess student learning, and work effectively in their TA role.

Note: The format of the course is asynchronous (no live virtual sessions), however, participants are required to engage with the course content, interact with other participants, and complete activities each week by the scheduled deadlines. Participants should expect to spend about 4 hours per week on the course.

Register on GoSignMeUp. Course registration closes on Tuesday, May 20.