Thursday, September 11, 2025

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• Embed accessibility into your daily practices by joining the Accessibility Ally Network

• Embrace the spirit of reconciliation this September  
• Prioritizing student health and well-being
• Remembering Dr. Larry Martin
• Book launch event tonight and other notes

Embed accessibility into your daily practices by joining the Accessibility Ally Network

A message from the Office of the Associate Provost, Campus Support and Accessibility.

The Accessibility Ally Network plays a vital role in advancing accessibility and fostering disability inclusion across our campuses by creating a space for staff, faculty, and students to share ideas, learn best practices, and champion meaningful change. Each monthly meeting offers an opportunity to start small—whether it’s gaining a new perspective, asking questions, or identifying one practical improvement to make in your own area—because building a more accessible campus begins with individual actions that add up to systemic impact.

Join a growing community committed to continuous learning, collective progress, and creating environments where everyone can thrive!

Fall 2025 Accessibility Ally Network meetings

Tuesday, September 16, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Virtual, MS Teams)
Panel Discussion: Embedding accessibility into staff programing during uncertain times
Panelists: Lyliana Vu, Marketing and Undergraduate Recruitment; Krystal Mittler, Organizational and Human Development; Dave DeVidi, Associate Vice-President, Academic

Wednesday, October 22, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Virtual, MS Teams)
Presentation: Data as a Tool for Accessibility and Inclusion
Presenters: Ravita Surajbali, Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office; Shona Forrest, Institutional Analysis & Planning

Wednesday, November 19, 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (In-person)
Presentation: Show-and-tell of hand-held assistive tech available in the library
Activity: Cross-campus networking and collaboration to advance accessibility

Join the Accessibility Ally Network MS Teams Channel for meeting links and more information.

Embrace the spirit of reconciliation this September

A message from the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The Office of Indigenous Relations is pleased to host two key events this September so that all campus members, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, can get involved in decolonization, reconciliation and Indigenization.

Gidinawendamin/Ska’nikú•lát Annual Pow Wow 

Join us for the 22^nd annual Pow Wow on Saturday, September 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at CIF Outdoor Field 7. This remarkable event is $5 and free for students, children under 12 and seniors age 50 and over. All are welcome. For more information visit the Pow Wow website.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

On Tuesday, September 30, we honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. We will commemorate the day with a sunrise ceremony, Waterloo’s commitment polishing ceremony, speeches, a walk around Ring Road, drumming and a Round Dance. For more information about the event and educational resources visit the Office of Indigenous Relations website. 

Orange shirts available

We invite you to wear orange on September 30 as a symbol of solidarity and to recognize all those whose lives were impacted by Canada’s residential school system. Orange shirts are available for purchase at W Store website and in-store at South Campus Hall. A portion of the proceeds will support the Indigenous Student Development Fund.

Prioritizing student health and well-being

A message from Campus Wellness.

As we begin the fall term, we are reminded of the energy and potential that students bring to our campus. Whether returning or arriving for the first time, students are navigating a pivotal time in their personal, academic, and social lives. At Campus Wellness, we recognize that mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health and well-being are central to their success. Here are a few of the ways we’re prioritizing student well-being this fall and how you can join us in this effort.

Services provided: Students can access a variety of services by booking appointments with Health Services and Counselling Services. Hours have been extended so students now have the option to book evening appointments. Appointments can be made by calling 519-888-4096 or in-person at a client service desk during business hours.  

Students in distress, potentially urgent situation: if you are supporting a student in distress (e.g., negative thoughts or self-talk, emotional outbursts, social withdrawal), you can access a new referral pathway to get support. If the student is with you and they agree to visit Campus Wellness, call ahead (519-888-4096) to request this support. You can then walk the student to the Health Services building and check-in at reception where a nurse will meet you for a warm handoff.

Preventing and responding to students in distress: Looking to prevent student distress in your classroom? Join us for a special session on September 25 to explore the impacts of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. We are also offering Responding to a student in distress training sessions starting in October. These virtual sessions are open to all members of the UWaterloo community and will leave you feeling more confident and with a toolkit of resources to rely on when supporting students in distress.

Wellness programs: A robust suite of student-focused wellness programs are rolling out for the fall term. Students are welcome to create community in shared spaces while also accessing support from counsellors. Browse Wellness Programs and Student Groups and share with your student network.

Be You at Waterloo: We continue to reduce stigma around mental health by developing programming with partners across campus. The programs focus on Be You at Waterloo priorities such as taking pride in progress, showing kindness to yourself and others and showing up as your authentic self. Be You at Waterloo needs you; create a partner event/initiative prioritizing student mental health.

Together we can create a safe, inclusive space for all and remind students that they are seen, supported and celebrated.

Remembering Dr. Larry Martin 

A message from the Faculty of Environment.

It is with great sadness that we share the news of Dr. Larry Martin’s passing, a professor in the School of Planning.

Larry joined the University in 1969 and dedicated his entire career to teaching, researching and supporting student success in the School of Planning, and across the Faculty of Environment. He was a proud graduate of Syracuse University’s master’s and doctoral programs in Planning. Larry joined the School of Planning at its inception and was a key faculty member until his retirement in 2003. As a founding faculty member for the School, then Director of the School, and Associate Dean for the Faculty, Larry was a key contributor to the creation and evolution of Planning at Waterloo. Following his retirement, Larry stayed involved with our community by attending several alumni get-togethers over the years. He was fondly remembered by generations of our graduates.

Outside of academia, Larry was a beloved husband, father and friend. In his obituary, his family shared that Larry loved the outdoors, especially sailing Lake Ontario with his young family and then Georgian Bay with his wife Pauline. The couple also travelled extensively in Europe, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Larry took great pleasure in sharing his adventurous spirit with his family including skiing, hiking and recounting stories from his childhood. He was an avid canoer, photographer and snowshoer.

A celebration of Larry’s life will be held at Erb and Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo on Saturday, September 13 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Our thoughts are with his friends and family during this difficult period. Larry will be immensely missed.

Book launch event tonight and other notes

Dr. Kieran Bonner of Sociology and Legal Studies has published his latest book entitled “Euphoria and Symposia: The Dialectic of Desire in Thinking, Drinking and Well-Being” published by McGill-Queen’s University Press this past June.

“Euphoria and Symposia explores the relationship between euphoria, desire, and well-being in the human practices of drinking and thinking, both phenomena in which seeking more–more alcohol, more knowledge—can be understood, ambiguously, as simultaneously positive and negative,” says the McGill-Queen’s University website. “Since health and celebration are both desirable goods, Kieran Bonner suggests that it is this balancing act – our desire for what is better and good, our preference for one thing over another – that creates ambiguity, revealing a grey zone that is fundamental to a fuller understanding of well-being. In a series of case studies, revealing intricacies and ambiguities not usually picked up in typical scientific, philosophical, or sociological discourses, Bonner posits well-being as harmony, requiring nuanced judgments about the various things that humans desire, including wealth, health, beauty, power, vitality, leisure, pleasure, love, and wisdom.”

Bonner, who teaches Sociology 436, “Alcohol and Well-Being," developed the book while teaching the course, and will now be using it as one of the course’s textbooks.

The book launch event takes place tonight at 5:00 p.m. in St. Jerome’s University’s Fireplace Lounge in partnership with SJU and Word’s Worth Books and will feature Martin de Groot in conversation with Dr. Bonner. Refreshments, a cash bar, and copies of the book will be available for purchase.

WUSA Welcome Week continues today with a retro rollerskating night at Ron Eydt Village and tomorrow with a trip to Toronto for some baseball: Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles. Buses will begin loading at 3:45 and will depart from the Davis Centre. First year students can pay for admission to the game and transportation to and from, or just for admission to the game.

Nominations are open for the UWSA board and president. "The Staff Association is seeking nominations for its next president and its board of directors," says a note from UWSA. "Both roles offer a unique opportunity for University of Waterloo staff to build leadership and governance skills, meet and work with colleagues from across campus, and champion staff interests."

"The board of directors provides long-term governance, financial, and strategic oversight for the Association," UWSA's note continues. "The president has overall responsibility for the UWSA’s employees, its programs and services, and the execution of its mission and strategic plan. The position of president is a three-year cycle, with a full-time secondment in the second year. Directors are volunteers with a three-year term and release time granted by the University. All UWSA members are eligible to put their name forward for either position. Nominations are due September 23 at 4:30 p.m."

Visit the UWSA website for details about these roles and how to submit nominations, or attend a virtual information session September 12 or 15 to hear from current presidents and directors.