Thursday, January 22, 2026

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• Leadership updates for Special Constable Service and Safety Office

• Historical links: Athletics names golf simulator for Jack Pearse and Dave Hollinger
• History Speakers Series presents Sashar Zarif
• Participants sought for School of Optometry & Vision Science study

Leadership updates for Special Constable Service and Safety Office

Michael Barnhart, Jason MacDonald, and Andrew Scheifele.

Executive Director Kate Windsor is announcing new incumbents in leadership roles within the Safety, Security, and Transportation portfolio.

The Special Constable Service has a new director as of December 1, 2025. “Michael Barnhart joins the University of Waterloo with 35 years of policing experience, coming from the Ontario Police College and the Peel Regional Police Service where he retired at the rank of Inspector,” Windsor writes.

“Jason MacDonald has been appointed for 2 years into the role of seconded Staff Sergeant, Operations,” Windsor’s announcement continues. “This role was previously held by Mike Becks, who also served as Interim Director from 2023 to 2025. Jason is a Staff Sergeant with the Waterloo Region Police Service.” 

In the Safety Office, Andrew Scheifele took on the role of Director on September 1, 2025. “Andrew has been with the Safety Office since 2014 and has been in a leadership role for the past several years,” Windsor writes.

“Please join me in congratulating and welcoming them into their new positions,” Windsor writes.

Historical links: Athletics names golf simulator for Jack Pearse and Dave Hollinger

Dave Hollinger, Roly Webster, John Pearse, and Mike Pearse. Photo credit: Karsen Campbell.

By Keagan Mulvey and Sam Bellerose. This article was originally published on the Athletics and Recreation website.

The Department of Athletics and Recreation is elated to announce the renaming of the indoor golf simulator to the Jack Pearse & Dave Hollinger aboutGolf Teaching and Research Facility. Housed in the Physical Activities Complex, the indoor golf simulator is used to conduct the latest research into golf equipment and biomechanics, and acts as a special tool used by the men's and women's varsity golf teams to facilitate their practice schedules and extend their game play throughout the year. 

Dave and Jack were honoured at a renaming ceremony on Saturday. Dave was joined by his daughter Deanna and her family. Jack's sons John and Mike were in attendance in honour of their late father, who passed in 2013. All guests were invited to watch the Warriors women's and men's basketball games Saturday night against the Western Mustangs, from the same seats where Dave and Jack were regularly seen throughout their time at Waterloo. 

Jack Pearse was a highly decorated coach, overseeing the Waterloo Warriors golf team as Head Coach from 1968 to 1975. Over that period, he led the team to two OQAA championships in 1969 and 1970, and two OUAA championships in 1972 and 1975. The captain of the team at that time was Dave Hollinger.  

Jack also provided his teams with many opportunities to face the best of the best in competitions, initiating and organizing golf exhibitions against top NCAA teams. Jack's legacy also includes being the founder of the UW golf school. 

Beyond varsity athletics, Jack helped in the establishing of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo. It was him who proposed the Recreation and Leisure Studies degree to the Ministry of Education. The University of Waterloo's Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies has since been ranked as one of the top leisure studies departments. Jack also became the first person to teach golf in the Kinesiology Skills program on campus. 

Dave Hollinger, like his coach and eventual co-coach, was a serial winner, and as a member of the Warriors golf team from 1969-1974, Dave captained the team from 1971-1973. He was a part of three provincial championship teams, capturing the OQAA/OUAA's Ruttan Cup in 1969, 1970 and 1972. He was an individual silver medalist in 1970, and a five-time team winner of the University of Waterloo's Invitational Golf Tournament between 1969 and 1973.  

As a coach, he kept winning. He led his Warriors Golf team to twelve OUA championship medals (seven golds, three silvers, two bronzes) and nine out of ten top-ten finishes at the Canadian University/College Golf Championship, winning a silver medal in 2012. Dave retired as the winningest player and coach of any sport at the University of Waterloo history.  

Dave also gave back to golf and leisure in the Region of Waterloo, as he was a very important figure in the setting up the Jack Pearse and Dave Hollinger Warrior Golf Endowment. It has been providing funding for the Warriors golf team for over 25 years now. He has also been an important member of the President's Golf Tournament Committee that has helped to raise over $1.3 million for the Warriors Excellence Fund and Women's Sport Initiative, benefitting all 36 Warriors varsity teams. 

Jack and Dave will forever be joined. In 2010, the Golf Coaches Association of Canada presented Dave with the inaugural Jack Pearse Coaches Award, presented to a coach that contributed significantly to the growth of post-secondary golf.  

Dave Hollinger and Jack Pearse show off their black and gold pants with Governor General David Johnston at the 2011 President's Golf Tournament.

"Jack Pearse and Dave Hollinger exemplify what it means to be leaders in sport," said Brian Bourque, Associate Director, Interuniversity Sport. "Honouring them through this facility ensures future generations understand the legacy they created and the opportunities they made possible for our student-athletes."  

"This renaming is a tribute to two individuals whose vision and dedication shaped the foundation of golf at Waterloo," said Warriors Director of Athletics Roly Webster. "Jack and Dave built a culture of excellence that continues to inspire our student-athletes today. The facility bearing their names will stand as a lasting reminder of their impact on our campus and the sport of golf in this region."

History Speakers Series presents Sashar Zarif

A message from the History department.

We are excited to host artist Sashar Zarif on Monday, January 26 from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. for the History Speakers Series. Sashar’s talk, entitled “From Story to State: Embodied Listening in an Age of Noise” explores story as a lived condition rather than a narrative form, and artistic practice as a way of remaining aligned with life itself. Drawing inspiration from ancestral and traditional ways of knowing—where listening, attention, and continuity are central—it reflects on how stories are encountered, embodied, and lived, particularly in contexts shaped by movement, transition, and migration. The talk considers listening as a foundational condition for understanding experience, meaning, and action in an age of constant noise. Sashar will be performing at the Registry Theatre on Tuesday January 27. 

Sashar Zarif is a transdisciplinary artist–scholar originally from Azerbaijan whose practice explores embodied listening, movement, and lived experience. He is the founder of Living Stories, an approach that brings together movement, sound, and attentive presence as ways of staying close to life as it unfolds. His work spans creation, performance, research, education, and mentorship, shaped by more than three decades of practice across more than forty countries. He is the recipient of the 2025 Selma Jeanne Cohen Dance Lecture Award presented by the Fulbright Association.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday, January 26, from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. in Hagey Hall 117. Light refreshments will be served!

Participants sought for School of Optometry & Vision Science study

A panoramic view of the most complicated part of the O&M course.

Researchers at the School of Optometry & Vision Science are currently seeking adults 18 years and over diagnosed with either retinitis pigmentosa (RP), rod-cone dystrophy, or advanced glaucoma resulting in constricted visual fields in both eyes for a study which examines whether orientation and mobility (O&M) skills can be improved using a safe, well-established technique for modulating brain function called non-invasive brain stimulation. Previous studies have found that non-invasive brain stimulation  can improve peripheral visual field and contrast sensitivity, which are excellent visual predictors of mobility . The current study is exploring the possibility of the effects of neuromodulation extending to a real-life functional task such as mobility. This is the first study of its kind, and if the results show a positive effect, the data could be used to power a larger study.

Study participants will be asked to complete an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) course composed of an array of static natural and artificial (man-made) obstacles after applying stimulation to vision processing brain areas. Individuals with constricted field loss in both eyes who use a long white cane for travelling will be asked to complete the course with their cane. Those with constricted visual field in both eyes who do not use a cane can also participate in the study and complete the same course without a cane. Static natural obstacles refer to fixed/steady/stable obstacles that are either readily found in the environment (e.g., potted plants) or form part of the architecture of the building (e.g., a pole or a sealed doorway). Artificial obstacles are made of light materials such as polystyrene, rubber foam, soft cardboard, or paper.

The study involves 3 sessions, each 2 hours long. Sessions 2 and 3 must be at least 48 hours apart. The total time commitment is 6 hours, and the entire study can be conducted in one week. Participants should have no history of epilepsy, heart conditions or head/brain injuries; no cognitive impairments, physical or motor impairments and/or vestibular disorders or dysfunctions resulting in walking and/or balancing issues. They should not have any metal or electric implants in their body (tooth filings are acceptable) and should not be on psychoactive medication for any psychiatric or neurological conditions including but not limited to depression and schizophrenia. Participants must be eligible for non-invasive brain stimulation (researchers will screen for this).

Eligible participants will receive $40 per session in appreciation for their time and regional transportation costs will be covered. If you, your family members, or acquaintances might be eligible and interested, please contact Melanie Mungalsingh for more information at mamungal@uwaterloo.ca. This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board.