Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Have your say on employee benefits

A message from Human Resources.

In order to inform potential changes to the benefits program, we are offering employees with benefits an opportunity to complete an online survey about current University of Waterloo benefits. You may access the survey here.

The deadline for completion is October 28, 2019.

You may wish to review the online benefits summary to see what the University currently offers.

The University’s Pension & Benefits Committee regularly reviews the benefits program to ensure provisions are meeting the needs of employees, while also remaining affordable. With the assistance of an external consultant, a Holistic Benefits Review initiative is currently underway supported by a dedicated working group with representation across each of the stakeholder groups (Staff Association, Faculty Association, CUPE Local 793, Affiliated and Federated Institutions, and Retirees Association). While we are not able to increase our spending on benefits, we want to ensure that we are using our current budget most effectively to provide the best value to you.

About the survey

The survey is specific to the following benefits: healthcare (including prescription drugs, medical services and supplies, dental), disability (sick leave and long term disability) and life insurance. It does not include pension, the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), tuition, vacation, or other policies and benefit entitlements.

Participation in the survey is voluntary, and respondents may decline to answer any questions or withdraw from the survey at any time without consequences. The survey is anonymous so no individual will be identified at any time.

The Pension & Benefits Committee can’t promise to accommodate all preferences, but they feel that employee input is essential for good guidance on where to best focus their efforts.

For more information about the survey, please contact benefits@uwaterloo.ca. A paper version of the survey is also available at the Human Resources reception desk.

W Print open house will showcase new digital colour print press

A message from Print + Retail Solutions.

Print + Retail Solutions is in the middle of a multi-year transformation, and we deeply appreciate the campus community’s continued support as we enhance our product and service offerings and improve our operations in order to better serve students, staff, faculty, and alumni.

We are pleased to announce that we have recently updated our digital colour print press to bring new opportunities to the campus to create innovative, compelling designs. The University of Waterloo was the first post-secondary institution in Canada to adopt this revolutionary technology.

Specialty inks such as white, clear, and metallic gold and silver, which were once only achievable on an offset machine, are now available on-campus on this state-of-the-art digital print press. While offset printers require a separate plate to be created for each colour of the job that needs to be run, W Print’s new digital print press offers a budget-friendly alternative that achieves this same high-end look.

We are excited to showcase the capabilities of this new machine. Please join us on Thursday, October 17 at your convenience any time between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

The Open House will take place in both W Print locations: the General Services Complex, room 1167 and South Campus Hall, room 127. It will include:

• Tours of our facilities
• Machine demos
• Q&A
• Giveaways
• Raffle draw for an Apple iPad

Light refreshments will be served. For questions regarding this event or the new digital press, please contact Karen Ertel, Production Manager, at kaertel@uwaterloo.ca or extension 36575.

We hope to see you there!

Waterloo donations come full circle to help alumni and staff member

By Natalie Quinlan. This is an excerpt of an article that was originally published on Waterloo Stories.

Landon Jennings was 14-years-old when her life changed forever.

A freshman in high school, the then grade 9 student had to recount experiences she never wanted to think about again.

“I remember being called out of class to the principal’s office,” says Jennings. “Someone close to me slowly became a monster in front of my eyes as I was forced to replay images I tried to forget.”

In an impact speech, shared with hundreds of people throughout the Waterloo region, the now 25-year-old Waterloo alumni and staff member recalled some of her darkest days, hoping to shine a light on organizations that came to her aid—organizations like United Way.

“When I was 14, I became a child witness, which means I was put in a difficult situation as a child and needed to act as a witness in court,” says Jennings. “I was put in contact with an organization called the Child Witness Centre who specifically help children and youth navigate the court process. That’s kind of where my involvement with the United Way started for me because the United Way provides significant funding to the Child Witness Centre every year.”

Because of the funding received through the United Way, minors like Jennings didn’t have to go through the judicial system alone. Paired with a case worker, young Jennings was provided support to prepare for trial.

“After that, I wanted to give back,” says Jennings. “I always thought that if I could overcome the negative experience that I went through in my life, that then [maybe] I could one day share my story to help others in a positive way.”

As fate would have it, Jennings was hired as a co-op student for the University of Waterloo’s United Way Campaign during her master’s in 2018. Working as a campaign coordinator, Jennings was responsible for helping run United Way initiatives on-campus that ultimately supported the United Way Waterloo Region Communities. The relationship between the two brewed opportunities she hadn’t anticipated before taking on each venture separately. Alongside her campaign coordinator position, Jennings found herself also volunteering as an Impact Speaker, jointly representing the United Way and the University of Waterloo by sharing her story at various engagements around the city.

Read the rest of this article on Waterloo Stories.

Experts explore challenges and strategies of vaccine hesitancy

Waterloo students, staff, and faculty interested in understanding the causes, risks, and strategies related to vaccine reluctance are welcome to attend a research panel session examining the issue.

Registration is required for the October 17 Research Talks, which will feature Waterloo researchers Nancy Waite (School of Pharmacy) and Heather MacDougall (Arts). Professor MacDougall will share her research related to historical, social, and cultural forces behind vaccine concerns and Professor Waite will outline a new approach of mobilizing pharmacists to increase support for vaccination.

They will be joined by two additional panelists. Edward Thommes (Sanofi Pasteur) will discuss how data science is used to characterize the drivers and barriers to vaccination. Natasha Crowcroft (Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases, University of Toronto) will outline public health strategies used to engage immunization confidence.

Research Talks is a regular series hosted by the Office of Research and supported by the Research Support Fund to provide Waterloo staff, faculty, and students with an opportunity to learn about world-class research at Waterloo.