Monday, October 21, 2019

President's Town Hall set for November 12

The 2019 President's Town Hall Meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 12 at 10:30 a.m. in Federation Hall.

Join President Feridun Hamdullahpur as he discusses the state of the University of Waterloo and presents the University’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan — Connecting imagination with impact for a better world. Everyone is welcome.

President Hamdullahpur will reflect on the University’s accomplishments this past year and will talk about the year ahead. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period where University community members will have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue and share their thoughts and ideas about where Waterloo is heading.

Submit questions for President Hamdullahpur by:

• Filling out the question field during registration. 
• Sending them in via e-mail to townhall@uwaterloo.ca.
• Sending them in via Twitter both before and during the town hall by tweeting to @UWaterloo or by using the hashtag #uwth.
• Asking in-person on the day of the town hall.

The event will conclude with a complimentary light lunch, served in Fed Hall's Columbia Rooms A and B, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Please register to save your seat at the town hall and luncheon. You can also view the livestream of the event.

Zero Waste Week begins

From October 21 to 25, the Sustainability Office and Plant Operations have organized several activities and events to raise the visibility of waste management and encourage proper sorting of waste and recycling on campus during Zero Waste Week: 

• Attend the Lunch + Learn: To kick off the week, Plant Operations is hosting a lunch + learn on Monday from 12:00 p.m.to 1:00 p.m. in EC5 1111. They’ll be sharing information about wasteupdates on campus, including the new receptacles and organics collection, and can answer your waste-related questions! Food and refreshments will be provided.
• Take the Zero Waste Challenge: Try to contain all your garbage in a 500mL mason jar for one week, then tell the Sustainability Office how you did for a chance to win prizes! Stop by the Sustainability Office (EV1-301) to pick up a jar or use your own similar-sized container. Jars are first-come, first-served.
• Visit the Sort-A-Thon: Stop by a pop-up booth across campus to see how many common items you can sort correctly in 30 seconds or less. You can also pick up a mason jar! Follow the Sustainability Office on social media to find a booth.
• Take the Waste Warrior online quiz: Think you have waste sorting smarts? Answer 20 questions to find out if you’re a Recycling Rookie or a Waste Warrior. 

All of the above have prizes available for participating. For more information, visit the Zero Waste Week webpage and help promote on social media using the hashtags #WasteWeekUW and #ShiftZeroUW if you can.

Exercise your franchise: the federal election takes place today

Today Canadian citizens who are 18 and older will have the opportunity to vote in the Federal Election. Polls will be open in Ontario from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Voters will need their voter registration card, which they should have received in the mail, or they can register at the polling station nearest to their home address. To find your polling station, or get additional information, visit the Elections Canada website.

This year, students had the opportunity to vote for candidates running in their student address riding (including residence buildings) or their permanent, mailing address riding. However, students voting in an “away” riding had to have voted before October 21. Those voting today will have to do so at their local polling station. Additional information for student voting is available on the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) website.

"By law, everyone who is eligible to vote must have three consecutive hours to cast their vote on election day," says the Elections Canada website. "If your hours of work do not allow for three consecutive hours to vote, your employer must give you time off."

They're dressed this way for the United Way

A message from the University of Waterloo United Way campaign.

Around 3:00 p.m. today, you might see something a little confusing on campus. Continuing their annual tradition, the deans will be dressing up for senate to encourage Executive Council’s 100 percent participation in the University of Waterloo’s 2019 United Way campaign. The 2019 campus campaign’s goal is $250,000 and the campaign committee needs help from the campus community to get there.

Before they arrive at senate, the deans will be parading around campus—rain or shine. Outside, look out for them along ring road between Needles Hall and the Student Life Centre, through the rock garden and in the Arts quad. Inside, you might find them in Needles Hall, the Science Teaching Complex, the Quantum Nano Centre, and in the Mathematics & Computer building.

Last year, they dressed up as Star Wars characters – you will have to wait to see what their costumes are this year!

If you want to learn more about giving to the campaign, please visit our website.

Monday's notes: Senate agenda, strat plan approval; benefits survey

The University's Senate meets today at 3:30 p.m. in NH 3407. Among the agenda items:

• A motion to approve revisions to the co-operative program requirements for BSc Science programs;
• A motion to appoint David Billedeau as graduate student representative for Environment on the Senate's Graduate & Research Council;
• A motion to receive for first reading changes to Senate Bylaw 3 to coordinate the bylaw with the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association’s Elections and Referenda Procedure. Undergraduate student candidates in Senate elections are now required to follow WUSA campaign spending limits as stipulated in the Elections and Referenda Procedure. In addition, “Federation of Students” has been updated to “Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association”;
• A motion to approve the 2020-2021 calendar dates and calendar guidelines for establishing academic dates;
• A motion to approve the creation of six fields in the MSc program in the School of Public Health and Health systems, effective January 2020;
• A motion to approve the inactivation of the Rehabilitation Sciences Minor and creation of the new Rehabilitation Sciences Specialization, effective September 2020

Additionally, there is a motion for consideration that Senate recommend that the Board of Governors approve the University of Waterloo 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. Following an extensive process of consultation, analysis, and development led by the president and the provost over the course of 18 months, the Senate Long Range Planning Committee has considered the draft and supports the focus outlined in the strategic plan— including principles, core elements, integrative themes for action, goals and objectives—and recommends that Senate support the adoption of the strategic plan and that it recommend its approval by the Board of Governors.

Human Resources would like to remind employees to participate in the Benefits Survey. The survey is anonymous and the deadline for submissions is October 28. 

"If you have completed the survey, thank you for your participation," says a note from the survey organizers. "If not, we look forward to hearing from you. Your voice and opinions matter and your feedback will allow the Pension & Benefits Committee to consider opportunities for improvement. 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."

Questions about the survey can be directed to benefits@uwaterloo.ca. A paper version of the survey is also available at the Human Resources reception desk.