The Daily Bulletin is published by Internal and Leadership Communications, part of University Communications
Contact us at bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Submission guidelines
Editor:
Brandon Sweet
University Communications
bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
A message from the Secretariat.
The nominating committee tasked with selecting the next dean of the Faculty of Mathematics has announced a recommended candidate. The committee unanimously recommends Professor Mark Giesbrecht for a five-year term as dean beginning July 1, 2020.
Professor Giesbrecht completed his BSc at the University of British Columbia and earned both his MSc and PhD in Computer Science from the University of Toronto. He worked at IBM Canada before serving as Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba and at Western University. He joined the University of Waterloo in 2001 as an Associate Professor. His service has included a variety of roles within the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science including as Director (2014-present) and Associate Director (2009-11) and Director of Undergraduate Studies (2002-2005), and also serving as a member of Senate (2016-present). He is a Distinguished Scientist of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and serves on a number of conference and journal editorial boards, as well as NSERC committees.
The Mathematics community will be given the opportunity to review Professor Giesbrecht’s curriculum vitae and cover letter, and to meet him via online open forum on Tuesday, April 14. Regular Mathematics faculty and staff will then vote on his acceptability as the next Dean of Mathematics.
More information about Professor Giesbrecht, the search process, and opportunities to meet with him are available on the committee website.
A message from Information Systems & Technology (IST).
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most University employees are now working from home. Finding the most suitable service(s) to replace our in-person meetings, presentations or lectures is integral to continued collaboration and productivity, and the University has several licensed technologies to support this work.
Individuals may prefer to use a solution not currently licensed or supported by the University, including Zoom (a video communications tool). You may be aware of the increased scrutiny Zoom has received over the last few weeks, highlighting several issues related to privacy and security. This has included reports of racist Zoom-bombing during a dissertation and a 3rd party security/privacy review of Zoom identifying shortcomings. If you are choosing to use Zoom, please carefully consider the following:
The Keep Learning and Staying connected while working remotely sites provides advice on our recommended tools for use in teaching, thesis defences, and meetings. If strict confidentiality is a primary concern for conversations, please contact IST for additional advice.
Advice on avoiding unpleasant intrusions includes:
Note that only paid accounts can create invite-only meetings.
"Oreo is the black and white kitty," writes Nancy Corbett, executive assistant to the Nobel Laureate. "And Pepper is the black kitty who is the most devious."
"Here's my new co-worker Tommy, keeping a watchful eye on me as I read the Bulletin," writes Adrienne Dwyer of Legal and Immigration Services.
"I thought I’d share a picture of my one and only roommate while we’re all working from home," writes Charlene Schumm, director of scheduling & examinations in the Registrar's Office. "It took my little buddy Myah a few days to realize that I hadn’t set up shop to provide her with a new play area!"
"Here are my coworkers watching the street and yelling at everyone to “STAY HOME!”, or the furry one, at least, as she still hasn’t grasped the concept that people are allowed to walk outside while physical distancing," writes Student Success Officer Priscila Carrara.
"Paws is having a difficult time transitioning to our work from home routine, considering she just started her role as my service dog in the office earlier in March. She sometimes thinks her “service” is to warm my chair during breaks."
"This is Pip (dark grey) and Licorne (light grey)," writes Jennifer Murray, development officer, annual giving in the Office of Advancement. "They are in charge of transcription, however they have the uncanny abilty to find the Sleep button instead."
30 years ago: Fear of a Black Planet
Instructors can visit the Keep Learning website to get support on adapting their teaching and learning plans for an online environment.
NEW - Employees can access resources to help them work remotely, including managing University records and privacy of personal information
Here are some tips for staying healthy while working from home:
The Writing and Communications Centre has gone virtual to provide assistance.
We understand that these circumstances can be troubling, and you may need to speak with someone for emotional support. Good2Talk is a post-secondary student helpline based in Ontario, Canada that is available to all students.
If you feel overwhelmed or anxious and need to talk to somebody, please contact the University’s Campus Wellness services, either Health or Counselling Services.
WUSA supports for students:
Student Food Bank food hampers are currently available 24/7 at the Turnkey Desk in the Student Life Centre. If you have any questions please email us at foodbank@wusa.ca.
MATES – Providing general online Peer Support via Skype to undergraduate students. To set up an appointment, please contact mates@wusa.ca
Empower Me is a confidential mental health and wellness service that connects students with qualified counsellors 24/7. They can be reached at 1-844-741-6389.
Glow Centre - Providing online Peer Support for the LGBTQ2+ community via Skype to Undergraduate students. To set up an appointment, please contact glow@wusa.ca
The Women’s Centre – Providing online Peer Support via Skype to undergraduate students. To set up an appointment, please contact womenscentre@wusa.ca
Centre for Academic Policy Support - CAPS is here to assist Waterloo undergraduates throughout their experience in navigating academic policy in the instances of filing petitions, grievances and appeals. Please contact them at caps@wusa.ca . More information at http://wusa.ca/caps
WUSA Commissioners who can help in a variety of areas that students may be experiencing during this time:
WUSA Student Legal Protection Program - Seeking legal counsel can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first time facing a legal issue. The legal assistance helpline provides quick access to legal advice in any area of law, including criminal. Just call 1-833-202-4571.
Please note: The University has suspended all in-person events until further notice. Please contact the event organizers to confirm whether the event has shifted to an online mode of delivery.
If you have listed an event with the Daily Bulletin and need to cancel, postpone or modify the listing, please send an email to bulletin@uwaterloo.ca.
If you have an upcoming event that has not yet appeared in the When and Where listing, please send an email to bulletin@uwaterloo.ca to confirm the event's status.
Warrior Recreation online workouts, Monday to Friday, three times a day at 10:30 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Workouts will be broadcasted live through ZOOM Video Communications.
Writing and Communications Centre virtual writing cafés, Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Wednesdays, 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Workplace Yoga Program is live-streaming classes every Wednesday in April from 12:05 p.m. to 12:50 p.m.
End-of-term evaluation period, Wednesday, April 8 to Saturday, April 25.
NEW - Dean of Mathematics Candidate forum, Tuesday, April 14, 10:30 a.m.
NEW - Remote Course Design Essentials (CTE8000), Wednesday, April, 15. Offered Online (LEARN).
NEW - Portfolio & Project Management Community of Practice (PPM CoP) session, "Adopting agile techniques" Wednesday, April 15, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Community Connect webinar series, 5 Ways to Stay Nourished During a Pandemic featuring Nicole Pin, Dietitian, Food Services, Wednesday, April 15.
The Daily Bulletin is published by Internal and Leadership Communications, part of University Communications
Contact us at bulletin@uwaterloo.ca
Submission guidelines
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.