Monday, April 26, 2021

What the extended stay-at-home order means for spring term

The province of Ontario has extended the current provincial shutdown and stay-at-home orders for 2 weeks, until May 20, 2021, which affects in-person teaching, research and other operations on campus, including the beginning of spring term. 

"The extended shutdown restrictions will be the same as the restrictions currently in place under the previously announced measures; this includes current research activity restrictions," wrote President Feridun Hamdullahpur in an update circulated to campus on Thursday last week.

In-person course activity can only begin for subject matter or instruction that requires that it be taught in-person, such as clinical or hands-on training, with a limit of 10 students per section, with some exemptions in health care disciplines.  

• Faculty associate deans have been contingency planning for spring term and have identified courses that will begin in person or remotely during the stay-at-home order.
• Instructors will consult with their associate dean or chair for clarity and direction and should inform students about class format (in-person or remote) for the beginning of spring term (May 10, 2021) as soon as possible. 
• A list of spring undergraduate and graduate courses offered in-person is available online.

Crossing the border into Ontario from another province is permitted for the purpose of moving to the Region or into residence on campus.

• Students are not required to quarantine before crossing an inter-provincial border; however, the Ontario government is strongly recommending that anyone travelling between provinces self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.
• If you are coming to Waterloo from another province, please make a plan to self-isolate before integrating with housemates or other community members.
• If you will be travelling by land across a provincial border to come to Waterloo, you can apply for a letter to confirm you need to reside in the Waterloo Region during the spring term. There are two forms to request a the letter for undergraduate or graduate students.
• At this time, the shutdown does not impact the arrival of international students. Federal and provincial 14-day quarantine requirements and the provincial COVID-19 testing requirement are still mandatory upon arrival into Canada. International students should continue to follow Waterloo’s travel processes and remember that students are not permitted to quarantine in residence.

"Please continue to follow all University safety protocols and to only attend campus for classes which are scheduled in-person," Hamdullahpur writes. "As we approach a period of heightened uncertainty, it is also important to take care of yourselves and each other. Help is available if you need it. Thank you for your perseverance, patience and support as we all do our part to stop the spread."

Library releases annual report

A message from the Library.

The Library is delighted to release its Annual Report for 2020. Working alongside campus partners throughout 2020, the Library demonstrated its ability to continue to support critical research needs, instruction, and the student journey.

"It was a year like no other in recent history, with the global COVID-19 pandemic, and protests over racial violence and injustice testing our collective humanity and strength," writes University Librarian Beth Namachchivaya in the report's introduction. "The University of Waterloo Library, part of an agile network of Canadian and North American research libraries, engineered new and equitable ways of ensuring that information and expertise is at our users’ fingertips, regardless of their location and means."

The report highlights the Library’s support for Waterloo students, faculty, and researchers in their individual and collective learning, research, and innovation journeys. Delve into stories about inspired artwork, an internationally-recognized bibliometrics program, and new acquisitions that supported the transition to online learning and instruction.

The vaccine hunters

By Brian Caldwell. This article was originally featured on Waterloo News.

Josh Kalpin started out just trying to protect his own friends and family from COVID-19.

A month later, the Waterloo Engineering alumnus has helped thousands of people across the country get shots in the arm as a core volunteer for a Twitter account that spreads the word on available vaccine appointments.

Vaccine Hunters Canada has grown to more than 140,000 followers and is now partnering directly with some health agencies to help people find open slots and boost vaccine uptake by matching demand with supply.

Kalpin (BSE ’16), a software engineer in Toronto for financial technology company Square, had no idea how the service would take off when he offered to help after coming across it in his own search for vaccine appointments.

Now it’s “like a second full-time job” and he has done interviews with reporters across the country to promote the account and help ensure available vaccine slots don’t go unfilled.

“We’re saving lives – and a lot of them,” Kalpin says. “I think that summarizes the impact pretty well.”

A team of almost 50 volunteers at Vaccine Hunters Canada scours pharmacy, hospital and clinic sites for updates on vaccine appointments, then announces them on the Twitter account and a Discord chat server.

The result is a tool that helps users navigate what can be a confusing system to secure approved vaccine appointments, kind of an online clearinghouse to improve booking efficiency and make sure available doses are put to good use.

Goal is 'shots in arms'

“Shots in arms,” says Kalpin, who turned an engineering co-op position into his full-time job at Square. “That’s the goal.”

As the second person in on the initiative, he credits lessons learned at the University of Waterloo on “how to get things done” for the skills he needed to manage such a rapid scale-up.

It has been a busy but rewarding experience for Kalpin, a former executive with the Engineering Society at Waterloo who came home to make a difference after working stints in San Francisco and New York.

“This has given me and a lot of other Canadians something tangible to do in a year that we’ve all felt very helpless,” he says. “I think that is a powerful thing.”

Main photo: Gustavo Fring from Pexels.

Preview event for 2022 Indigenous-Mennonite relations conference coming up

A message from Conrad Grebel University College.

From May 13 to 15, 2022, a group of international attendees will gather at Conrad Grebel University College for an education conference entitled Indigenous-Mennonite Encounters in Time and Place. Next year may seem like a long way off, but right around the corner on May 13, a virtual preview event will premiere on the Grebel YouTube channel at 7:00 p.m. This special video presentation will include messages of welcome and introductions from Indigenous and Mennonite scholars, collaborators, community members, and musicians.

“The conference was originally planned for May 2021,” said event organizer and archivist-librarian Laureen Harder-Gissing. “When we decided to postpone until May 2022 due to Covid restrictions, we didn't want to let the original date go unmarked. The sampler is meant to provide a taste of what the 2022 event might be, and to encourage responses to our call for proposals.”

Both the conference and the sampler aim to advance reconciliation and bring justice to Indigenous-Mennonite relations by furthering understanding on the part of Mennonites and other settlers of their colonial histories. Participants will share stories and conversations, and artists will express their creativity.

“Mennonites have a long history of encounters with Indigenous peoples across the globe,” says event organizer and director of Mennonite Studies Marlene Epp. “This includes positive relationships and also violation of justice and rights for Indigenous peoples. The Indigenous-Mennonite Encounters gathering is one small step on a journey that Mennonites need to travel in re-thinking their own historical narratives.”

One highlight of the in-person gathering will be a concert with a commissioned composition for choir and performance by internationally recognized cellist and composer Cris Derksen. Derksen is of Mennonite and Cree heritage, descending from a line of chiefs from the NorthTall Cree Reserve on her father’s side, and a line of Mennonite homesteaders on her mother’s side. “She is extremely talented and creative,” Karen Sunabacka, Associate Professor of Music, said. “I heard her perform a solo show—cello with electronics—a few years ago and it was fantastic.”

Other participants featured in the upcoming preview video include Amy Smoke, Reina Neufeldt, Steve Heinrichs, Clarence Cachagee, Seth Ratzlaff, Hannah Enns, Lori Campbell, Kelly Fran Davis, and Mim Harder.

Mark your calendars for May 13, 2021 and 2022, and prepare to learn, share, and experience stories of encounters and relationships between Indigenous peoples and Mennonite settlers throughout history in these interactive and informative events.

New professional affiliation for the Balsillie School of International Affairs

"The BSIA is pleased to announce that its application for affiliate membership in the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) has been successful," says a note from the Balsillie School of International Affairs. "Our affiliation with the organization inaugurates us into a ‘club’ which includes the likes of Harvard, Yale, Lee Kwong Yew School (Singapore), Sciences Po (France), Stanford, American University, George Washington, Princeton, as well as Canada’s own Munk School of Global Affairs and The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs."

"The benefits of membership are significant and, in particular, include some fantastic resources for our students and graduates. The APSIA website offers a direct link to members’ admissions processes; fellowships and scholarships; opportunities for international internship and employment opportunities; research and professional development opportunities for both faculty and students; and resources which support different stages of career development."