Monday, July 12, 2021

Waterloo enters Step 2 with Step 3 just around the corner

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The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is moving into Step 2 of Ontario’s Reopening Framework as of today, which brings a number of changes to campus operations.

Kate Windsor, director of safety, outlined these operational changes in a memo to the campus community distributed Friday.    

The following updates to campus operations will take effect:

• In-person course activity may begin on Monday, July 12 for courses that were originally scheduled to be in person this term but were moved online because of the provincial shutdown and stay-at-home order.  

• Essential courses that continued in-person throughout the shutdown at a reduced capacity of 10 students can return to planned class sizes, with continued 2m physical distancing.  
  The Office of the Registrar will share more information and instructions with instructors of in-person classes. You can find a list of these undergraduate and graduate courses on the COVID-19 website.  

• Employees who have been permitted to return to campus via a departmental COVID-19 Safety Plan may now start or resume permitted activities with the approval of their department head/chair/director.  

• There are no changes to permitted research activities. Further communication about research lab capacity will be forthcoming. 

Changes to campus buildings and spaces: 

• The Student Life Centre and Turnkey Desk are open Monday to Friday (excluding holidays) from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. There is no study space, dining or lounge space available inside the building.   

• The former Bomber patio is open for use Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., seating for 1 person per table only. 

• Athletics and Recreation continues to offer outdoor programming, training and intramurals at Columbia Icefield with restrictions (indoor facilities remain closed). 

• W Store | Gifts + Apparel is open for in-person shopping Monday to Friday 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 pm. W Store | Course Materials + Supplies will re-open for in-person shopping in mid-August. Print + Retail Solutions will continue to facilitate textbook and course material ordering and offers shipping or curbside pickup options. W Print will be operating online-only until further notice. 

• All Library locations are closed except for book pickup and delivery services. Davis Centre Library is open for study space only: Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by appointment. 

"For those individuals working or studying on campus, please note that some COVID-19 signage is being removed from common areas, in preparation for the installation of new signage over the coming weeks," Windsor writes. "Please continue to follow all public health guidance including physical distancing, daily self-assessment using Campus Check-In, hand hygiene and use of face coverings in all common spaces."  

Also launching today is an on-campus vaccine centre for employees, students and their families, as well as the Rapid Antigen screening centre. "We appreciate your efforts in continuing to keep our campus community safe," Windsor's memo continues.

On Friday, it was also announced that the Region may move into Step 3 with the province on Friday, July 16. Further communications will be forthcoming on what those changes mean when decisions are announced.

Organizational and Human Development announces new director

A message from the Associate Provost, Human Resources.

On Monday July 12, Melanie Will began her role as the Director, Organizational and Human Development (OHD). Melanie is a Waterloo alumnus (B.A. Social Development Studies ’99) who rejoins Waterloo from Wilfrid Laurier University where she has been a strategic leader as the Director, Talent and Organizational Development, developing leadership-driven talent and learning solutions.

“I’m very pleased to have Melanie join our senior leadership team,” says Marilyn Thompson, associate provost, human resources, “and I am excited to see what new areas and paths OHD will explore under Melanie’s direction and leadership as we continue to develop our talent and strengthen our University community.”

Melanie built a career focused on staff development and learning, beginning with early roles as a facilitator and organizational development professional before taking progressively more senior roles. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Education from Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a Certified Professional Facilitator, and brings strong history of practice in employee learning and development.

Biology graduate students win Weston Family Awards in Northern Research

A message from the Faculty of Science.

Congratulations to Laura Neary and Hannah Thibault who have been chosen as recipients of the 2021 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research.

Funded by the Weston Family Foundation (formerly The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), these annual awards are some of the most prestigious in the country for students pursuing a master’s degree, a doctoral degree or postdoctoral fellowship.

Laura and Hannah are both graduate students working with Professor Roland Hall in the Department of Biology, studying environmental processes in Northern Canada to understand the effects of stresses on the lakes and wetlands of the regions.

Laura’s PhD research explores causes of lake-level variation and key hydrological processes that influence water balance at lakes across in the Peace-Athabasca Delta in Northern Alberta and the nesting area of the endangered whooping crane in Northwest Territories.

“I am very grateful for receiving the Doctoral Weston Family Award for Northern Research,” says Laura. “I thank the Weston Family Foundation for the financial support and welcoming me to the 'Weston Family'.”

Hannah’s masters research also focuses on the Peace-Athabasca Delta, where she studies climate-driven water resource vulnerability. This research involves looking at the temporal variation in lake water balances to assess impacts of local climate conditions at important upstream tributaries, which help supply critical floodwaters needed to replenish elevated lakes of the wetland.

“I am honoured to be the recipient of a 2021 Weston Family Award in Northern Research, and very thankful for the support it will provide me as I explore my current research interests, says Hannah. “I am grateful for this opportunity and it is very exciting to be welcomed into a group of innovative scientists studying the complexities of the North.”

The Weston Family Awards in Northern Research provide support for young Canadian scientists pursuing research in Canada’s North, with the goal of forming a community of scientists at the forefront of Northern scholarship, and are helping shape a better future for Canada and the world. This year, 14 masters level students, 10 doctoral level students and three postdoctoral fellows were selected for this prestigious award.

Congratulations to both Laura and Hannah.

COVID-19 testing and screening still available on campus

It’s been an impressive few weeks for vaccination numbers in the Region of Waterloo. While vaccines play a crucial part of keeping our campus safe, testing is still an important tool to keep in mind.

If you are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, The Health Services COVID-19 Testing Assessment Centre is an option. The centre is open to the University of Waterloo students, employees, postdocs and their family members who live in the same household. 

The Rapid Antigen screening site at the Davis Centre is open to eligible employees and students who are asymptomatic. Please note that the screening site is now accepting walk-ins, and future visits can be booked before you leave your current appointment.

A reminder that an appointment is required to be booked into the system for both testing sites, but a doctor’s referral is not.

Learn more about eligibility and operation hours

New retirees and other notable notes

Human Resources recently announced a list of Waterloo employees who retired effective June 2021:

• Sharon Lamont, who started at Waterloo in May 1980, retired as Director, Organizational Services in the Library;
• Alnoor Karsan, who joined the University in September 1996, retired as Student Advisor in Co-operative and Experiential Education;
• Giuseppe 'Joe' DePinto, who began working at the University in December 2005, retired as Mechanic I - Controls in Plant Operations;
• Margaret Feeney, who started at Waterloo in September 1984, retired as Research Program Coordinator - Finance in Statistics and Actuarial Science;
• Paul Harrington, who joined the University in November 2001, retired as Mechanic I - Millwright in Plant Operations;
• Stephen Norris, who began working at Waterloo in December 2001, retired as an Electrician in Plant Operations;
• Yanling Li, who started at the University in March 2015, retired as Information Systems Specialist in Information Systems and Technology (IST);
• Louise Mclean, who joined Waterloo in November 1987, retired as Custodian I in Plant Operations; and
• Doug Turnbull, who began working at the University in February 1991, retired as Custodian I - Group Leader in Plant Operations.

Thank you all for your service to the University of Waterloo.

Spring 2021 Wellness Sessions are here, according to the Healthy Workplace Committee. Register for sessions on Establishing Work/Life Balance, Building Working Relationships, Self-Care Strategies During COVID-19, and more. To learn more about each workshop being offered this term and how to register, visit: uwaterloo.ca/healthy-workplace/spring-2021-wellness-sessions.