Tuesday, January 4, 2022

President, Provost update campus on remote learning, working in January

"Welcome to another non-traditional start to the New Year," write President Vivek Goel and Provost James Rush in a memo circulated to campus this morning. "While the break may not have been all that we wished for, we do hope that everyone had some time to rest, recharge and connect with family and friends."

"Yesterday, the Government of Ontario announced that it would move to a modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen starting tomorrow. At the University, we are already well positioned to manage this change to Ontario’s public health protection measures."

"Before the Winter Break we moved most teaching and learning online until January 24, and we asked all employees who can work from home to do so until the same date. To align with the government direction, we will extend these arrangements until January 27. Guidance from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities indicates that essential in-person learning activities are permitted to continue as previously planned, however, recreation facilities are now closed and food services on campus will be take-out only."

"We know that this late change by the government means many people in our community will now need to balance their responsibilities at work with support and care-giving responsibilities, including children who are learning from home until at least January 17."  

"We need to look out for one another as we all grapple with a year starting with changes, again. We are asking leaders, managers, chairs and department heads to be mindful of individual circumstances and be flexible particularly in accommodating people as they deal with the delay in returning to in person learning for children at school."

We are working on proactive measures to support people who must come to campus 

"We know that for many people, returning to the campus is a necessity – even while most of our community learns and works remotely. This means that for people in the highest risk roles and situations who work on our campus we are working to obtain more rapid antigen tests and we continue to procure medical-grade masks that are available through Central Stores."  

"Whether you are coming to campus or not, there are ways in which you can help flatten the curve and protect yourself against severe illness:" 

• Get a booster dose as soon as possible, and make sure eligible children are vaccinated as soon as possible. The evidence is now clear that boosters are highly effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization. What’s more, we expect that booster doses will become part of being “fully vaccinated” in Ontario soon and will be required to access our campuses in due course. 

  • If you need to book a booster dose you can do so with Health Services and there are many online resources to help you find available shots, such as Vaccine Ontario or Vaccine Hunters. 

• Wear a mask that fits well, has multiple layers, and has an effective filter layer. You can expect detailed guidance from the Safety Office on new protective equipment guidelines for working on our campuses later today. Wherever you go, please always follow the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) recommendations on masks. 

• Limit your contact with other people and stay home if you have any symptoms of COVID-19. You can take this self-assessment if you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms.  

"As we review the government guidelines, we will advise if any changes are needed to research activities on campus."

"If we all do our part now to slow the spread of the Omicron variant and protect the healthcare system, we can get back to in-person learning and working," the president and provost write. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and work to obtain the safety supplies of masks and rapid tests that will support us when we return to in-person activities." 

"Please keep watch on your email, our social media channels, and the COVID-19 information website for more help and information." 

What else is new in 2022

And we're back. Well, sort of. The University's winter term operations begin today, wherever possible, employees should continue working from home. The co-operative work term also kicks off today for students on co-op in winter 2022. 

Lectures and classes commence Wednesday, January 5, 2022, and will be online for the most part, with a few exceptions for clinical and laboratory classes.

Here's what else is open on campus as of today. Please note that due to the recent Ontario government directives, this list may no longer be accurate.

W Store | Gifts + Apparel, W Store | Course Materials and Supplies, W Store Essentials | MC and W Print locations have resumed regular hours as of today and will be processing orders sent in after December 22.

The ECEC children’s program reopened today with regular hours has delayed their re-opening until January 24, 2022.

The Centre including WatCard (located within The Centre) reopened today.

Campus Housing service desks in residences also reopened in early January.

IST service desks have resumed operations as of today.

Library locations and virtual reference services resume operations today.

Some Food Services locations are open for take-out service only. The Brubakers food court in the Student Life Centre will be closed until January 24. Check the Food Services locations and hours page for more detailed information.

Senior administrators begin administrating

A number of senior University administrators have begun their terms in office effective January 1, 2022. Among them:

Nenone Donaldson began her term as Vice-President, Advancement. Donaldson joined the University in the Faculty of Engineering in 2004 during Campaign Waterloo as one of the institution’s first Faculty-based fundraisers. In 2017, she assumed leadership of the advancement team in Engineering, a portfolio which includes marketing, communications, recruitment, events, alumni relations, and fundraising. 

The Office of Research announced in late December that Dr. Ian Milligan has been appointed as Associate Vice-President (AVP), Research Oversight and Analysis, for a five-year term, starting on January 1, 2022. Milligan is a member of the Department of History and has explored in his research the transformative impact of technology on historical research, with a special focus on web archives and other repositories of born-digital information.

The Office of Research also announced the appointment of Dr. Karim S. Karim as Associate Vice-President (AVP), Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, for a five-year term, starting January 1, 2022. Karim received his BASc and PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, both from the University of Waterloo, and an MBA from the Rotman School at the University of Toronto. He was at Simon Fraser University from 2003 to 2007 as an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering Science and is currently a Professor in Waterloo's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

At the Faculty level, Christiane Lemieux begins a term as Associate Dean Operations and Academic in the Faculty of Mathematics that runs from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024.

Provost announces changes to staff performance appraisals for this year

"In light of recent concerns about the Omicron variant and the temporary return to remote working routines where possible in January 2022, we are introducing streamlining and flexibility in the performance appraisal process for this year," Vice-President, Academic & Provost James Rush wrote in a memo to staff and their managers just before the holiday break.

"Similar to last year, the completion of the Staff Confidential Appraisal Form will be optional and decided upon by the Staff employee," the provost's memo continues. "For those who decide not to complete the Form, managers will be expected to write a brief summary of performance through 2021 using a template that will be provided in January. Either form of performance documentation will become part of the Staff employee’s employment file. Regardless of the form used, managers should have at least one performance conversation with employees as part of the appraisal process."

"The performance rating assigned will be based on Staff performance in 2021, rather than the 3-year average used as the minimum for 2020 appraisals, with consideration towards any accommodations that may have existed during the year. Ratings will be collected by HR from salary pool approvers early in March through Excel spreadsheet."

"We believe that a simplified and straightforward performance appraisal framework is the best approach under the circumstances," writes the provost. Additional details and information about the process will be released later this month.

Registration opens for the January Anti-racism book club

This article originally appeared in the Catalyst e-newsletter.

PART continues its anti-racism book club series on January 18, 2022, at 12 noon with a review of the book The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power by journalist, activist, and author Desmond Cole. Tracelyn Cornelius, Anti-racism communications manager at University Relations, who also works to plan and coordinate PART’s activities, will facilitate this session.

Winner of the 2020 Toronto Book Award, The Skin Were In was based on a personal essay written by Cole in 2015 called The Skin I'm In, which shared his experiences with police surveillance and carding. Cole’s 2017 chronicles of struggles against racism have been lauded as a comprehensive snapshot of the Black experience in Canada.

“The Skin We’re In presents an uncompromising look at racism in Canada and its lasting impact,” Cornelius said. “Cole outlines a wide range of stories and experiences including police brutality, anti-Black racism in education and the oppression of Indigenous peoples.”

Cornelius hopes that the upcoming dialogue will help to identify concrete instances of systemic racism and illicit direct individual actions that can be done to help create a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive society, free of racism and discrimination.

“This book also shares instances of how others have confronted racism,” Cornelius continued. I hope that January’s book club will be an inspiration to those trying to understand their role in creating an anti-racist society.”

Please find registration information for PART’s anti-racism book club online.

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Writing and Communication Centre launches programs for winter term

The Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) is back in action as registration opens for two of its flagship programs.

Dissertation Boot Camp

Applications are now open for the Writing and Communication Centre's Dissertation Boot Camp. "Build a sustainable plan and make progress on your writing with Dissertation Boot Camp," says a note from the WCC. "This four-day program combines virtual workshops with individual writing time and individual consultations to help thesis and dissertation writers set goals and make progress in their work.  DBC will take place over Microsoft Teams from Tuesday, February 22 to Friday, February 25, 2022. Applications are due by January 19, 2022. For more information or to apply please visit: https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/dissertation-boot-camp."

English Conversation Circles

Registration for English Conversation Circles (ECC) is now open. "This six-week online program provides a safe space for English Language Learners (ELL) to practice conversational English with friendly staff and students," says the note from WCC. ECC meets Tuesdays 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Wednesdays 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. from January 25 to March 9, 2022. For more information or to register please visit: https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/services-0/english-conversation-circles.