Monday, May 9, 2022

President issues statement on open and constructive dialogue

A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor.

The past couple of years have placed unique strains on everyone in our world. The pandemic and its associated impacts to the way we all live, learn and work have changed so much about how we interact with the people around us, and with people we’ve only met virtually on video, by email or on social media.
 
In many circumstances, discussions about pandemic public health measures have been very passionately charged – understandably so, when life and liberty are the issues at hand. But sometimes passion has translated into personal attacks or has reached levels of harassment or abuse.
 
It’s not just pandemic pressure that has elicited passionate responses between people in recent times – also crossing the line from discussion to abuse. Researchers working in a variety of areas across the University have had to endure some abusive treatment by email and on social media recently. Increasingly, as we seek to bring our research to more audiences, our people are subject to deeply troubling conduct from individuals around the world – and sometimes from people here on our campus and community.
 
Anyone involved in public discourse, novel research, even just opening their email or scrolling their social media feed, has experienced big changes in the level of civility in the conversations we are hearing or observing. This isn’t a new phenomenon, either. Many have written about the growth of cyberbullying, online harassment, and abuse. It’s simply too easy for any of us to write an email, compose a tweet or tap a text message that can harm the recipient.
 
The consequences of these kinds of behaviours are serious, and real. When the abuse emerges from outside the University, we have a range of supports available to help people manage unwanted and harassing attention. On campus, we have policies in place that protect free expression and academic freedom. We have many appropriate fora to discuss and debate ideas and issues in an honest and responsible pursuit of knowledge. We also have policies that allow us to act if behaviour crosses the line of harassment or unethical behaviour. We will not tolerate any form of harassment in any forum.
 
To be clear, our mission is to advance learning and knowledge through teaching, research and scholarship in an environment of free expression and inquiry. These freedoms require us to act responsibly, noting that academic freedom is not a license to say or do whatever one pleases, and upholding free expression for all is compromised when some begin to self-censor in an abusive environment.
 
Ultimately then, the spirit of our mission to seek knowledge through scholarship and learning relies on each of us to conduct ourselves in ways that promote civility and respect no matter where we are working – whether this is in a Senate meeting, an interaction with students in a classroom or posting on social media. It also requires every one of us to participate in university life with care, concern and respect for the people around us. Speaking up against inappropriate conduct one observes is one of the ways to express these values of care, concern and respect.
 
It’s clear that our community must do some healing after two years of isolation and to address this pernicious movement to disrespectful, often hate-fueled dialogue. As we work together to reconnect and rekindle relationships, we must celebrate and preserve the University as a place where we can have different opinions and respectfully challenge one another to think differently. We must also preserve our values and demonstrate genuine care, concern and respect for all members of our community and the world in which we live.

Resources for dealing with online harassment or unwanted attention

The Conflict Management and Human Rights Office has a range of supports for anyone dealing with conflict, human rights issues or workplace harassment including a social media abuse help page.
 
The University Communications team offers support for dealing with issues including handling media enquiries, message development and PR handling, social media support, and more. They can also act as spokespeople for the University in responding to email.
 
If you are in a situation involving unwanted touching or aggressive and threatening behaviour, you can consider contacting the Special Constable Service (ext. 22222 or 519-888-4911) or the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office.
 
The University’s Employee Assistance Program offers short-term, confidential counselling that includes face-to-face (flexible hours), telephone or online sessions for a variety of reasons. Services for students are available through Student Care.

Voting is open for the Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity

A message from the Office of Research.

All University of Waterloo employees and students are invited to contribute to choosing the University’s nomination for the Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity: 2022 Inaugural Competition by voting for one of three projects under consideration for this award.

Members of the University community are encouraged to thoroughly review each proposal and assess which one will have the greatest impact to further equity, diversity, and inclusion on campus. The overall Waterloo community ranking will be submitted to an internal selection committee for consideration in determining the University’s sole application.

Voting will close on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. You must sign in with your Waterloo credentials to vote.The online voting web page is now open, so vote soon.

W Store launches the Vintage Collection

A message from Print + Retail Solutions.

W Store has been working closely with Creative Services to create a collection of vintage UWaterloo branded items. The design for these items was inspired and developed from archival records of what the University’s shield used to look like in the late 1960s. 

“There’s 65 years of history here at the University of Waterloo, and with that spirit in mind we have created a vintage-inspired design for W Store. We used gold and a deep red in the shield along with the original Latin motto, Concordia cum veritate, which translates to ‘in harmony with truth,’” says Christine Goucher, Director, Creative Services.

With a nod to the past, this collection will focus on creating a sense of belonging and interconnectedness for the Waterloo community. Waterloo alumni, staff and faculty who attended the institution during this period will remember and resonate with this logo from their time at Waterloo, while current students can embrace the history of the institution and take home a piece of Waterloo’s past.

“It has been a pleasure working with the Creative Services team and seeing this concept come to life,” says Ryan Jacobs, Director, Print + Retail Solutions. “As an Arts grad (BA ’00), I feel a great deal of nostalgia for my time as a student and what the University of Waterloo meant to me at that point in my life. I’m excited to be able to wear something today that is rooted in the University’s past.”

With this collection, you can celebrate a piece of Waterloo history. Connect with our past, as we look forward to our collective future and continue to build the Waterloo community. This collection should give us pause, and inspire us to take a moment to appreciate how far the institution has come.

Items in this collection will include apparel, drinkware and stationery products all featuring the vintage design and will be available for purchase in W Store | Gifts + Apparel in South Campus Hall or online at wstore.ca.

Inaugural Lecture in the Study of Palestine takes place May 24

A message from the Faculty of Arts.

The Faculty of Arts invites faculty, staff and students to attend the Inaugural Lecture in the Study of Palestine on the evening of May 24, 2022, featuring distinguished guest speaker, Dr. Reem Bahdi, Dean of Windsor Law and the first Palestinian law professor in Canada. 

Taking place on campus in Fed Hall, the event will begin with a lecture by Dr. Bahdi entitled The Kindness of Strangers: Being Palestinian, Living the Law. The lecture will be followed by a buffet dinner reception with a selection of traditional Palestinian food and a traditional folk dance by the Levant Dabke Group, sponsored by the Friends of the Foundation for Palestinian Studies.

About the speaker

Reem Bahdi has been a member of the Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, since 2002 where her teaching and research has focused on access to justice in both Canada and Palestine. Dean Bahdi co-created and co-directed KARAMAH, The Project on Judicial Independence and Human Dignity, a multi-million dollar initiative which aimed to support human dignity in Palestine through research, continuing judicial education and directed civil society engagement. She is recipient of the 2017 Guthrie Medal for her research, teaching and advocacy and was appointed a member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists in 2015 for national research excellence. Professor Bahdi is the first Palestinian law dean in North America.

This new lecture series is part of an initiative based in the Faculty of Arts to build cultural, historical, and political understanding and insight on Palestinian issues and communities.

Tickets are free of charge and available for the full in-person event, for the lecture only, or to view the lecture via live stream. Please register.

Explore Waterloo's Innovation Ecosystem and other notes

"Entrepreneurship-related events and programs are some of the most popular among students with Velocity’s experiential hub at the University of Waterloo seeing close to 2,000 attendees’ last term alone," says an announcement from Velocity. "Join us and explore all that our innovation ecosystem has to offer you. Hear from Velocity, Problem Lab, Zero, Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, GreenHouse, St. Paul’s University College, Grebel Peace Incubator, and the University of Waterloo Library. Find out about events, programs, student creator spaces and more."

The Innovation Ecosystem event takes place Tuesday, May 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the South Campus Hall cafeteria and online. Register now.

"Plus stay to the end to be entered to win a pair of AirPods," says the note from Velocity.

Applications are now open for the Writing and Communication Centre's Dissertation Boot Camp program. "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."

The Dissertation Boot Camp will take place over Microsoft Teams from July 5 to July 8 in a hybrid format. Applications are due by Friday, June 3.