Monday, May 15, 2023

What is 'bold and game-changing?' community survey invites you to answer

A message from the Office of Research.

The Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity offers $100,000 to fund “bold and potentially game-changing projects in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) to address barriers in the research ecosystem.” 

But what does a "bold and game-changing" project look like? What does the University of Waterloo community consider “bold and game-changing"? The Inclusive Research Team in the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International invites you to participate in a short survey to share your ideas. The information collected will provide guidance to the 2023 Robbins-Ollivier adjudication committee in selecting a submission that best represents the UWaterloo community’s concept of “bold and game-changing".

The survey is open to all students, faculty and staff and will be open until May 24. For questions, please contact research.equity@uwaterloo.ca.

Faculty members: Secure $70,000+ for top-notch postdoctoral fellows

A message from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA).

The 2023 national Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF) program has now launched. The prestigious Banting PDFs are valued at $70,000 per year for two years. Faculty members are encouraged to engage with scholars outside the University of Waterloo, to encourage them to join the Waterloo research community; scholars can include domestic and international doctoral candidates who are anticipating finishing their degree imminently, recent PhD graduates, and postdocs at other institutions. 

An applicant for a Banting PDF program at the University of Waterloo must have secured the endorsement of a Waterloo supervisor(s) – the deadline is June 1, 2023. Further details on Waterloo’s application process and timelines can be found on the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships web page.

Campus Wellness launches self check-in kiosk

A message from Campus Wellness.

Have you seen the new Campus Wellness check-in kiosk in the Health Services building? Students no longer have to wait in line to check-in with a customer service representative who may be on the phone or helping another student at the front desk. The kiosk is fast, friendly, and very easy to use.  

“We are so pleased to introduce our new check-in kiosk for medical appointments,” said Goldi Gill, Executive Director, Campus Wellness. “This implementation is the latest in many technical upgrades Campus Wellness has undertaken in the past several years to improve the student experience. Using the easy check-in kiosk allows students to get to their appointments much quicker with no need to stand in line.” 

Students are whizzing through to their medical appointments by quickly entering their student id number and date of birth. They are given the option to verify their local address and phone number, and then they’re on their way. The kiosk will direct students to the front desk if they have health insurance other than provincial insurance or UHIP, if they owe money or are accessing non-insurable services that they must pay for in advance. This is a small percentage, and the vast majority of students will not fall into one of these categories. Kiosks are not only aimed at improving patient flow, but another way Campus Wellness is committed to improving the student experience and enhancing its services.

Can we fix it? Yes we can, at the repair hub drop-ins and workshops

The UW Repair Hub, run by 4RepairKW, offers free workspace, tools, and tech support for DIY mechanical/electrical repairs, sewing and mending, knife sharpening, and shoe/backpack repair in E7-1401. Funding for the UW Repair Hub, which is run by retiree Murray Zink, comes from the Office of Sustianability and use of the space through the Sedra Student Design Centre.

Repair Hub Drop-Ins

Bring new life to your items that need repair! The drop-in repair hub in E7-1401 is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will run from May 9 to June 29 this term.  

Repair Workshops

Every third Wednesday of the month from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., 4RepairKW also hosts a free repair event, where volunteer repairers are available to help with sewing, mending, jewelry repair, and appliance fixes. The next repair event will take place on Wednesday, May 17. Registration on their Eventbrite is required.

Senate meets today and other notes

The University's Senate meets today at 3:30 p.m. in NH 3407. Among the agenda items:

From Senate Graduate & Research Council: 

• a motion to approve adding a direct entry Co-operative program/option to the MEng in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Program, effective 1 September 2023;
• a motion to approve discontinuing the type 2 GDip in Design Engineering and the type 2 GDip in Design Engineering – Co-operative Program, effective 1 September 2023;
• a motion to approve discontinuing the coursework study option from the MMath in Statistics program, effective 1 September 2023.

From Senate Undergraduate Council:

• a motion to approve the closure of application to part-time on- campus Three-Year General Science program, effective 1 September 2023, as presented.

Senate will also consider the following motions:

• A motion to approve amendments to Policy 33, Ethical Behaviour, and that Senate recommends the amendments to the Board of Governors for approval;
• A motion to give second and final reading to the amendments to Senate Bylaw 4 with said amendments to effect:Removal of the Vice-President, Advancement, the Vice-President, University Relations, and the Deputy Provost, Integrated Planning and Budgeting as ex-officio members of Senate;
• Addition of the Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, the Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Relations, and the Associate Vice-President Academic Operations as ex-officio members of Senate

In the Consent Agenda, Senate will take a number of items for information and vote on the following motion:

• To approve the proposed academic regulation revision to the second degree and degree upgrades for the Faculty of Health, effective 1 September 2024.

Senate will also hear reports from the Honorary Degree Committee, who will name those candidates for honorary doctorates to be granted at the upcoming Convocation ceremonies in June, and from the COU Academic Colleague, Dr. Scott Kline, who is essentially our man on the inside of that august body. Additionally, the President, the Vice-President, Academic & Provost, and the Vice-President, Research and Innovation will give reports to the assembled senators.

Also, today kicks off WUSA Welcome Week for the spring term, which includes events like this morning's Warrior Breakfast from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (or as long as the pancakes yogurt parfaits last) in the SLC Great Hall, Trivia Night on Tuesday, May 16 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the SLC Student Lounge (is that what they're calling the Bombshelter Pub these days?) and the Campus Life Fair on Wednesday, May 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the SLC Great Hall, to name just a few of the events on offer.