Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Campus Wellness updates individual appointment model

A message from Campus Wellness.

We’re excited to announce that Campus Wellness (CW) individual appointment model of counselling has gone through some changes to allow CW to more effectively support students with their therapeutic goals. The counselling services provided at Campus Wellness are available to students experiencing challenges with their mental health and wellbeing, especially when they are negatively impacting their academic success or university experience.

So, what’s new? CW's improved individual counselling model is designed to: 

• Focus on the needs of each individual student who is accessing counselling;

• Determine the number of sessions a student receives based on a student’s individual needs and progress, rather than a limited session model; and 

• Does not have a calendar year restriction. Students can return the same calendar year for individual counselling if needed. 

This model does its best to balance the needs of each individual student who is currently seeking/accessing counselling. CW recognizes that waiting for an individual counselling appointment can be frustrating. During certain times of the academic year, students may experience longer waiting periods for individual counselling appointments based on the increased demand. Campus Wellness is making every effort to see students as soon as possible and working with a process improvement analyst to better this process. 

A variety of support resources are necessary to meet the needs of students. Same-day counselling appointments (Wednesdays and Thursdays) and intake appointments (Monday to Friday) are available to support students. Students can call Campus Wellness (519-888-4096) during daytime hours (8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.) to book an appointment. If a student is in distress, crisis appointments can be accessed every weekday to be scheduled for either an Immediate (within 24 hours) or Urgent appointment (within 3 to 5 days). 

After-hours mental health crisis support is also available through Here 24/7: 1-844-437-3247 and counselling support is provided 24 hours a day through Empower Me: 1-833-628-5589. For more information about Empower Me students are encouraged to check out the Empower Me WUSA website. 

MAD changes its name and updates its service

A message from the Faculty of Environment.

Mapping, Analysis and Design (MAD) in the Faculty of Environment has undergone a work force planning review this past year and is excited to announce that they are changing their name to Environment Technology & Instructional Support (ETIS pronounced e-tis). This change will help clarify the services provided and demonstrates that the unit has grown from an IT focus to include instructional support through their work with the Environment Maker Space (formerly the “MAD Workshop”) and Ecology Lab.

The name change is not the only aspect of the unit that is evolving. There are three updates to their services that you should be aware of:

• Space changes – The lab space in EV2-1011 now has workstations where students can bring their own laptop to work on. This includes new docking stations and cables, and (coming soon) a lounge area with new, modern chairs and coffee tables so that students can take a break from their work. All of these updates were possible thanks to funding from WESEF.
• Equipment loans - The program is being phased out given a decline in interest and aging equipment. Functioning equipment will continue to be loaned out, but the responsibility of tracking and distribution is being taken on by other units and groups.
• Contact options – Getting in touch by email and web is changing.
  • Email - To help you directly connect with ETIS staff, the team is installing an online chatting tool to replace the previous email intake process. They will be launching the new chat tool starting mid-September and the env-help@uwaterloo.ca will be phased out over the fall term. We will continue to use Jira and if you require technical support, please submit a ticket.
  • Web – To reflect the new name, the website url is being updated and will change to https://uwaterloo.ca/etis. A URL redirect will be installed so that if you use the old URL, it won’t break.

For more information about these changes, please reach out to Donald Duff-McCracken.

Achieve the right school-life balance this fall

Welcome (back) Warriors!

Whether you’re new to campus or are a veteran student, we want you to be an active part of building the #UWaterlooCommunity.  

Dedicating time to your studies is important, but so is forging new friendships, strengthening connections, taking care of your physical and mental wellness, and having fun. It’s all about finding the right balance.  

We have a host of exciting clubs and extracurricular activities to help you build your community at Waterloo, and we encourage you to explore all that Waterloo has to offer.

Learn more about the clubs and activities you can get involved in this term and beyond.

Walk this way: United Way March of 1,000 Umbrellas is back

A message from the University of Waterloo United Way Campaign Committee.

United Way Waterloo Region Communities is excited for the return of its annual March of 1,000 Umbrellas – a 3 km walk from Waterloo City Hall in Waterloo to Carl Zehr Square in Kitchener. This march kicks off their fundraising campaign and is an incredible display of community, support, and awareness of the positive impact the United Way has on Waterloo Region.

Join the Waterloo Crew

This year’s march will take place on Thursday, September 14 - and you’re invited! We’ll meet up at the Waterloo sign outside of the Arts Quad for a quick picture at 10:30 a.m. We’ll then depart campus at 10:45 a.m. from the Ring Road entrance to South Campus Hall (SCH) to join all participants at Waterloo City Hall, where we’ll join the main walk at 11:30 a.m.

When we arrive at Carl Zehr Square at Kitchener City Hall, around 12:15 p.m., we’ll enjoy a lunch from Borealis Grille and Bar and take in some fun entertainment. Register to join the event through the United Way Waterloo Region Communities site. Note: Registration is $15 to offset the cost of the lunch.

Bring your own University of Waterloo branded umbrella or borrow one of ours! We hope to have enough for everyone. Help us fill the route with black and gold. Dress for the weather – we're walking with our umbrellas in rain or shine.

Once the festivities conclude, you are welcome to walk back to campus, or you can take the Ion light rail. It conveniently leaves from Kitchener City Hall and stops at our Waterloo campus!

Questions? Email united.way@uwaterloo.ca.