Monday, March 21, 2016

Employment Equity re-survey update

This is a reminder that the University is re-surveying all existing employees, in order to maintain compliance with the federal Employment Equity Act and the Federal Contractors Program. More information can be found on the Human Resources website.

All full-time regular Faculty, Staff and CUPE members are reminded to please complete the survey by logging into myHRinfo and their logins will be directed to the questionnaire until it is either completed or acknowledged. All other employees can complete the survey by logging into myHRinfo and navigating to Self Service > Employment Equity Survey > Submit Survey.

Please note that if you had completed the survey before January 1 2016, your previous responses are displayed and you are provided the opportunity to update them. Acknowledging the previous responses as being accurate or updating them is required for a successful completion of the survey.

The current participation rate by the campus community is at 60 per cent.

Waterloo alumnus named to Canada's Senate

Waterloo alumnus Peter Harder, a longtime senior federal bureaucrat, was among Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's first seven appointees to the Parliament of Canada's upper house.

Harder, who was the head of the Trudeau government’s transition team, will serve as the government’s representative in the Senate. Harder is a 29-year veteran of the federal civil service.

Harder received his Bachelor of Arts from Conrad Grebel College (now Conrad Grebel University College) in 1975. He was granted an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Waterloo in 2005.

Harder is one of three senators appointed to represent Ontario.

The announcement was made Friday.

Stand Up to Stigma shines spotlight on mental health

Stand Up to Stigma will be hosting its annual Spotlight event on Tuesday, May 22.

Stand Up to Stigma a student-led mental health initiative, that aims to reduce stigma surrounding mental health by increasing awareness and discussion in the University of Waterloo community. 

The event will take place in the SLC Great Hall from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

They will be showcasing student artwork inspired by the importance and impact of mental health. Expect captivating pieces, poems, and a cappella performances. 

Find more information at Stand Up To Stigma's Facebook page or Spotlight's event page. Come out and join the conversation about mental health.

Professor shares Arctic insights in Russia and Rome

Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer, a Professor of History and co-director of the Centre on Foreign Policy and Federalism at St. Jerome’s University, is visiting Russia and Italy at the invitation of the Canadian embassies in Moscow and Rome to present on Canada’s Arctic policies and their international implications. This speaking tour will take him to Saint Petersburg Economic University, Northern (Arctic) Federal University in Arkhangelsk, the State Academic University for Humanitarian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. The Canadian Ambassador in Moscow is also hosting a lunch with ambassadors from the embassies to Russia from Arctic Council states so that they can discuss Arctic issues with Professor Lackenbauer. After Russia, he will travel to Rome to give a presentation to the new Master’s program in Sustainable Development, Geopolitics of Natural Resources and Polar Studies, run by the Societa Italiana per L’Organizzazione Internazionale, United Nations Association-Italy.

“Professor Lackenbauer is one of Canada’s leading experts on Canada’s Northern strategy and circumpolar relations,” says SJU History Department chair and historian of Canadian foreign relations Ryan Touhey. “The invitation for Dr. Lackenbauer to conduct this tour and share his research on Arctic affairs dovetails with Minister of Global Affairs Stephane Dion’s announcement last fall that Canada is open to exploring opportunities to improve our bilateral relations with Russia on Arctic issues following the past few years of bilateral tension. It is an honour for Dr. Lackenbauer to play such a prestigious academic outreach role for Canada, and to showcase the innovative policy research that he conducts at St. Jerome’s University and the University of Waterloo.”  

Monday's notes

Waterloo alumna Rupi Kaur will be on campus for a poetry session on Thursday, March 24 at 4:30 p.m. in Velocity Start in South Campus Hall.

"This unique event combines art, feminism, and entrepreneurship and is generously sponsored by Women's Studies (Faculty of Arts), and co-presented by The Book Store and Velocity Start," says the note from Retail Services. "Join us in welcoming one of our own alumna, Rupi Kaur, back to UW talk for a poetry reading from her bestselling book Milk and Honey. She'll also speak about her experiences, struggles and lessons learned from being a self-promoting and self-publishing author. Don't miss the chance to hear from an inspiring speaker and poet and get your copy signed by Kaur herself." 

Register on the Velocity website to reserve a seat.

Retail Services is inviting members of the campus community to the South Campus Hall concourse today through Wednesday for the Waterloo Store End of Term Clearance sale.

Merchandise will include t-shirts, sweatpants, crewnecks, hats, water bottles, mugs and much more. At the event, Retail Services will also be introducing brand new apparel for the Waterloo Store.

The sale runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.

Here's today's Nutrition Month "Myth vs. Fact" supplied by Health Services Nutritionist Sandra Ace:

Myth: Eating every two or 3 hours will speed up your metabolism.

Fact: While it might sound good in theory, there isn't much proof to back up this claim. Several small, short-term randomized controlled trials in both normal weight and overweight adults did not find that eating frequency affected resting metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns at rest). Other observational studies that looked at whether frequency of meals or snacks affected weight gain or loss also found there was no clear relationship. In fact, most of the research I reviewed concluded the same thing: more research is needed to clarify if there is a consistent and meaningful relationship between different meal frequencies and a person’s energy needs or weight.

In spite of this, there may be a valid reason to eat smaller, more frequent meals. Research at least in part supports the theory that increased meal frequency prevents a drop in blood glucose that stimulates hunger and may make it easier to feel full on less food. The bottom line, however, is that there is no ideal or “one size fits all” pattern; the best eating schedule is one that suits your personal needs and supports a stable energy level and good health. Some people prefer a “grazing” style and find that eating a small meal or a snack every two or three hours keeps energy levels up and hunger at bay. For others, eating “three square meals” a day is more satisfying and results in less frequent hunger. Regardless of frequency, learn to observe your hunger signals and stop eating when you’re full.