Thursday, October 5, 2017

Health and Wellness: We are all in this together

by Feridun Hamdullahpur. This is the latest post on the President's blog.

We have all worked hard through the first half of the Fall term and now it’s time to take a breather.

In addition to this coming weekend and the Thanksgiving Monday holiday, Waterloo students will have two study days, making for a five-day break before classes resume on Oct. 12.

Fall Break offers students a pause to reflect on what each individual needs to be successful for the remainder of the term.  Yes, it is obviously a time to relax, catch up on the term’s work and prepare for any upcoming mid-term assignments – but that’s not all.

We all have different routines and needs. They could include taking a break, visiting friends and family, catching up on sleep, checking in with a health professional, doing chores, hitting the gym or even reading something other than a textbook.

My sincere hope is that all students take full advantage of this fall break and come back to class rejuvenated and energized for the second half of the term.

Fall Break is one important part of Waterloo’s commitment to health and wellness.

We all know what it’s like to start a new term, new job or new university. It is perfectly normal to feel stressed, but you should never feel that you are alone. The University and the local community provide a wide range of services that can help you.

We also want to make sure we have the right mix of supports in place. That’s why I created the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health. Within this, there are five panels looking at:  Student Experience, Student Services, Community Partners, Academic, and Mental Health Experts.

If you would like to learn more, I hope you will join me in the Student Life Centre on Tuesday, Oct. 24 when I will join FEDS President Antonio Brieva for a Q&A Panel on Student Mental Health. It’s one of many activities taking place as part of our annual Mental Health Wellness Day.

Of course, health and wellness is not just important for students. On Oct. 17, the UW Staff Association and the University’s Healthy Workplace Committee will host a full day of “Keeping Well at Work” events for employees across campus.

Health and wellness is a concern for everyone at our University. It is a team effort because nobody should ever feel alone.

Our University community is here to support you, as we all support each other, ensuring that everyone has a great experience at Waterloo.

Enjoy your break!

Responsible Investing Working Group seeks feedback

The Responsible Investing Working Group is seeking the views of all members of the University community concerning whether and how to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into decision making for the investment of the University’s endowment and pension funds.

The working group is tasked with making recommendations in this regard while taking into consideration:

• The legal and regulatory requirements including, among other things, fiduciary responsibilities, investing and investments, ESG reporting and contractual commitments;
• The goals and purposes of the University pension and endowment funds;
• Existing University investments, policy and governance frameworks;
• The financial context of the University;
• Research into options for incorporating ESG factors into investment decisions;
• Review of approaches taken at peer institutions;
• Consultation with University stakeholders e.g. retirees, alumni, donors; and
• Advice provided by University investment advisors.

The terms of reference for the working group can be found on the Responsible Investing Working Group website.

Comments are welcomed from all community members, and it is requested that written comments be directed to the working group via email through the secretary Mike Grivicic at mgrivicic@uwaterloo.ca.

While comments are continuously accepted, it is requested that members of the community submit their comments by Friday, October 13.

Capstone global engagement seminar invites applications

This academic year sees the launch of an exciting new opportunity for Waterloo undergraduate students. Global Engagement is a capstone seminar for outstanding senior undergraduate students who would like the opportunity to use their education and abilities to address questions of pressing global concern.

Global Populism and Democratic Futures

The theme for Winter 2018 is "Global Populism and Democratic Futures" and we are delighted to announce the appointment of the first of two Jarislowsky Fellows, Dr. Henry Giroux. Giroux is the McMaster University Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest. A public intellectual, Giroux has been named one of "12 Canadians Changing the Way We Think." 

This seminar course will be led by two UWaterloo faculty members (including Dr. Jasmin Habib) and two fellows (including Dr. Henry Giroux) and will engage students who have an interest in thinking beyond the borders of a classroom about world affairs.

Classes will normally meet on Thursday evenings at the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

• For more details, visit the Global Engagement website. 
• The application is available online.
• The application deadline has been extended to October 23, 2017. 
• All University of Waterloo students who are in their 3A, 3B, or 4A terms and who are in good standing are invited to apply.

Thursday's notes

John McPhee of Engineering snapped this pic of a rainbow over the Ring Road yesterday morning. Did anyone in EC3 check the parking lot for a pot of gold?

Black and Gold Fridays return: “Let’s all show our Warrior pride by wearing our Black and Gold gear tomorrow!" says a note from Retail Services. "Post a picture of your department or team on social media using #goblackgogold2017 (or email your photo to rs-se1@uwaterloo.ca) to be entered into our weekly draw for a Black & Gold Prize Pack.”

Interested in exploring the new and upcoming field of biotechnology? The first-ever student-run Biotechnology and Bioengineering Conference (BioTEC 2017) is taking place on Saturday, November 25 on campus. Attendees will get a chance to hear from researchers and industry professionals from leading companies like Baylis Medical and top schools like MIT.

For updates, follow BioTEC 2017 on Facebook. Applications open on October 14 at 6:00 p.m. and can be found at www.uwbiotec.ca. "Come check out some of the latest, cutting-edge developments at the intersection of biology and engineering!” say the event organizers.

Human Resources is reporting that retiree David Northey died on September 11. Northey joined the University in October 1989 and retired in July 2014 as a Lab Technician in Kinesiology.