Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Waste Mountain began to expand on Tuesday, reports Sustainability Co-ordinator Mat Thijssen. "Each year the University of Waterloo sends over 3,000 tonnes of garbage to landfill. More than 30 percent of this can be recycled using existing campus recycling programs. Learn more and be involved during Zero Waste Week."

President's Town Hall Meeting set for November 14

The annual President's Town Hall Meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 14 at 10:30 a.m. in Federation Hall.

President Feridun Hamdullahpur will reflect on the University’s accomplishments this past year, presenting highlights from the fall update of the University's Strategic Plan, and will talk about his vision for the year ahead.

President Hamdullahpur will also speak about the State of the University Report, which is being split into two volumes this year - the first being a President's Report (which will be distributed at the town hall meeting), and the second volume, scheduled for release in early 2018, entitled Global Impact that will highlight how Waterloo students, faculty, staff and alumni are engaged in solving some of the world's most pressing problems. 

In addition to the President's presentation, the winning student design in the Celebration 2017 Legacy Project will be announced and unveiled at the meeting. 

The centrepiece of the event is the question and answer period with the President.

Members of the University community can share their thoughts and ideas about where Waterloo is heading in a number of ways:

• Questions can be sent in via e-mail to townhall@uwaterloo.ca;
• Questions can be submitted via a question submission form on the President’s Town Hall website; 
• Questions can be sent in via Twitter both before and during the President's Town Hall Meeting by tweeting to @UWaterlooLIVE or by using the hashtag #uwth; and
• Members of the audience can ask questions from the floor during the Town Hall.

The event will conclude with a complimentary light lunch, served in Fed Hall's Columbia Rooms, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Register to attend and submit your question today.

Co-op student implements new exercise program for seniors

by Alecz Sallows

Karen Poveda, a kinesiology student at the University of Waterloo, is helping seniors remain physically active as they age. During her co-op work term at the Schlegel Villages long-term care facility, she implemented a new program called Move More. This program focuses on finding creative ways to incorporate movement into senior residents’ daily lives.

Amy Harbin, Karen’s co-op supervisor, was thrilled by her initiative. “Waterloo co-op students have a unique ability to apply their enthusiasm and skills more effectively than students from any other co-op organization, and Karen was no exception,” she says.

The motto of the Move More program is simple: “Move More throughout your day in any way.” Karen encouraged residents to take this motto to heart, suggesting they try simple exercises such as stretching before breakfast and tapping their toes while waiting for the elevator. She also organized large-scale group exercise events that attracted more than 100 participants. Residents who took part in the program experienced a boost in mood, a heightened sense of purpose and increased feelings of engagement with their community.

The Move More program was so successful that Schlegel Village asked Karen to speak at a company-wide Innovation Summit. Karen provided insight into launching and maintaining the program, which helped to get it up and running at more locations. “Because of Karen’s work getting this program off the ground, more senior residents will maintain their independence as they age,” Amy says.

Executive actions at Convocation and beyond

It's Wednesday, October 18. Do you know where your president is?

Here's a non-exhaustive list of President Feridun Hamdullahpur's recent activities, with a look ahead to the future.

On Wednesday, October 4, President Hamdullahpur delivered remarks at the Centre for Teaching Excellence's annual Teaching Excellence Celebration at the University Club. Speaking to an audience of deans, associate deans, teaching award winners and nominees, Hamdullahpur thanked them for the work they did for students and for the University. "Exchanges between students and professors are about more than simply passing on a few points from the lesson plan," the president said. "The time they spend with you is laying a foundation for how they will work with people in their careers and in the community."

On October 5 and 6, the president travelled to California where he met with Waterloo alumni working in the region and attended a Women in Technology dinner hosted by OpenText. 

On Tuesday, October 10, President Hamdullahpur, Vice-President, University Relations Sandra Banks and Vice-President, Advancement Joanne Shoveller travelled to the Velocity Garage in downtown Kitchener for meetings on how the University can better support local alumni with their scale up companies.

Feridun also chaired the October 16 meeting of the University's senate.

So what's next for the president?

At 10:00 a.m. today, President Hamdullahpur will be speaking at the official grand opening celebration of the New Residence Building at UWP.

This Friday, October 20 and Saturday, October 21, President Hamdullahpur will be participating in the Fall 2017 Convocation ceremonies in the Physical Activities Complex. The president's formal role at Convocation includes placing hoods on graduating students as they cross the stage and delivering closing remarks at each ceremony to celebrate the graduates and welcome them to the ever-growing alumni community.

On Tuesday, October 24, President Hamdullahpur will be speaking at a special event on student mental health following the Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Students in the Great Hall of the Student Life Centre at 3:00 p.m. 

Deans travel to Oz for a cause; other notes

As it turns out the Yellow Brick Road leads straight to the Board and Senate Chamber in Needles Hall. At Monday's meeting of the University Senate, Dorothy (Dean of Engineering Pearl Sullivan), Toto (Dean of Arts Doug Peers), the Tin Man (Dean of Applied Health Sciences James Rush), the Cowardly Lion (Dean of Science Bob Lemieux) and the Scarecrow (Dean of Environment Jean Andrey, via an appropriate scarecrow-like stand-in) appeared, followed close behind by the Wicked Witch of the West Math (Dean of Mathematics Stephen Watt). For the second year in a row, Waterloo's six deans agreed to dress up if leadership giving for the United Way campaign reached 100 percent.

Thanks to the Applied Health Sciences twitter account for the photo (and for the title of the post, which I have shamelessly ripped off here).

Don’t have lunch plans today? That's just souper! Bring your colleagues, enjoy a bowl of homemade soup and help support the 2017 United Way campaign. Join the University's United Way campaign in the DC lobby (across from the library) from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. as celebrity soup servers dish out three types of soup (vegan option available) served with a roll. Suggested minimum donation is $5. This year’s celebrity soup servers include: President and Vice-Chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur, Karen Jack (University Secretary), Cathy Newell Kelly (Registrar), Jackie Serviss (President, UWSA), Bryan Tolson (President, FAUW), Stephen Watt (Dean of Mathematics), and Roly Webster (Director, Athletics).

Friday October 20 is Beerfest at The Bombshelter Pub, according to a note from the Federation of Students. $10 will get you 14 samples of beer, and there will be live music and swag for those who want to start their Friday night off right.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Huawei Canada, Credit Karma Inc, ATS Automation, Autodesk, Celestica, Okta, and Isaac Operations. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.

Human Resources has reported that retiree Harry Blizzard died October 3. Blizzard joined the University in May 1981 and retired as Supervisor, Stores and Equipment in IST in April 2013. He joined the 25 Year Club in 2006. 

If you booked audio visual equipment at all during that time for a lecture or special event, you would have likely dealt with Harry, who was the keeper of cables and master of microphones. "Harry was a conscientious employee, never failing to answer a request for service or advice," writes former supervisor Ron Russell. "He will be missed."