Wednesday, July 4, 2018


A name change for International Student Advising

An advisor assists a person in filling out a government form.

As of Wednesday, July 4, International Student Advising in the Student Success Office has changed its title to Immigration Consulting. Service delivery has not been impacted and Immigration Consultants will continue to provide immigration consulting services free-of-charge to students and answer their questions about:

  •  Study permits;
  • Working on and off campus;
  • Co-op work permits;
  • Temporary resident visas (TRV);
  • Electronic Travel Authorizations (eTA);
  • Post-graduation work permits;
  • Permits and TRVs for spouse/common-law partner and/or children in Canada; and
  • Inviting family to visit.

The consultants can also provide information about students’ health insurance and Government of Canada resources, like how to get a Social Insurance Number.

The new service title better reflects the Immigration Consultants' expertise and their licence with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). In addition, the title change will help campus partners and international students know whom to consult for assistance on immigration matters pertaining to temporary resident status in Canada.

If you have any questions about the title change or the services provided, please contact immigration.sso@uwaterloo.ca.

Pharmacy celebrates long-time supporter Costco

Waterloo Pharmacy and Costco representatives together with a certificate.

By Alana Rigby.

Co-op is what makes Waterloo Pharmacy unique: we’re the only co-operative education pharmacy school in Canada. Offering a co-op program is challenging and requires the support of the pharmacist community all across the country. Without employers to consistently hire students and offer invaluable learning opportunities, our program would not be possible.

This June, the School said thank you to one of these employers. Costco has hired Waterloo Pharmacy co-op students since the School first opened in 2008. They also support students on fourth-year patient care rotations, providing sites where students gain direct experience working with patients.

Costco offers approximately 40 co-op work terms each semester. They hire students from Halifax to Vancouver and everywhere in between and provide students with insightful experiences in fast-paced work environments. Today, many Waterloo Pharmacy alumni work in Costco locations and now are able to provide mentorship to current students as preceptors and co-op employers.

Costco has provided support in challenging times for our program. In fall of 2010, the political climate was tense and pharmacies in Ontario experienced many cutbacks. Most Waterloo Pharmacy co-op employers were unable to hire as many students as planned. During this challenging period, Costco stepped in and hired a significant amount, allowing us to ensure all students had instructive co-op experiences. 

A group from the School of Pharmacy which included Hallman Director David Edwards and Director of Experiential Education Nancy Waite visited Costco at their head office in Ottawa this June. They sat down with senior leadership at the company to discuss past successes and future plans for deepened collaboration.

CTE Director spearheads teaching centre reviews

A message from the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE).

CTE is excited to share the latest publication in the Educational Development Guide Series, Centre Reviews: Strategies for Success, which is now available on the Educational Developers Caucus website.

CTE’s Director, Donna Ellis, led the development of the Guide, with six co-authors from institutions across Canada. Centre reviews are becoming increasingly common in the field of educational development—they offer an important opportunity for members of a teaching and learning Centre to reflect critically on the direction and work of their Centre and to invite feedback from the communities and clients they serve.

CTE undertook a Centre review in 2017; the Self-Study we developed for that external review distills several years of data as well as feedback solicited from numerous partners and stakeholders, and our Final Assessment Report responds to each of the recommendations made in the external review.  

Writer's latest work explores flamingoes and family

by Susan Fish.

The cover of the novel "In Search of the Perfect Singing Flamingo" by Waterloo writing professor Claire Tacon.There is, in fact, a flamingo in St. Jerome University creative writing professor Claire Tacon’s sophomore novel, In Search of the Perfect Singing Flamingo, but ultimately, says Tacon, the book is about family.

In this case, the family involves a man who repairs animatronics and who is in search of the perfect singing flamingo for his adult daughter who has a rare chromosomal condition called Williams syndrome. He also has a wife and a second daughter.

There are various ways of dealing with disability as well as parenting—and the parents in this novel take different approaches, a challenge Tacon believes most parents face in one way or another.

Tacon traces the influences of this book back to a variety of sources, from having much older siblings, to working in a university bookstore warehouse to YouTube videos of 1980s Chuck E Cheese animatronic characters. She also recalls reading an article that introduced her to the world of Williams syndrome, and particularly to one young woman and her family who found ways of navigating its challenges with trust and support. Because she has no lived experience with Williams syndrome herself, she expresses gratitude to the Canadian Association for Williams syndrome who put her in touch with some families who were “generous in speaking with me and sharing their expertise.”

While parenting is a central theme to this book that has been described as “Hilarious and humane, uproarious and unpredictable,” Tacon wrote most of it before she had her own children, starting it as she finished her MFA thesis at UBC.

She describes the writing process for this book as much better than the process of her first novel. “My first book took me the whole book to figure out how to write a novel – it was kind of written in a patchwork way, and I hit a number of points where I didn’t even know what stitch could hold it together. This time I had much more of a sense of a narrative trajectory. I didn’t plot it all out, but I made sure I knew where it was going.”

Still, her first novel won the 2010 Metcalf-Rooke Award. Tacon’s fiction has been published in journals and anthologies such as The New Quarterly, SubTerrain and Best Canadian Short Stories, and has been shortlisted for the Bronwen Wallace Award, the CBC Literary Prize and the Playboy College Fiction Contest.

In addition to continuing to write and to raise her children, Tacon cohosts a literary podcast (http://www.oddmentstray.com/) and teaches creative writing at St Jerome’s University in the fall and winter. Of her work at Waterloo, Tacon says, “I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s an elective, so students who take my class have chosen to be there and come with enthusiasm. I get students from all across the university, many of whom don’t have the experience of a lot of creative practice in their field, but who want to write poetry or short stories.”

Native Pollinators and You, and other notes

A bee takes nectar from a flower.

Want to learn more about the wonderful world of pollinators? Join the Sustainability Office on Wednesday, July 11 for the first talk in their Brown Bag Lunch & Learn Series with Heather Cray, PhD candidate in SERS at Waterloo. From bumblebees to butterflies, you’ll get to know some of our 400+ species of native bees, learn what gives us chocolate (hint: it's not bees), and discover easy things you can do to help save the pollinators in your own yard.

The talk will be held on Wednesday, July 11 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in EV3-3412. Please note that lunch will not be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own to enjoy during the session. For more information and to register, please visit the registration page.

A Consent Clothesline event will take place on Wednesday, July 11 in the AHS expansion foyer from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

A clothesline featuring t-shirts with affirmative slogans on them.

The Consent Clothesline event brings individuals from the campus community together to express, through arts and crafts, what consent means to them, and provide messages of support to survivors. Snacks will be provided. Check out the event site for more details!

There are no employers on campus this week hosting employer information sessions. Visit the Employer Information Session calendar to stay updated.

Arts Undergraduate Office closure

The Arts Undergraduate Office will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, 2018 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for a staff luncheon.

Link of the day

The Friedman Sisters of Ann Landers and Dear Abby fame, born 100 years ago

When and where 

Celebrate Canada's Diversity at the University Club, Tuesday, July 3 to Friday, August 10, 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., University Club.

Alleviating Anxiety Seminar, Wednesday, July 4, 1:00 p.m., HS 2302.

NEW - Interviews: Proving Your Skills, Wednesday, July 4, 1:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Engineering Seminar: Interacting with Technology - from Robot Teams to Human Trust, featuring Prof. Michael Lewis, University of Pittsburgh, Wednesday, July 4, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., DC 1302. Refreshments will be provided.

Velocity Fund $5K Qualifiers – Night 1, “3-minute pitches in front of a panel of judges,” Wednesday, July 4, 7:00 p.m., Location TBD.

Clarity in scientific writing, Thursday, July 5, 1:00 p.m., SCH 228F.

NEW - Get a Job Using LinkedIn, Thursday, July 5, 2:30 p.m., TC 1208.

Velocity Fund $5K Qualifiers – Night 2, “3-minute pitches in front of a panel of judges,” Thursday, July 5, 7:00 p.m., Location TBD.

Engineering 101 Day, Saturday, July 7.

Applied Health Sciences 101 Day, Saturday, July 7.

CrySP Speaker Series on Privacy, “Where theory meets practice for privacy enhancing technologies” featuring Chelsea Komlo, HashiCorp, Monday, July 9, 2:30 p.m., DC 1304.

Coping Skills Seminar - Cultivating Resiliency, Monday, July 9, 4:00 p.m., HS 2302.

QPR Training, Tuesday, July 10, 1:30 p.m., Counselling Services, Needles Hall.

NEW - Master Your Job Search, Tuesday, July 10, 2:30 p.m., TC 1208.

CrySP Speaker Series on Privacy, “Where's Waldo?” — Privacy in the age of Internet-connected mobile technology, featuring Matthew Finkel, The Tor Project, Tuesday, July 10, 2:30 p.m., DC 1304.

Coping Skills Seminar - Strengthening Motivation, Tuesday, July 10, 4:00 p.m., HS 2302.

NEW - Information Session for Graduating Students, Tuesday, July 10, 4:00 p.m., STC 0010.

NEW - Résumés, Careers and Personal Branding - Part 1, Tuesday, July 10, 4:30 p.m., TC 2218.

Science 101 Day, Wednesday, July 11.

NEW - Information Session for Graduating Students, Wednesday, July 11, 11:30 a.m., STC 0010.

NEW - Career Interest Assessment (Strong Interest Inventory), Wednesday, July 11, 1:30 p.m., TC 1112.

Childhood play spaces as What-If Worlds: The uncertainties of misogyny, racism, and classism, Wednesday, July 11, 2:30 p.m., QNC 1502.

Velocity Start: Setup Your Business Like A Boss, “A workshop that will address legal and accounting considerations that will affect your new business,” Wednesday, July 11, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

NEW - Exploring Your Personality Type (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) - Part 1, Thursday, July 12, 12:30 p.m., TC 1112.

Getting published for grad students, Thursday, July 12, 1:00 p.m., online webinar.

NEW - Eco-Summit 2018: Building Commitment, featuring keynote speaker Tom Ewart, Senior Manager of Sustainability, The Co-operators, Thursday, July 12, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., M3 1006 and foyer.

NEW - Résumés, Careers and Personal Branding - Part 2, Thursday, July 12, 4:30 p.m., TC 2218.

Open House - Harnessing Quantum Technologies, Friday, July 13, 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre.

CS seminar: The prehistory and history of RE (+SE) as seen by me, featuring Dan Berry, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Friday, July 13, 3:00 p.m., DC 2585.

The Promise of Living: University Choir, Saturday, July 14, 7:30 p.m., Cedars Worship Centre, Waterloo.

Arts 101 Day, Monday, July 16.

Coping Skills Seminar - Cultivating Resiliency, Monday, July 16, 4:00 p.m., HS 2302.

Say it in your own words: Paraphrase & summary, Tuesday, July 17, 1:00 p.m., SCH 228F.

Coping Skills Seminar - Strengthening Motivation, Tuesday, July 17, 4:00 p.m., HS 2302.

Getting it done: Productive writing strategies for big projects, Wednesday, July 18, 10:00 a.m., SCH 228F.

Math 101 Day, Thursday, July 19.

5th Annual UWSA Golf Social Tournament, Thursday, July 19, 3:30 p.m., Foxwood Country Club. Deadline to register is Friday, July 6.

Velocity Billion Dollar Briefing, “Get introduced to five different billion-dollar problems,” Thursday, July 19, 7:30 p.m., Velocity Start, SCH 2nd Floor.

Beautiful Wanderings: orchestra@uwaterloo, Thursday, July 19, 7:30 p.m., First United Church, Waterloo.

Instrumental Chamber Ensemble Concert, Sunday, July 22, 7:30 p.m., Conrad Grebel Chapel.

NEW - Waterloo FileMaker Database Workshop presented by CoreSolutions, Tuesday, July 24, 1:00 p.m., DC1304.

Hallman Lecture: Whiteness, Women and Sex Tourism, Tuesday, July 24, 3:30 p.m., AHS 1686.

Lectures and classes end, Wednesday, July 25.

More Feet on the Ground - Mental Health Training, Wednesday, July 25, 9:00 a.m., NH 2447.

Velocity Fund Finals, “20 startups compete for $130,000,” Wednesday, July 25, 11:00 a.m., SLC Great Hall. 

Pre-examination study days, Thursday, July 26 and Friday, July 27.

Environment 101 Day, Thursday, July 26.

Examinations begin, Saturday, July 28.

Online examination days, Saturday, July 28 and Friday, August 3.

CrySP Speaker Series on Privacy featuring Vern Paxson, University of California, Berkeley, Tuesday, July 31, 11:00 a.m., DC 1304.

Positions available

On this week's list from the human resources department, viewable on the UWaterloo Talent Acquisition System (iCIMS):

  • Job ID# 2018-2859 - Health Promotion & Evaluation Specialist - Health Promotion, USG 9
  • Job ID# 2018-3007 - Administrative Assistant – Biology, USG 6
  • Job ID# 2018-3001 - Analyst  - Co-op Education & Career Action, USG 8 – 11
  • Job ID# 2018-3020 - Manager, Integrated Communications - VP University Relations-Communications, USG 11
  • Job ID# 2018-2782 - Managing Director, Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute - Waterloo AI Institute, USG 15
  • Job ID# 2018-2941 - Recruitment and Engagement Officer - Dean of Math Office, USG 9
  • Job ID# 2018-2998 - Research Project Accountant - Office of Research, USG 9 – 11
  • Job ID# 2018-3024 - Technical Writer - Dean of Engineering Office, USG 10

Internal secondment opportunities:

  • Job ID# 2018-3005 - Alumni Development Officer - School of Accounting & Finance, USG 9 – 10
  • Job ID# 2018-2944 - Equity Co-ordinator - Equity Office, USG 8
  • Job ID# 2018-3030 - Exercise Specialist – Kinesiology, USG 7
  • Job ID# 2018-2991 - Senior Program Assistant – WatPD, USG 4