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“Graffiti tells us a lot about what people are thinking about, particularly people who might not have access to wider political or social conversations; people who aren’t in decision-making circles,” explained University of Waterloo Peace and Conflict Studies Professor Eric Lepp. For the 2024 Benjamin Eby Lecture, Lepp will describe how graffiti and street art serve as valuable tools for examining social and political dynamics in conflict-affected societies. This year’s lecture is titled “Paint as a Protest” and will take place at Conrad Grebel University College on Thursday, November 14. The Eby Lecture is an annual event that presents the research of a Grebel faculty member.  

As a parole officer in 1974, Grebel alumnus Mark Yantzi (BA 1969, MASC 1978) worked on the case of two teenaged offenders arrested after a vandalism spree in Elmira, Ontario. Yantzi and a colleague convinced the judge to order the young offenders to make direct restitution to their victims, rather than sentencing them to prison or detention. Yantzi accompanied the offenders in person as they met victims to listen, apologize, and make restitution.  

In recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the field of restorative justice, Mark Yantzi will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Waterloo, in October 2024.

After one last check, the countdown started: five, four, three, two, one—a rocket shot upwards as students erupted in cheers. This was the scene at the Launch Canada Competition on August 20, 2024, where the University of Waterloo Rocketry Team launched the first liquid engine rocket (liquid bi-propellant rocket) in Canada. The rocket, named the Borealis, reached 5,855 meters in altitude and won first place in the Advanced Category. Two students from Conrad Grebel University College were involved in the project: Ash Lang, a second-year Mechatronics Engineering student, and Lucas Shumaker, a third-year Environmental Engineering student. 

It is with sadness that Conrad Grebel University College announces the passing of John E. Toews on September 29, 2024. He served as Grebel’s president from 1996 to 2002 and Academic Dean from 1971 to 1973. Toews arrived at Grebel in January 1996, during a time of difficult financial and administrative challenges. Under his leadership, Grebel’s budget was balanced, the donor base grew significantly, and the student residence expanded.

Located on the campus of the University of Waterloo, Conrad Grebel University College fosters community, academic engagement, and personal growth. Grebel is a residence rooted in the Mennonite tradition and offers courses to UWaterloo students in Arts, Music, History, Mennonite Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS), Religious Studies, and Sociology.  

The air was full of excitement and anticipation as another Orientation Week dawned upon Conrad Grebel University College this year. Excited students were met with Grebel’s distinctive sense of community as they settled into residence, took part in orientation activities, and explored Grebel and the wider University of Waterloo campus. 

On Friday, September 6, as part of graduate orientation week, students in Conrad Grebel University College's Master of Theological Studies (MTS) and Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) programs took a field trip to Brubacher House museum and the Office of Indigenous Relations (OIR) at the University of Waterloo. The goal of the outing was “for graduate students to situate themselves historically and geographically, and to reflect on how the histories of colonization have shaped our current location and studies,” explained Reina Neufeldt, Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Deepak Wanner (BASC 1986) is a serial entrepreneur who started five technology companies throughout his dynamic career. Deepak lived at Grebel while earning his BASC at the University of Waterloo, and the values he picked up around the dinner table stuck with him as he became a prominent leader in his technological endeavours. He takes pride in his family and the strong values of community, sharing, and social responsibility that he has passed down.

The second week of September is Mennonite Heritage Week. At Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario, this week is an occasion to share about Mennonite history and culture. Offering several ways to engage with Mennonite history, the College is hosting a book launch this week has two Mennonite-themed exhibits on display.

“Grebel has been interwoven with my vocational path in powerful ways,” Barb Smith-Morrison (BA 1994, MTS 2008) shared. Barb arrived at Conrad Grebel University College in her first year of university with a calling to pastoral ministry that grew out of United Church youth camp experiences. She had little experience being part of a congregation or intergenerational faith community and Grebel was her first introduction to the Mennonite tradition. "The College introduced me to the faith tradition in which I made a home,” Barb shared. Previously working for Grebel as the Interim Dean of Students from 1994-1996, and as a pastor within Mennonite Church Eastern Canada for 28 years,  Barb is now the Executive Director of Brooksong Retreat and Cancer Support Centre, located in the Haliburton Highlands.