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“I've never considered music as a serious option for me until I gave it a try,” Michael Wu reflected. Michael is a third-year Math student at the University of Waterloo who is actively involved in the Music program at Conrad Grebel University College and also lives at Grebel.  

Michael’s interest lies in vocal music, which is why he has immersed himself in all the choirs that Grebel offers: Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, and University Choir. He was also involved in the production of “Something Rotten!,” a musical put on by Grebel students two years ago. “I enjoy singing much more than just listening to music,” he explained. “Part of that is because I love creating music; when I sing my part and hear it blend perfectly with the other voices to form chords, it feels incredible. Singing those notes myself adds to that joy; it makes the experience even more fulfilling." 

“QuAQ is the group for queer and allied Grebelites!” explained Maxel (Max) White. “It was created with the intent to be a safe space for anyone and everyone, with a focus on creating a community between the queer, trans, and allied residents of Grebel. We hold weekly meetings designed to get people talking and create a space where everyone can be themselves without any judgment.” Max and Katiana Wieczorek are QuAQ (Queer, Allied, and Questioning) reps on the Student Council at Conrad Grebel University College this term. 

Lying on the chapel floor surrounded by electric candles, listening to a chanted service of Compline (night prayer) with other Conrad Grebel University College students, Amani reflected on how this moment was the result of their planning and hard work as a member of the Chapel Committee. 

“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.