1. No category

CAMPUS | COMMUNITY | CONNECTIONS
CAMPUS | COMMUNITY | CONNECTIONS
5
Are Canada’s intellectual
property laws too stringent
when it comes to digital art
and literature?
VOL. 1 | NO. 1 | APRIL 7,2008
Wilfrid Laurier University • March 2010
VOL. 1 | NO. 1 | APRIL 7,2008
6
CAMPUS | COMMUNITY | CONNECTIONS
Instead of a relaxing
vacation, staff and students
used Reading Week to help a
community in need.
8
VOL. 1 | NO. 1 | APRIL 7,2008
As a lab coordinator,
Terry Sturtevant teaches
students hands-on
science.
University takes steps to be more ‘green’
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY
VOL. 1
Laurier commits to minimizing environmental
impact
| NO.sustainability
VOL. 1with
1 | APRIL 7,2008policy
|
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CAMPUS | COMMUNITY | CONNECTIONS
legs to Laurier’s sustainability
efforts, and now there is even
more awareness on campus.”
Laurier has been taking signifThe policy commits Laurier
icant steps toward becoming a
to “enhancing, wherever
more environmentally friendly
possible, the quality of the
institution, the most recent
social, economic and ecological
of which was opening a new
sustainability, both for people
sustainability office.
who live and work in the
Sustainability coordinator
university and for the wider
Sarah English runs the office,
community.”
which was made possible
After
the policy was
through
a
partnership
between
|
| COMMUNITY
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS
approved, Laurier’s first
Laurier’s Physical Resources
act was to hire engineering
department and the Students’
company Conestoga-Rovers &
Union. English splits her time
Associates to draft an energy
between an office at 202 Regina
management plan for the
St. and the sustainability office,
university. Laurier expends
located on the third floor of the
over $4.5 million annually
Fred Nichols Campus Centre.
in utility costs, and the plan
“Part of my job is to facilitate
makes recommendations for
the completion of environways to conserve energy and
mental initiatives on campus,
minimize costs.
and ease collaboration between
Some particular conservation
students, staff and faculty,”
suggestions include specific
said English, who encourages
building upgrades, such as
anyone with questions or ideas
replacing heating and ventito stop by the sustainability
lation systems, and the instaloffice and speak with her.
lation of a utility monitoring
She plans to form a
system to track the university’s
committee that will provide
gas, electrical and water use.
guidance for the community“Ultimately we’ll end up
led initiatives, and will start
with performance dashboard
implementing the commitindicators, visual cues of a
ments outlined in the universpecific building’s energy
sity’s sustainability policy,
consumption,” said Ray
which was approved by
Robichaud, manager of
Laurier’s board of governors
business operations: physical
last year.
resources. “When we see how
The policy outlines ways
much we consume and what it
in which the university can
costs, hopefully people will get
guide its operations to be more
a better sense of why energy
conservation is needed.”
Some of these initiatives
are already underway. When
Laurier’s swimming pool was
renovated, solar panels were
installed on the roof of the
Athletic Complex to heat the
pool water.
“They are working out great,”
said Nower. “We’re going to put
more up there. There are lots
sustainable, including reducing
of opportunities for physical
waste output, reducing energy
resources to play a big part in
and water consumption, and
sustainability on campus.”
encouraging alternate modes of
Nower also noted the
transportation.
Brantford campus’ new
“Our students are very
Research and Academic Centre,
engaged in sustainability, and
which will incorporate environa lot of corporations already
mental and energy-efficient
have similar plans in place,”
design elements. The university
said Gary Nower, assistant-vice
hopes to achieve Leadership
president: physical resources.
“Having a concrete policy gives
SUSTAINABILITY see page 2
|
NO. 1 | APRIL 7,2008
By Mallory O’Brien
VOL. 1 | NO. 1 | APRIL 7,2008
Ray Robichaud (left), Gary Nower and Sarah English are working to make Laurier more environmentally friendly.
Photo: Mallory O’Brien
New academic plan is approved
Identifies Laurier’s core principles, academic domains
By Lori Chlamers Morrison
The senate of Wilfrid Laurier
University has approved a new
academic plan that will guide the
university’s academic planning
over the next five years.
The plan merges the 2005
Century Plan with the values,
vision and mission statements
created through the 2008-09
Envisioning Laurier process, and
identifies the core principles and
academic domains that make
Laurier unique.
“The academic plan is intended
to be foundational as well as
aspirational,” said Deb MacLatchy,
vice-president: academic and
provost.
The academic plan emphasizes
Laurier’s tradition of teaching
excellence, sense of community
and student experience, along
with the university’s growing
research intensity and graduate
programs.
“The plan describes Laurier’s
uniqueness as an institution while
identifying that we need to work
from our foundation to address
our role as a university of the 21st
century,” said MacLatchy.
The academic plan recognizes
that as a multi-campus university,
there is value in having variety
in scope, specialization and
core academic strength among
Laurier’s campuses. This variety
is dictated by the strategic
location, history, vision, academic
profile and student-learning
environment of each campus.
By reflecting Laurier’s values,
vision and mission statements, the
academic plan serves to unite the
campuses that form the Laurier
community, while enabling each
campus to continue to develop
distinct specializations.
In setting out the university’s
nine core principles and six
domains, the plan first puts them
into context:
“At Laurier, we focus on
preparing people for lives of
leadership characterized by
responsibility, commitment
and compassion. Acquisition of
academic knowledge and critical
thinking skills are balanced
with opportunities for engaged
and relevant application and
reflective practice. This requires
that we accommodate — indeed
encourage — analysis and
scrutiny of society’s most difficult
and complex problems.”
Laurier’s core principles, the
overarching characteristics and
key intellectual areas that define
the university institutionally,
are defined in detail in the
ACADEMIC PLAN see page 3
CAMPUS COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
March 2010
president’s message
and international recognition.
The new academic plan merges
the previous academic plan —
the Century Plan, which was
introduced in 2005 — with the
Values, Vision and Mission statements that were created through
the Envisioning Laurier initiative
of 2008-09.
It is important to note that the
academic plan is the product
of a highly consultative and
collegial process. Envisioning
Laurier was a senate-led and
inclusive initiative; similarly, the
work that went into drafting
the academic plan involved our
deans and much feedback from
academic divisional councils and
the library council. Finally, the
plan itself was discussed and
unanimously approved by the
university senate in March.
It is fair to say, then, that
Laurier’s academic plan is a
widely supported consensus
document. You can find the
plan online at www.wlu.ca/
academicplan.
The second development I
would like to highlight is the
creation of the President’s Task
Force on Multi-Campus Issues.
Laurier has been a multicampus institution since 1999
with the opening of the Brantford
campus. In 2006, our Faculty of
Social Work moved from the
Waterloo campus to downtown
Kitchener. Interactions between
our campuses have evolved
in a step-by-step manner as
issues presented themselves.
This progressive evolution has
taken place without benefit of
an overarching model of governance between the campuses.
In short, Laurier is a federation
of campuses, but we have not
fully determined what type of
federation we should be. We
need to answer that question.
To this end, I have struck a
President’s Task Force on MultiCampus Issues.
The recent work of David
Docherty in his capacity as senior
advisor, multi-campus initiatives,
has been critical in clarifying key
issue areas that the Task Force
must address. They include,
but are not limited to: changes
the sustainability policy commits
Laurier to educating faculty, staff
and students about sustainability
in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) silver certification practices, as well as sharing
for the centre, which is scheduled those practices with the wider
community.
to open later this year.
Part of that comes from being
In addition to infrastructure
a member of the Council of
and operational improvements,
Ontario Universities,
which has committed
to its own sustainability
policy. Ontario universities will assist each
other in finding solutions
to the challenges of
environmental sustainability.
To help the Laurier
community better understand the importance
of energy conservation,
an energy conservation
awareness plan was
created alongside the
energy management plan.
“For a lot of people,
global warming is the
driving force in their
decision to go green,”
Staff and faculty can help make Laurier more
said English. “But the
environmentally friendly by doing simple things
bottom line is our society
such as turning off lights when leaving an office
is inefficient in our
or classroom.
resource use, and whether or not
global warming is a real threat,
we can achieve better efficiency
in everything we do.”
The awareness plan outlines
ideas to inform and engage the
university community, with
campaigns such as Lights Out
Wednesdays — or LOW — which
will challenge employees to turn
off the lights or conserve energy
through other means for one
Wednesday each month.
The next step for Laurier, said
English, is to turn the sustainability policy into a guiding
document that can identify
targets and track the university’s
success in reaching them.
“I think it’s important to have
goals, so you can see if you’re
achieving them and whether or
not an initiative is successful,”
she said.
“I’d like to see Laurier as one of
the top sustainable universities
in Canada. We have the ability to
get there and, more importantly,
we have the student, staff and
faculty desire to get there, which
a lot of other universities don’t
have.”
I would like to draw your
attention to two important developments that have taken place at
Laurier recently.
First, the university senate has
approved a new academic plan.
This important document recognizes the strengths and unique
characteristics that distinguish
Laurier from other universities,
and it identifies areas that the
university will continue to
emphasize and upon which we
will focus.
The new plan outlines the
core principles and academic
domains that will be used to
guide the university’s academic
programming and resource
allocation. While the term “core
principles” is readily understandable, the word “domain”
may benefit from a little explanation.
As we use it in the academic
plan, “domain” refers to
those strategic areas where
Laurier has acknowledged or
potential excellence and where
the university will strive to
maintain or develop national
Photo: Mallory O’Brien
SUSTAINABILITY continued
InsideLaurier is published by
The Department of Public Affairs
Wilfrid Laurier University
75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5
InsideLaurier
Volume 2, Number 8, March 2010
Editor: Stacey Morrison
Assistant Editor: Lori Chalmers Morrison
Design: Erin Steed
Contributors: Tomasz Adamski, Kevin Crowley,
Mallory O’Brien, Dean Palmer
2
InsideLaurier welcomes your
comments and suggestions for stories.
Tel: (519) 884-0710 ext. 3341 | Fax: (519) 884-8848
Email: [email protected]
InsideLaurier (circ. 2,500) is published nine times a
year by the Department of Public Affairs.
Opinions expressed in InsideLaurier do not necessarily reflect
those of the editor or the university’s administration.
Printed on recycled paper.
in board composition as one
campus grows relative to another,
senate composition, faculty and
departmental structures, decanal
areas of responsibility, administrative functions, and academic
support services. David’s
work has also underlined the
importance of ensuring that the
decisions we take at this time are
made with the larger picture and
long-term future in mind, and
with a firm understanding of our
broader governance model.
The Task Force has been asked
to provide recommendations
to the university community,
including senate and the board of
governors, as to how a “Laurier
federation” should be structured. Its work, which will begin
quickly, will be grounded in the
Envisioning Laurier initiative
and the new Academic Plan.
The considerations of the Task
Force will include issues that
transcend faculties, departments,
campuses, and administrative
units. Active consultations will be
held as appropriate throughout.
David Docherty and Shereen
Photo: Tomasz Adamski
Planning for the future
Ann Weir, wife of late former Laurier
president Dr. John Weir, and Dr. Max
Blouw present the Dr. John Weir Economics Award of Distinction to student
Leila Bautista at the university’s Awards
of Distinction ceremony.
Rowe, university secretary
and general counsel, will be
working closely to support and
complement the work of the Task
Force, which includes members
of staff, faculty, students, senate
and board of governors.
I look forward to providing
updates to the university
community as the work of the
Task Force progresses.
Dr. Max Blouw,
President and Vice-Chancellor
‘Green’ initiatives on campus
Environmental initiatives already being implemented on
campus by different university groups include:
• The WLUSU and Food Services reusable food containers program.
• The Laurier Biking Network and Parking & Transportation
Services are making the campus more bicycle-friendly.
• Ecohawks and Residential Services are launching a
composting trial at University Place residence.
• Parking & Transportation Resources is working with existing organizations to offer carpooling and car-sharing services.
Send us your news,
events & stories
Email: [email protected]
Deadline for submissions:
March 17
All submissions are
appreciated, however
not all submissions
will be published.
We reserve the right
to edit all copy for
accuracy, content
and length.
Next issue of
CAMPUS | CONNECTIONS | COMMUNITY
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CAMPUS | COMMUNITY | CONNECTIONS
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April 2010
CAMPUS | COMMUNITY | CONNECTIONS
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CAMPUS | CONNECTIONS | COMMUNITY
VOL. 1 | NO. 1 | APRIL 7,2008
March 2010
NEWS
Counters outreach program.
• Pierre-Andre Pashley, Laurier
student and developer of a soccer
Laurier alumnus and former
program in Haiti.
varsity football player Ian Troop
(BBA ‘81) was named CEO of the • Brendan Lowther, manager
of exhibits and facilites at
2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.
the Children’s Museum, and
Troop, a former food executive
part-time Laurier student.
with ConAgra Foods and
Several other members of
Proctor & Gamble, will leave his
the Laurier family, including
consulting
alumni, were also named to the
position
list. For a complete list and to
with OMERS
Private Equity, view the profiles of the 40 under
40 community leaders, visit
an arm of the
http://40under40.therecord.
large OMERS
com/index.aspx.
pension plan
company,
to lead the
InsideLaurier wins award
$2.4-billion
InsideLaurier won a bronze
Ian Troop
project.
medal in the Internal Publication
The Pan Am Games are held
category in the 25th Annual
every four years. The Toronto
Educational Advertising Awards.
event will be held across more
Sponsored by the U.S.-based
than 50 venues, including six
Higher Education Marketing
new facilities.
Report, the Educational Advertising Awards program is one of
the largest educational adverLaurier well represented on
tising awards competitions in the
region’s top 40 under 40 list
world.
Wilfrid Laurier was well represented on the list of Waterloo
Region’s 40 Under 40 community
Outstanding Women of Laurier
leaders, including:
to be honoured
• Keith Goulet, coordiLaurier will celebrate its excepnator: systems support for
tional female student athletes
Advancement Services and
at the fifth annual Outstanding
president of the Wilfrid Laurier
Women of Laurier Luncheon on
University Staff Association.
March 31.
• Dr. Joanne Lee, assistant
The Outstanding Women of
professor of development
Laurier Award will be presented
psychology at Laurier and
to the nominee who best demonco-developer of the Littlestrates athletic success, academic
academic plan. They include:
• Discovery and innovation
• Civic engagement
• Diversity
• Integration
• Global citizenship
• Sustainability
• Justice
• Quantitative and scientific analysis
• Communication and
performance
“The goal is to weave these
principles, in a purposeful
fashion, into the academic,
academic-support and studentlife experiences of each campus,”
said MacLatchy. “Laurier
graduates will be distinct from
graduates of other universities
because of what we choose to
make meaningful within our
Laurier degrees.”
The academic plan also
outlines Laurier’s six domains,
defined as the strategic areas,
or spheres of influence, where
Laurier faculty and students excel
and where the university seeks to
maintain or develop national and
international recognition.
The domains emphasize the
global impact and influence of
Laurier’s graduates, scholarly
output and community and
professional outreach. They
include:
• Professional programs
• Governance
• Environment
• Health and well-being
• Social and cultural analysis
• Cultural and artistic production
achievement and commitment
to the development of young
athletes through community
teaching or coaching.
Emceed by Daiene Vernile of
CTV Southwestern Ontario, the
luncheon will feature keynote
speaker Carole Bertuzzi-Luciani,
a “moodivator” and inspirational
speaker.
Since 2006, The Outstanding
Women of Laurier luncheon
has raised more than $195,000
for women’s athletic programs,
scholarships and Laurier’s
mentor coaching program.
Last year’s winner was kinesiology and physical education
student and Golden Hawks
curling team member, Hollie
Nicol.
This year’s event will take
place on March 31 from 11 a.m.
to 1:30 p.m. at The Waterloo Inn.
For ticket information, visit
www.laurierathletics.com/owl
or contact Heather Ferris at
[email protected].
snack, and have a warm place
to sit.
Joyal has volunteered at St.
Louis Church’s Out of the Cold
program since its inception in
Kitchener-Waterloo 11 years ago.
She began handing our the tabs
to people using the program as
they left the church after a meal
and an overnight stay.
“In the past, I’ve collected
enough to give each person
a coffee tab and a muffin tab
a few times over the course
of the contest,” said Joyal. “It
gives people somewhere warm
to go when they leave the
University mourns former fine
arts professor
Michal Manson, former professor
of fine arts at Laurier, passed
away Feb. 5 from pneumonia.
A respected painter, Manson
came to Laurier as an artist-inresidence in 1973, and later joined
the faculty as a studio instructor
of drawing and painting. Manson
received Laurier’s Honorary
Alumna Award in 1991 and the
Hoffmann-Little Award in 2001
for excellence in teaching.
Manson’s passion for art led
her to create a gallery at Laurier,
which she ran by herself for
many years, organizing and
chairing a selection jury and
setting up the numerous exhibitions. This impermanent gallery
in Laurier’s concourse eventually
became the Robert Langen Art
Gallery.
Manson retired from Laurier
in 2005. She spent her retirement
in Bancroft, Ontario, where she
was a valuable member of the Art
Gallery of Bancroft.
Former geography professor
John McMurry dies
Former Laurier geography
professor Dr. John McMurry
passed away Feb. 5 after
suffering a fall that led to heart
failure. He was 89.
McMurry was considered one
of Wilfrid Laurier University’s
most celebrated geography
professors.
“The domains are supported
by the comprehensiveness
of our programs and our
commitment to excellence
in teaching, learning and
scholarly activities,” said
MacLatchy. “These clusters will
grow in size and distinction by
being magnets at Laurier for
programming and scholarly
activity.”
MacLatchy calls the
academic plan a consensus
document that represents
dedicated work by the deans
as well as feedback from the
divisional faculties and the
library council.
To read descriptions of each
of Laurier’s principles and
domains, view the Laurier
Academic Plan: 2010-2015 at:
www.wlu.ca/academicplan.
Roll up the rim for those in need
When you roll up the rim on
your Tim Hortons coffee this
year, consider donating your
winning tab to the region’s
homeless.
Five years ago, Laurier
development officer Cec Joyal
began collecting winning tabs
and distributing them to
the working
poor and
homeless,
allowing
those in need
to enjoy a
coffee or
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
What’s new and notable at Laurier
Alumnus will lead 2015
Pan Am Games
ACADEMIC PLAN continued
CAMPUS COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
church in the morning.”
Since Joyal has been
collecting the tabs, she has
received an enthusiastic
response and helped hundreds
of needy people in the region.
This year she is hoping to
collect 500 tabs.
Those wishing to donate
their winning Roll up the Rim
tabs can drop them off at the
Centre Spot, or send them to
Joyal in Alumni Hall. For more
information, contact her at
[email protected]. Winning tabs
must be redeemed by May 30,
2010.
He joined Laurier (then
Waterloo Lutheran University)
in 1962 as the founding chair of
the Department of Geography
and Geology. McMurry was
instrumental in establishing the
graduate program in geography
in 1965. In 1973, he successfully
transitioned the Geography
and Geology department at
Waterloo Lutheran to establish
the Department of Geography at
Wilfrid Laurier University.
McMurry was credited
with introducing resource
management studies to
geography at Laurier, which
integrated the study of the
physical environment with
human activities. He made
sustainable development the
focus of geographical studies
long before it became the
buzzword it is today.
Among other awards,
McMurry won the Wilfrid
Laurier University Teaching
Award in 1974. He retired from
Laurier in 1986.
In September 2009, Laurier
received an anonymous
$2.5-million donation to
establish the Dr. John McMurry
Research Chair in Environmental
Geography. Dr. Scott Slocombe
was named the inaugural
chairholder.
McMurry leaves behind his
wife, Mary, and sons Charles,
James, Andrew and Cameron and
their families.
Laurier hosts violence
and risk assessment
training program
By Lori Chalmers Morrison
Violent incidents such as those
at Virginia Tech and Dawson
College are often preceded by
telltale signs that could lead to
early intervention. But recognizing these signs cannot be
accomplished in isolation or by
one university department — it
requires a multi-disciplinary
approach and means training
people from throughout an institution to connect the dots.
In February, Laurier hosted
a Violence Threat and Risk
Assessment Training program
for more than 100 representatives from Laurier, Conestoga
College, University of Waterloo,
University of Guelph, Sheridan
College, Fanshawe College and
community partners such as the
Waterloo Regional Police, Guelph
Police and the Ontario Police
College.
“Without formal training, the
likelihood of over-reacting or
under-reacting to high-risk
and threat-making behaviour
is increased,” said Rod Curran,
director of Laurier’s Special
Constable Service. “A trained
threat assessment team will
give the Laurier community an
edge when dealing with serious
concerns and make our campuses
safer for all.”
The 30 people from Laurier’s
Waterloo and Brantford
campuses who participated in
the training included senior-level
employees from a cross-section of
departments and faculties. They
will form the university’s Safe
Campus Committee.
Attendees learned to analyze
information to determine how
high risk a person may be to
carry out a violent act towards
themselves or others, and to
choose an appropriate intervention based on this information.
Laurier was selected as one of
eight sites in the province to host
the training program, developed
and delivered by the Canadian
Centre for Threat Assessment
and Trauma Response. The
Ontario Association of College
and Universities Security
Administrators (Curran is
president of this organization)
is bringing the program to
Ontario post-secondary institutions through a grant from the
Ministry of Training, Colleges
and Universities.
3
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CAMPUS CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY
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March 2010
people at laurier
New appointments:
Michael Bittle, administrative
assistant, English and Film
Studies.
Ted Collins,
events
assistant,
Athletics &
Recreation.
Sarah English,
sustainability
coordinator,
Physical
Resources.
Laura Kirkland, disability
consultant, Accessible Learning.
Stephanie Massel, administrative manager, Faculty of Music.
For a complete list of appointments visit www.wlu.ca/hr
Sandra Walters, custodian,
Physical Resources.
Charlene Mak, administrative
assistant, Business.
Maria Zaczek, custodian,
Physical Resources.
Ruth MacNeil, manager, Student
Awards.
Changes in staff appointments:
Bridget McMahon, director,
Alumni Relations.
Breanna
Brooks,
international
recruitment
officer,
Student
Recruitment.
Peggy Freymond, administrative
assistant, Faculty of Social Work.
Ari Grossman,
associate
director,
business
operations,
Athletics &
Recreation.
Jaime Philip, marketing
specialist, Retail/Printing
Services.
Lauren Holder, intermediate
administrative assistant, Student
Recruitment.
Joanne Roberts, human
resources generalist, Human
Resources.
Martin Illingworth, shipper/
receiver inventory clerk,
Bookstore.
Gary Wagner, supervisor: IT/
media services, Brantford.
Joan Leach, administrative
manager, Faculty of Arts.
Jillian Perkins, coordinator:
career information, Career Development Centre.
Lisa Rebelo, area manager,
Custodial.
women, skipped by Danielle
Inglis, won silver at the Ontario
University Athletics (OUA)
championships in February.
The team advances to the CIS
championships in Alberta later
this month.
In hockey, the women’s team
claimed their seventh consecutive provincial gold medal,
beating the Guelph Gryphons
in the best of three series. The
victory grants the team the only
Ontario berth in the national
championships.
Do you know an accomplished Laurier MBA graduate who is a
leader in their field or provides service to the community? If so,
nominate him or her for a 2010 MBA Alumni Award!
Awards are presented in six categories: Executive Leadership
Award, Outstanding Innovation & Achievement Award,
Outstanding CMA/MBA Award, Wilfrid Laurier University
Alumni Association Award of Distinction, Community
Leadership Award and the MBA Alumnus of the Year Award.
To submit an application, contact Megan Harris at mharris@
wlu.ca.
Sondra Schwartz, acting
manager, Academic Events.
Anjelisa Skinner, intake/crisis
counsellor, Counselling Services.
Raymund Trinidad, applications
developer, Library.
Do you have a milestone to share
with the Laurier community?
Email [email protected].
Kathryn Elton, an accomplished development professional, has been
appointed to the role of assistant vice-president, Development.
Elton will play a leadership role in raising funds to support the
university’s mission and in developing relationships with a variety of
constituents. She will also play a key role in preparing the university’s
next major fundraising campaign.
Elton enjoyed a successful career at the University of Guelph, where
she most recently served as executive director of advancement, life
and physical sciences. Previously, she held increasingly progressive
positions in principal giving, donor relations and alumni programs.
Women’s curling, hockey win medals
Laurier’s women’s curling
team, representing Canada,
claimed the gold medal at
the Karuizawa International
Curling championships in
January with a 12-11 win over
Sweden.
The team, consisting of skip
Hollie Nicol, Laura Hickey,
Danielle Inglis and Hillary
McDermott, advanced to the
tournament after claiming its
second consecutive CIS championship in Montreal last March.
In other curling news, the
Nominate a friend or colleague
for a 2010 MBA Alumni Award
What are
you reading
?
Name: Kelly Ough
Job Title: Assistant Director:
Food Services
Book Title: Last Night in Twisted River
Author: John Irving
What are
you reading
Members of the women’s hockey team
celebrate their OUA win.
Music at noon
?
What are you
listening to?
This is the story of a young boy who mistakes a woman for
a bear, kills her and has to go on the lam. It is yet another
wonderfully crafted tale that keeps you wondering right up
to the last minute. I am always sad to finish a John Irving
book because it means I have to wait for the next one!
What are you
listening to?
Photo: Mallory O’Brien
Name: Lois Wood
Job Title: Associate Registrar, Undergraduate
Admissions
CD Title: Songs About Jane
Artist: Maroon 5
Jeremy Bell, right, on violin, with Consortium Aurora Borealis of Thunder Bay members Elizabeth Ganiatsos on harpsichord and
Mateusz Swoboda on violoncelle entertain a crowd during a Music at Noon performance in the Maureen Forrester Recital Hall.
4
This award-winning CD was released back in 2002, but it’s
still one of my favourites. The songs, most of which were
written by the band’s front man, Adam Levine, were influenced by the breakup of a relationship. With cuts like Sunday
Morning, Tangled and The Sweetest Goodbye, you can turn this
on and jump on the treadmill, put on your walking shoes, or
just flop on the couch and enjoy the “blues infusion.”
March 2010
CAMPUS COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
RESEARCH FILE
Is Canada’s cultural policy stifling digital art?
By Lori Chalmers Morrison
When it was established in 1965,
the Canadian literary institution
Coach House Press seemed
to outsiders like a bunch of
“unwashed hippies in a garage.”
But to Laurier communication studies professor Darren
Wershler, who spent five years as
senior editor at the independent
publishing house, it was
always on the leading edge of
publishing technology.
“They were unwashed hippies
with computers,” said Wershler
with a smile.
It’s an important distinction,
and one that shaped the course
of Wershler’s career and his
current research.
In 1997 — years ahead of its
time — Toronto’s Coach House
Books (the latest incarnation
of the company) became the
first publishers in the world to
simultaneously publish and
digitize full-length editions of its
front-list books.
Soon after came the difficult
policy questions around intellectual property.
The questions directed at
Coach House eventually led
Wershler, a bestselling poet and
author, back into academia to
find the answers.
“No one knew (in 1997) what
to do with digital books, and
that hasn’t changed,” he said.
“There are huge questions about
cultural policy that need to be
asked.”
In theory, today’s networked
digital technologies have the
potential to democratically
transform Canadian cultural
life by making art and literature
more accessible.
But Wershler says this
clear-sky forecast for cultural
innovation is clouded by a policy
climate that is decidedly riskaverse.
He says Canadian intellectual
property laws don’t serve the
needs of creators and pose
unnecessary threats of potential
liability for publishers — threats
that stifle cultural exchange.
“Moreover, there is a financial,
technical and legal bottleneck
that is stalling the creation of
Canadian online arts archives,”
said Wershler.
Wershler explains the concept
using an analogy from the
animated television show South
Park. “It’s like the episode with
the underpants gnomes,” he said.
In the episode, a group of
gnomes went around the town
of South Park stealing people’s
underwear. When someone
asked the gnomes what their
business plans were, they said,
“Step one: collect underpants.
Step two: (long pause). Step
three: profit!”
Wershler says digital
publishing has an underpantsgnome business model — no one
knows how to go from creating
digital literature to delivering
it to the reading public in a
sustainable manner.
Instead, he argues, it is
time to move away from the
government’s “polite fiction”
of literature as an industry, to
conceiving it as a public good
that requires government
funding.
“If we want an interesting
and vibrant culture, we need
what (U.S. scholar) Siva
Vaidhyanathan calls ‘leaky
copyright,’” said Wershler. “If
we make policy and copyright
regimes airtight, creativity and
cultural production stagnates
and dies. We have to allow for
mistakes and oversights.”
Then Google, Amazon and
Apple became dealers in the
process. With the Kindle, Sony
Reader and iPad set to change
the way we buy, read and share
books, questions about the
rights of creators, publishers and
users and the importance of fair
dealing were pushed to the front
page.
“We have single companies
wanting to channel all content
into their proprietary, hermetically sealed platforms,” said
Wershler. “This not only affects
right of first sale for readers
(the right to resell your used
books), but because of automatic
updating technologies, Apple
and Amazon can also reach into
the devices you’ve purchased
from them, change their terms
of service and delete content
you’ve purchased at any time.”
In addition to radically delimiting users rights, Wershler says
that publishers now have to give
these companies, which have
essentially replaced bookstores,
a slice of their tiny earnings.
Through his research, Wershler
is working to bring about policy
change. For more than five years,
he has been a principal investigator for Artmob, an initiative
to build an online archive of
Photo: Lori Chalmers Morrison
Dr. Darren Wershler studies online intellectual property policy and pushes for change
With companies such as Apple channeling digital content into single platforms,
Dr. Darren Wershler says it delimits the rights of creators and users.
publicly licensed Canadian art
and literature.
Along with other researchers,
Wershler wants to encourage
people to think about issues that
come up when people digitize
cultural objects. They hope the
actual practices of people will
move policy, rather than waiting
for policy to be developed,
which is a notoriously slow
process.
“If you wait around for
government to make the rules,
you get the culture you deserve,”
said Wershler. “We need to have
a national conversation about
how we think about cultural
objects and intellectual property.
We need to think about it in
a messy way that puts aside
conveniences of theory and deals
with what people actually do
when they make art.”
To further the conversation,
Wershler and fellow Artmob
researcher Rosemary Coombe,
Canada Research Chair in Law,
Communication and Culture
at York University, are editing
a volume of essays by a diverse
spectrum of writers, legal
scholars, artists, anthropologists
and cultural studies professors
called Dynamic Fair Dealing:
Creating Canadian Culture Online.
Wershler and Coombe will
explore current practices of
dynamic fair-dealing. They will
look at how artists and writers
are actually creating, circulating
and managing digital cultural
objects, and how these practices
can present alternatives to traditional intellectual property and
cultural policies.
“We hope that the book will
provide some insight into what
“
sane Canadian cultural policy
would be,” said Wershler.
As someone who writes,
designs and edits books, studies
new media and, as he recently
told The Globe and Mail, thinks
the new digital cornucopia
is wonderful, Wershler has a
unique perspective on digital
literature.
“It’s not like literature is
becoming less material, but its
materiality is changing,” he said.
“Digital writing and the iPad
have their own materiality, but
it’s different than the materiality
of a book. Books are not going
away, but they might not be at
the centre of print culture for
long.”
Wershler says the “manuscript
culture” of Toronto’s literary
scene in the early 1990s might
find a new way of expressing
itself.
“At literary events in the ’90s,
there was always a flurry of
people exchanging manuscripts,”
he says. “Literary culture was a
process of exchange, and there’s
no reason we shouldn’t have a
digital way of doing that.”
In the meantime, Wershler
will continue to push for policy
reform and pose important
questions about how digital
books will be produced, under
which conditions we will
read them, how the Canadian
Arts Council will fund them
and what will become of
independent publishers.
As for the unwashed hippies
in the garage, they’re still on
the leading edge. Coach House
Books just launched its own
iPhone application.
Wershler’s research is funded
through the Canadian Foundation
for Innovation (CFI), the Ontario
Research Foundation and the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research
Council (SSHRC). Wershler has
written 10 books, including five
on technology and culture. He is
currently working on a monograph
about Kenneth Goldsmith,
American poet and founder of
UbuWeb.
There is a financial,
technical and legal
bottleneck that is
stalling the creation
of Canadian online
arts archives.
’’
5
CAMPUS COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
March 2010
Science alumni share career success stories
Life After Laurier Science speaker series ends this month
By Mallory O’Brien
Stephanie Ratza doesn’t
have to think too far back to
recall one of her best Laurier
memories. Just last year, 20
years after graduating with a
degree in math, Ratza and her
former university roommates
celebrated their 40th birthdays
by going on a cruise together. “Laurier helps build those
bonds,” she said during a recent
talk that was part of the Life
After Laurier Science speaker
series.
The alumna has enjoyed a
successful business career and
is one of the most accomplished
female executives in Waterloo
Region’s renowned high-tech
sector. She currently serves as
chief financial officer (CFO) of
Descartes Systems Group, a
global logistics company based
in Waterloo.
For Ratza, one of the best
parts of her Laurier experience
was the student environment,
which encouraged the building
of strong relationships. Other
benefits include the university’s
strong reputation, excellent
academics, innovative programs
and exceptional learning
finance, and the Intellectual
experience.
Property and Innovation
And learning at Laurier
Company (IPICO) as chief
occurs inside and outside of the
financial officer, before taking
classroom, she said. “Although
on her current role as CFO at
you are fortunate that the
Descartes Systems, a logistics
calibre of faculty here is also
network provider that helps
outstanding.”
companies ship products and
The ability to interact with
track their delivery efficiently. faculty outside of classroom
hours, and the many opportuShe was proud to note that
nities to build leadership skills,
five of her 30 team members at
sets Laurier apart, she told the
Descartes are Laurier alumni.
audience. (More than 1,000 Laurier
After graduating from Laurier
alumni work in the thriving
in 1989, Ratza earned her
high-tech industry in Waterloo
Chartered
Region.)
Accountant
“My motto has been to work
designation
global, stay local,” she said.
and became
“Although my work has taken
“employee
me places, I have been lucky to
number
stay based in Waterloo.” 35” at Open
Ratza was the third guest
Text Corp.,
speaker in the five-part Life
creators
After Laurier Science speaker
of the first
series, which was designed as
Stephanie Ratza
search-engine an opportunity for students,
technology for the Internet. As
faculty and community
controller, Ratza helped the
members to meet science
company grow by completing 11 alumni who have built inspiring
acquisitions. Today, Open Text
and successful careers. Other
produces content-management
speakers included psychology
software and employs over
alumna Gail Czukar, computer
4,000 people worldwide. science graduate Michael Stark
Ratza went on to work at
and chemistry alumnus Paul
MKS Inc. as vice-president of
Smith.
The science of the Olympics
Rebecca Watts attended all 17 days of the Vancouver Olympics,
but the Laurier alumna wasn’t always taking in the excitement
of the games.
Instead, she was behind the scenes, working with hundreds
of other volunteers who formed the Olympics’ anti-doping team.
Watts spent most of her time in the anti-doping “command
centre” assisting with the program’s day-to-day needs.
A kinesiology and physical education grad, Watts’ interest in
anti-doping was piqued after taking Dr. Tim Elcombe’s Ethics
in Sport, Exercise and Health class at Laurier. Her urge to
attend the Olympics, however, came after taking a class with Dr.
Stephen Wenn.
“Anyone who has taken his Modern Olympics class wants to
go to the games,” said Watts.
After graduating in 2008 and earning a sport business
management degree at Algonquin College, Watts took on two
internships that would give her the relevant experience to be an
Olympics volunteer. One was with Speed Skating Canada and
the other with the Association of National Anti-Doping Organisations (ANADO).
Watts recently accepted a full-time position at ANADO, which
works on behalf of several
national organizations to
strengthen global antidoping efforts. Her job
involves liaising with international sport federations
and the World Anti-Doping
Agency to plan and deliver
Rebecca Watts at the Olympic Oval in
testing programs.
Vancouver.
Laurier students, staff volunteer in Costa Rica
Alternative Reading Week teaches community service, reflection
By Mallory O’Brien
Laurier students and staff
members have returned from
the third-annual Alternative
Reading Week trip. This year,
the group volunteered in Costa
Rica, and worked on several
community-service initiatives.
In February, 15 students and
four team leaders joined local
service agency Solidarity in
Action to help communities in
San Jose and the province of
Limón.
Some of the placements in
San Jose included working at a
home for the elderly, renovating
a house, teaching English and
leading educational activities in
a school.
“This was the first time we
tried a multi-faceted social
justice approach,” said Adam
Lawrence, diversity coordinator
and one of the trip’s organizers.
“It gave us a diverse cross-section
of the challenges faced by many
people living in Costa Rica.”
Laurier students also volunteered with the Pan para mi
Hermano (Bread for my Brother)
program, where they worked
alongside Costa Rican students
to deliver food to homeless
people in downtown San Jose.
In the province of Limón,
6
students prepared a campaign
to educate children about health
and dental hygiene. They also
spent time planting trees and
exploring the rainforest.
In addition to volunteering,
Laurier’s Alternative Reading
Week has a strong reflection
component, said Lawrence.
“Students spent one to three
hours a night on the trip
working on structured reflection
exercises to maximize learning.
What did the day’s situation
mean, economically and
culturally?”
Students are then asked to
take their experience and apply
it to social-justice issues in
Kitchener-Waterloo.
“This isn’t just a trip, it’s more
of an experience,” said Drew
Piticco, manager of Laurier’s
Student Leadership Centre. “We
try to give students as much
autonomy as possible, so they
can see it all with their own eyes,
and when they come back home,
take what they’ve learned and
apply it to life here.”
Participants of this year’s
Alternative Reading Week will
be hosting an exhibit in the
Concourse March 30 from 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Images, reflections and
mementos will be on display,
and students and staff will be on
hand to share their experiences
and answer questions.
“This trip, after some reflection,
has proven to be one of the
best Alternative Reading Week
experiences that students and
staff have ever had,” said Piticco.
“It was an incredibly impactful
experience for everyone
involved.
Communication studies student Dan Towers, above, and the rest of the Laurier group, top, with children from a school in Limón.
The volunteers ran a dental-hygiene campaign at the school, planted trees and played soccer with the kids, losing 3-2.
March 2010
coffee with a co-worker
CAMPUS COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
A look at staff and faculty across campus
A spark for singing
Name: Paul Wagg
Job: Electrical Lead Hand
Where you can find him:
In front of a circuit breaker or
on stage.
How he takes his coffee:
Medium regular.
Members of the barbershop quartet, Amour, from left: Ted Kobak, John Duggan, Paul Wagg and Lorne Brubacher.
Can you tell us about your
history at Laurier?
I started here in ’75 as an
electrician. I became an
honorary letterman in ’78 — I
still have the letterman’s jacket,
but somehow it shrunk! Two
of my sons graduated from
Laurier and met their wives
here, and my son Steve works
here (as a custodian in Alumni
Hall). My first grandson
was even born on Sir Wilfrid
Laurier’s birthday.
How did you get into singing?
I played hockey until I was 55,
and after facing knee surgery, I
started looking for something
else to get into. A guy from my
church invited me out to the
coming Events
Laurier Brantford Bookstore
Spring Sidewalk Sale
When: Mar. 24
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Grand River Hall foyer
Shop early for the best selection
of discounted items.
Information Session on
Parkinson’s Disease
When: Mar. 24
11:30 a.m.
Where: Laurier Toronto Office
Cost: Free
Twin City Harmonizers. I liked
it so much I joined.
We sing for birthdays, Valentine’s Day and events.
Did you know you had talent?
No, but my father told me that
my school report card once
said, “If he could sing all day,
he’d be a perfect student.”
What led you to perform in
musicals?
I remember fixing an electrical
problem at Maureen Forrester
Recital Hall and listening to
the students practice on stage.
I thought, “I’d much rather be
out there than back here.” My
voice coach (Laurier alumna
Carol-Anne Treitz) and my
wife, Judy, encouraged me to
take acting lessons and get into
musical theatre.
How did you become involved
in a barbershop quartet?
The Twin City Harmonizers held a fundraiser for
Harmonize 4 Speech (which
created a scholarship for
master’s of music therapy
students at Laurier). Four of us
sang on Valentine’s Day as part
of the fundraiser and liked it so
much that we formed Amour,
our barbershop quartet, in 2002.
For a complete list of events visit www.wlu.ca/events
Department of English and Film
Studies will speak as part of
the library’s popular “Ideas &
Issues” noon-hour lecture series.
Music at Noon
When: Mar. 30
12 p.m.
Where: Maureen Forrester
Recital Hall
Cost: Free
Bring your lunch and enjoy
Jerzy Kaplanek on violin and
Christine Vlajk on viola.
Are you at risk for Parkinson’s
disease? Do you know someone
affected by the disease? Meet
expert Dr. Quincy Almeida and
learn more.
Nutrition Myths & Truths
When: Mar. 31
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: DAWB 2-106
Cost: Free
Screening the Caribbean:
Tropic North/Tropique Nord
When: Mar. 26
7 p.m.
Where: BA201
Cost: Free
How well do you know your
nutrition facts from fiction?
Learn the myths and truths
from a registered dietician. Visit
Human Resources’ Training
& Development web page to
register.
This film by Governor General
Michaëlle Jean and Jean Lafond
looks at the Haitian diaspora in
Montreal and black-Quebecois
identities.
As Time Goes By: The
Representation of Memory
on Film
When: Mar. 29
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Kitchener Public Library
Cost: Free
Dr. Russell Kilbourn from the
What roles have you played?
I had a chorus role in Joseph and
the Amazing Technicolour Dream
Coat at the Centre in the Square
Outstanding Women of
Laurier Awards
When: Mar. 31
11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Where: Waterloo Inn
Cost: $80/person
For tickets, visit www.laurierathletics.com/owl.
Laurier Brantford Walk/Run
When: Apr. 1
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Carnegie Lounge
Cost: Free
Take a step for good health by
participating in this inaugural
event. For more information
or to register, contact Rachel
Mahrer at [email protected].
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Speaker Series:
Tom Jenkins
When: Apr. 5
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Senate & Board
Chamber
Cost: Free
Join Tom Jenkins, executive
chairman and chief strategy
officer of Open Text, as he
discusses the Future of Digital
Media and Canada 3.0.
in Kitchener and the Petrolia
community theatre. It was the
hardest thing I ever did and the
most rewarding thing I ever
did. I just began rehearsals for
the Community Players of New
Hamburg’s production of Cats.
What is your role in Cats?
I play Gus, the theatre door
cat. He’s the oldest cat in the
play, and I’m the oldest cast
member!
Do you have a cat?
I do, and we’ve been told to
watch them closely.
What else can you tell us
about your music?
In 2007 I won Barbershopper
of the year, and the Twin City
Harmonizers won CBC’s
“Good ol’ Hockey Game”
competition. We raffled off
some of our winnings for
Harmonize 4 Speech.
Starting in a new direction
at 55 is inspirational. Do you
have any advice?
Well, it’s never too late — if
you’ve got a thought, do it! I
want to lift the spirits of other
people — if they’re inspired
by some old guy like me, then
that’s important. Anyone can
sing. If you’re singing, you’re
making a beautiful sound.
By Lori Chalmers Morrison
Sabbaticals 101
Is there a sabbatical in your future?
Before you go, here are a few tips to
keep your family safe and healthy:
• Get medical check-ups at least two
months before departure and obtain
prescriptions for all medications,
listing the generic and brand names
of each drug.
• Be sure your immunizations are up
to date. Check with your local travel
clinic to find out what shots are
recommended for your destination.
Resources about supplementary
coverage if necessary.
• Pack a first-aid kit in your checked
luggage, including over-the-counter
medications that may not be available at your destination.
Adopted from the Joint Health and
Safety Committee’s SafetyNet newsletter, available at www.wlu.ca/eohs.
• Check your health insurance to
make sure you are covered — contact your provincial health office for
details. Speak with Human
Brent McFarlane Run for
MDRC
When: Apr. 11
9:30 a.m.
Where: Bricker Academic
Building
Cost: $15/3-km run or
$25/10-km run
Join the third-annual run and
help raise money for the study
of Parkinson’s disease. For
details, contact Connie Palenik
at [email protected].
How to Fit Exercise Into Your
Busy Life
When: Apr. 15
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Paul Martin Centre
To register, visit www.wlu.ca/
hr/registration/index.php.
7
CAMPUS COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY
VOL. 1 NO. 1 APRIL 7,2008
March 2010
In the classroom
A look inside the lecture hall
Hands-on
learning
Professor: Terry Sturtevant
Class: PC120/CP120, Digital
Electronics
Description: Students design,
build and test circuits for the lab
portion of this course.
As a physics lab coordinator,
Terry Sturtevant covers the
practical side of science courses,
and takes a more empirical
approach to teaching.
“I find I’m much more
intrigued by the learning process
than by the subject matter of any
specific course,” said Sturtevant.
“How students learn — or not —
fascinates me.”
In this lab, students use the
theories they learn in lecture to
produce circuits with a specific
goal, such as the ability to judge
an electronic game of Rock,
Paper, Scissors.
“As the term progresses, the
circuits change but the process
is fairly consistent. My goal
is to get students to see the
similarities and differences of
each of these processes, and that
each has its own strengths and
weaknesses.
“Since the tasks themselves are
‘real,’ I think it helps students see
value in what they’re learning.”
By Mallory O’Brien
Terry Sturtevant leads a physics lab for the Digital Electronics course.
Photo: Dean Palmer
Artist invites viewers into the Hive
Hive, a site-specific art installation by Janet Morton, runs
until April 3 at the Robert
Langen Art Gallery. Admission
is free.
Hive takes viewers on a
voyage to understand and
re-evaluate their relationship
with the environment. It
also serves as a fascinating
metaphor for the creativethinking process.
Lush green knitted and sewn
vines travel the length of the
gallery and envelop a large
central structure constructed
out of transparent plastic
containers: the hive. The hive
is found within a garden that
features hybrid plant-like sculptures made from found/rescued
objects and green recycled
sweaters.
“In my art practice, issues of
reclamation, transformation and
labour resurface consistently,”
says Morton. “By using stereotypically domestic techniques
and recycled materials, I shift
the axis from private to public,
mundane to monumental,
and attempt to address the
confounding and complex ways
that ‘value’ is assigned to both
objects and time investment.”
8