Carpooling, car sharing shift into gear at LaurierInitiative addresses parking demands and environmental concerns

By Lori Chalmers Morrison

It’s a scenario that’s familiar to many on campus: drive alone to work in rush-hour traffic, try to find a parking spot and grumble to co-workers about gas prices.

But thanks to Laurier’s Parking and Transportation Resources department, there are now alternatives.

In a move that addresses parking demands and environmental concerns, the department has partnered with Carpool.ca and Grand River CarShare to link staff, students and faculty with carpooling services for the Waterloo, Brantford and Kitchener campuses, and car-sharing services at the Waterloo campus.

“Our department is contin-ually developing as Laurier evolves,” said Mary Basler, manager of Parking and Trans-

portation Resources. “We’re an academic institution with more environmental awareness and we have a responsibility to be proactive with what we can offer.”

The department has purchased a membership for the university on the Carpool.ca website, which helps members find carpool partners. The Laurier community can use the service free of charge. After logging in and entering a starting location and desti-nation, the site helps users find commuters with similar routes and destinations. It explains the different types of carpooling options available to faculty, staff and students, and even provides tips on carpooling etiquette.

“This year, more students than ever seem to be living at home and commuting to our campuses from other cities,” said Basler. “This service will

allow students, faculty and staff to connect with others who commute from the same area.”

For those who require only periodic use of a vehicle, Laurier has also linked with the Grand River CarShare cooper-ative, which provides access to a vehicle on a self-serve, pay-per-use basis. A parking spot near Alumni Field on the Waterloo campus has been devoted to the service.

After paying a fully refundable membership and key deposit ($425 for individuals), plus a $25 appli-cation fee, members simply call a 24-hour reservation line or visit the CarShare website (grandrivercarshare.ca) to reserve a car for the date and time they need it. Reservations are taken far in advance or on the spur-of-the-moment.

The car will be waiting — with a full tank of gas — at Laurier’s CarShare parking spot with the keys in the lock box.

“It’s a great option for people looking to get rid of a second car,” said Basler.

CARPOOL continued on page 6

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5 Meet Dr. Bob Sharpe, geography professor, gourmet coffee drinker and environmental advocate.

7 Laurier fish lab spawns research that helps water management and the environment.

8 University Archives is cataloging more than 40,000 photos to help preserve Laurier’s past.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier, with the help of actor George Joyce in period costume, visited the university in September as part of the Envisioning Laurier initiative. He strolled around the Waterloo and Brantford campuses and chatted with

staff and students about what they think the university might look like in 30 years. Other Envisioning Laurier events currently under way include a web forum and photo contest. Visit www.wlu.ca/envisioning for more information.

Wilfrid Laurier University • October 2008

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Mary Basler, manager of Laurier’s Parking and Transportation Resources, says car sharing is a great option for people looking to get rid of a second car.

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Adapting to change Laurier’s rapid growth over the past decade has affected just about every aspect of the university. Through the Envisioning Laurier process, we have been contemplating and discussing the university’s future at a strategic level. Meanwhile, there is a need to address some of the more nuts-and-bolts issues of running an organization that has doubled in size in just 10 years.

In assessing the impact of this growth, it has become clear that some reporting structures that made sense in a smaller institution are no longer viable for a multi-campus university with more than 13,000 students. Consequently, after consultation and careful consideration, I have initiated a number of changes that are intended to:

• Enable clear and appropriate focus for departments;

• Redistribute and balance the number of direct reports to some senior administrators, and/or to enhance high-level support for some senior positions;

• Improve clarity in responsibil-ities and accountabilities.

Most of the changes listed below will take effect Jan. 1, 2009, although some may happen sooner. Please note that some of the job titles mentioned here are working titles only.

• Vice-President: Finance and Administration: Create an associate or assistant vice-president position to support the work of the v-p.

• Vice-President: Academic: Create an assistant vice-president

position with responsibility for ITS, Registrar’s Office, Academic Services and Student Recruitment. Remove responsi-bility for Laurier International.

• Vice-President: Development (retitled from Vice-President: University Advancement): Retain responsibility for Devel-opment, Advancement Services and Alumni Relations. Remove responsibility for Public Affairs and Student Recruitment.

• Associate Vice-President: Research: Add responsibility for Laurier International and for Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

• University Secretariat: Increase responsibilities of the secretary role to serve high-level needs of the Board and Senate with respect to governance and the related issues of audit, compliance, legal matters, and information and privacy issues. Also create a position in Insti-tutional Research to focus on reporting — internal, compliance, government, etc. Increase responsibility of the Institutional

Research Officer to focus more on strategic analysis and university advocacy.

• Office of the President: Add responsibility for Public Affairs and refocus its mandate to external promotion and advocacy. Also, create a director: office of the president and university relations, with responsibility for Academic Events. The focus of Academic Events will include organization of Convocation and all other significant public and internal functions.

These changes will enable each area to better serve the needs of the university and to operate more effectively in context of the new scale and multi-campus nature of Laurier. Further adjust-ments are being contemplated by initiatives within other areas of the university. These will come forward over the coming year and I look forward to sharing them with you.

Dr. Max BlouwPresident and Vice-Chancellor

United Way kicks off annual campaignChili cook-off launches Laurier’s fundraising efforts

By Mallory O’Brien

Laurier’s United Way campaign officially kicks off this year with a chili cook-off in the Concourse on Thursday, October 16. A panel of judges will sample the entries and prizes will be awarded to the team with the best chili, the hottest chili, and the team that raises the most money at its table.

Last year Laurier raised over $63,000 for United Way. The money was used to support almost 100 programs and initiatives that help those in need in the Kitchener-Waterloo community.

This year’s goal has been set at $65,000 and organizers hope to increase participation by 10 percent.

“The programs and services funded by United Way are critical to our local community,” said Sandra Castellanos, co-chair of Laurier’s United Way campaign. “Laurier in particular plays a leading role – we are not

known merely as an institution of learning, but also as an insti-tution of service and compassion. Our students, faculty and staff are active within the community, serving as volunteers for many of the organizations that United Way supports. Donating is another vital component to ensuring that we have a healthy, thriving community.”

Faculty and staff can donate through cash, cheque, credit card or payroll deduction. Canvassers will visit all faculty and staff with pledge cards and information, or donations can be sent directly to Wally Pirker in Institutional Research.

Special events and “early bird” prize draws will be posted on the Laurier website.

For information on how to participate in the chili cook-off or to learn more about the campaign, contact Sandra Castellanos at scastellanos@wlu.ca or co-chair Franklin Ramsoomair at framsoom@wlu.ca.

PResident’s messAge

send us your news, events & stories

Email: insidelaurier@wlu.ca

All submissions are appreciated, however not all submissions will be published. We reserve the right to edit all copy for accuracy, content and length.

InsideLaurier

Volume 1, Number 5, October 2008

Editor: Stacey Morrison

Assistant Editor: Lori Chalmers Morrison

Design: Erin Steed

Contributors: Tomasz Adamski, Tiffany Bradley, Kevin Crowley, Scott Harris, Mallory O’Brien

InsideLaurier is published by The Department of Public Affairs

Wilfrid Laurier University 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5

InsideLaurier welcomes your comments and suggestions for stories.

Tel: (519) 884-0710 ext. 3341 | Fax: (519) 884-8848 Email: insidelaurier@wlu.ca

InsideLaurier (circ. 2,000) 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.

The judges in TVO’s annual Big Ideas Best Lecturer Compe-tition are looking for teachers who engage their students with passion, flair and clarity, and who convey their knowledge with genuine conviction.

They don’t have to look any further than the Laurier campus for outstanding professors.

The time has come again to encourage Laurier students, staff, faculty and alumni to vote for their favourite professors for the 2009 edition of the competition.

TVO will be accepting nomina-

tions until October 12 via email to bl@tvo.org. Be sure to include the subject line “BL 2009 Nomination” and a maximum 100-word description of the professor. You can also submit your nomination through your mobile device by texting PROF at 333111.

A panel of judges will choose 10 finalists from the nominee list to deliver complete lectures on the TVO show Big Ideas beginning in February. Viewers will vote for the winner.

Last year, Laurier professors Dr. Michel Desjardins, Dr. Penelope

Ironstone-Catterall, Dr. Lorne Sulsky and Shirley Lichti showed they had the “love of learning to stimulate imaginations, open eyes and push boundaries” that the competition values, and each made it to the semi-final round.

In addition to raising awareness about the province’s great educators, the winning institution will receive a $10,000 TD Insurance Meloche Monnex scholarship.

For further information and full contest details, visit www.tvo.org/bestlecturer.

next issue of

november 2008

nominate Laurier’s best lecturers The Faculty of Education raised the most money at last year’s chili cook-off, above.

deadline for submissions: October 17

3

October 2008

Laurier Brantford hosting second-annual Relay for LifeLaurier Brantford will host its second annual Relay for Life in support of cancer research on October 17 in Brantford’s Victoria Park.

The 12-hour, overnight walk will bring together staff, faculty, students and friends in the mission to find a cure for cancer.

Last year 120 participants raised $21,000. This year, organizers hope to double the number of participants and raise $30,000.For event details, or to donate or volunteer, visit brantford.mylaurier.ca/athletics.

Pool will stay open for nowThe university will keep its 50-metre swimming pool open until at least Dec. 31 to give the community more time to develop a plan for providing local aquatic groups with a competitive swim facility.

Laurier had previously announced that the aging pool, which has been used by community aquatic groups for 35 years, would close permanently Aug. 31 due to

the need for significant and costly repairs. In response to community concern, the university has re-visited the repair issues with its consulting engineers and determined that the pool can be kept safely open on a day-by-day basis while the university continues to work with the community to find a longer-term solution.

One option is to make interim repairs that could keep the pool open for up to five years, providing community groups with a training facility until a new competitive pool is built in the region. Laurier has offered to continue paying the operating costs to run its pool if the community contributes the capital funds for the interim repairs.

“Laurier has provided the community with an excellent aquatic facility for 35 years and we recognize that it is central to competitive swimming in this region,” said Jim Butler, Laurier’s vice-president: finance and administration. “We’ve been encouraged by the commu-nity’s expressions of support in recent weeks and we will do

our best to keep the pool open for as long as we can while we work together for a longer-term solution.”

Butler stressed, however, that the pool’s status will be subject to daily evaluation until

the funds are found to make significant repairs.

The Laurier pool is the only 50-metre pool in Waterloo Region and is used by many community groups, including the Region of Waterloo Swim

Club (ROW), the KW Synchro-nized Swim Club, the Waterloo Regional Synchronized Swim Club, the KW Water Polo Club, high schools, elementary schools, and Special Olympics athletes.

neWs What’s new and notable at Laurier

The Aboriginal Student Services department held a lively event in the Quad to welcome students and faculty back from the summer, and to inform new aboriginal students about the services they provide. The event included several traditional drum performances and featured songs by female aboriginal singers, most of whom are Laurier community members.

“It was a very positive experience to have aboriginal faculty and staff come together to welcome the students and acknowledge their learning journey in a good way,” said George Kennedy, native student services coordinator at Laurier Brantford.

Sparrow Rose, who recently left her post as manager of employee relations and equity coordinator in the Human Resources department, was the key person responsible for organizing the event.

ssHRC awards Laurier over $850,000 for researchAll 29 applications for graduate scholarships approved

By Mallory O’Brien

Of the 29 applications Wilfrid Laurier University submitted to the Social Sciences and Human-ities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for graduate scholar-ships, all were approved, and Laurier graduate students are receiving more than $850,000 to help fund their valuable research initiatives.

Eleven Laurier students were

successful in the national compe-tition for doctoral scholarships.

SSHRC funds two levels of awards: Canada Graduate Schol-arships, SSHRC’s most presti-gious and lucrative scholarship valued at $105,000 over three years; and doctoral fellowships, valued at $20,000 over one, two or three years. All but one of the funded students will hold their award at Laurier.

“I am delighted with our

students’ success in receiving these major awards,” said Dr. Joan Norris, dean of graduate studies. “The research that they will carry out under the auspices of the Council will contribute significantly to knowledge in a wide variety of disciplines. This success affirms Laurier’s efforts to develop and expand our already strong graduate programs in the social sciences and humanities.”

Sheri Longboat, a PhD student in Laurier’s geography program, is researching solutions for water management problems that persist in Ontario’s First Nation communities. Receiving her doctoral fellowship will allow Longboat to expand her research beyond water quality problems to investigate First Nations’ water security within the broader Canadian water policy context.

“I hope to contribute to the empirical understanding of the First Nations’ water system and present a conceptual framework for enhanced community-level water security,” said Longboat.

“This will include an articulation

of the interrelationships between First Nations and scientific approaches to water resources from which new water gover-nance and management tools will emerge.”

Eighteen other Laurier students earned SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarships for master’s students, valued at $17,500 over one year. The students come from programs including anthropology, English and film studies, global studies, history, music, psychology, kinesiology and physical education, religion and culture, social work and sociology.

Roula Markoulakis and Hannah You are two recipients of the master’s scholarship. Markoulakis, who will be pursuing a master’s degree in kinesiology at Laurier, is conducting research with

autistic children to help improve early intervention strategies with families and parents. You, currently in Laurier’s music therapy program, is working to implement a program for traumatized refugee youths.

Due to the success Laurier has had receiving graduate scholarships from SSHRC in recent years, the number of applications Laurier is permitted to submit to SSHRC continues to rise steadily. This year’s 100 percent success rate will allow even more Laurier students to continue their promising research in future years.

SSHRC is an arm’s-length federal agency that promotes and supports university-based research and training in a variety of different disciplines related to the social sciences and humanities.

Dr. Joan Norris, dean of graduate studies, says the SSHRC funding affirms Laurier’s expansion of its graduate studies program.

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A chance to say thanks!By Mallory O’Brien

Do you have a co-worker that has gone above and beyond the call of duty? Is there a staff or faculty member that you think deserves recognition? Here’s a chance for you to say thanks!

LaurierThanks! is a new electronic message system that will allow you to leave praise on staff and faculty contact pages on the Laurier website. Coming soon, the LaurierThanks! application can be turned off if employees choose to opt out of the program. Messages will be emailed to employees for approval before they are posted online.

“The program is designed

to give the opportunity to say thanks to employees who provide excellent customer service, demonstrate leadership or basically exhibit anything that improves our Laurier community,” said Melanie Will, manager of training and development in Laurier’s Human Resources department.

“This is a good way for Laurier employees to give and receive recognition for their hard work. And it’s kind of fun!”

Also available are Laurier-Thanks! postcards, which can be sent to a co-worker through inter-office mail to show appre-ciation for outstanding work. These postcards are available for employees without regular

Internet access, and can be picked up at Human Resources.

“Everyday our employees are doing and saying the little things that really make a difference in the quality of a student’s experience or in the day of another member of the Laurier community,” said Allison Roberts, assistant vice-president of Human Resources.

“This program celebrates quality, enthusiasm and attitude.”

For more information on the LaurierThanks! program, visit www.wlu.ca/thanks.

Dr. Thomas Kozloski has won the prestigious Widman Medal, awarded by the American Accounting Association for scholarly achievement in accounting. Kozloski and his co-authors were recognized for the contribution to the article

“Auditor Risk Assessment: Insights from the Academic Literature,” published in the June 2006 edition of Accounting Horizons.

Dr. Eleanor Ty, English professor and chair, has been elected to a one-year term as

president of the Canadian Association of Chairs of English (CACE).

New appointments:

Chery Batty, coordinator: MSW programs.

Aine Bradley, technical assistant, SBE.

Michael Daly, administrative assistant.

Monica Duyvestyn, adminis-trative assistant, Student Awards.

Heather Ferris, coordinator: Sponsorship & Events.

Ross Fraser, student affairs coordinator.

Tyla Fullerton, research assistant, Community Service-Learning.

Bailey Gross, residential services assistant.

Harry Guenther, technical support specialist.

Stephanie Hardy, financial aid clerk.

Christine Hauck, media technology assistant.

Christina Kemp, lab instructor.

Vanessa McMackin, course materials assistant, Bookstore.

Anna Mutter, administrative assistant.

Lisa Neziol, registrarial and recruitment receptionist, Brantford.

Michael Sage, lab coordinator.

Hasan Shodiev, lab coordinator, Physics & Computer Science.

Aditia Trilestari, technician (animal care), Faculty of Science.

Melissa Turner, employment services assistant.

Janice Vilaca, dean’s office assistant, Brantford.

Kristen Wallace, RLAC, Residential Services.

Elaine Wetherup, field experience officer.

John Williams, production cook.

Lindsay Woodside, coordinator: educational assistance.

Changes in staff appointments:

Suzanne Buck, custodian.

Brenda Burns, administrative assistant, ACUNS.

Jennifer Coleman, counsellor and performance consultant, Councelling Services.

Karen Everett, employment service assistant, Career Services.

Lori Hines, registrarial services assistant.

Melissa Huszczo, registrarial services coordinator.

Karli Imhoff, recruiting assistant, Career Services.

Krista Irving, bookings and financial assistant, Athletics.

Sandra Krall, financial and biographical assistant.

Cathy Mahler, intermediate administrative assistant, Faculty of Arts.

Cassie Morningstar, residence life coordinator, Brantford.

Harry Oldengarm, special constable.

Dawn Pavich, senior adminis-trative assistant, Psychology.

Janet Robinson, intermediate administrative assistant, Alumni Relations.

Kim Susanna, intermediate administrative assistant, Physics & Computer Science.

Retirements:

Faye Clark, public affairs assistant, is retiring this fall after more than 34 years at the university.

Beth Harrison, executive assistant, Office of the President, has retired after almost 15 years at Laurier.

Dr. Zongsen Wu, lab instructor.

PeOPLe At LAURieR For a complete list of announcements visit www.wlu.ca/hr

name: Sandra Castellanos Job title: Administrative Assistant, OB/HRM & Accounting Book title: Long Walk to Freedom: the Autobiography of Nelson Mandela Author: Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela’s personal story and triumph over extreme adversity is inspiring, particularly the fact that a long incar-ceration never swayed him from his path to peace. To read his autobiography makes me feel as though I can make a small difference in the world and that persistence is the key.

name: Penny Barnett Job title: Administrative Assistant, Development, Laurier Brantford Cd title: Sleep Through the Static Artist: Jack Johnson

I bought this CD after listening to the Curious George sound-track (also by Jack Johnson) with my daughter — it reminded me how much I enjoy his music. I find this album consistent with his other ones: the music is quiet, yet fun and distinctive. I also find the lyrics very poetic.

Do you have a professional or personal milestone that you would like to share with the Laurier community? Email your announcement and photo to insidelaurier@wlu.ca.

ACUNS Lecture Series — Fighting Malnutrition: The Copenhagen Consensus SolutionWho: Dr. Sue Horton, Laurier Department of EconomicsWhen: October 16, 7 p.m.Where: Paul Martin Centre

The Iraqi Crisis and its Impact on Regional and International SecurityWho: Dr. Mokhtar Lamani, ambassador and permanent observer to the UNWhen: October 15, 7 p.m.Where: BA201RSVP to globalstudiesclub@ gmail.com

Global Violence, Helplessness and EngagementWho: Dr. Adam Davidson-Harden, former Laurier facultyWhen: October 17, 7 p.m.Where: BA202RSVP to global studiesclub@gmail.com

Managing Uncertainty: the Developmental State at the Technological FrontierWho: Dr. Joseph Wong, Canada Research Chair, associate professor of political science at the University of TorontoWhen: October 24, 2 p.m.Where: Alvin Woods 5-103

Canadian Islamic Schools: Unravelling the Politics of Faith, Gender, Knowledge and IdentityWho: Dr. Jasmin Zine.When: October 31, 11:30 a.m.Where: BA308

How Poverty and Inequality are MeasuredWho: Dr. Rhoda Howard-Hassmann, Canada Research Chair and Laurier Department of Global StudiesWhen: November 4, 7 p.m.Where: N1002

Upcoming guest speakers at Laurier

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October 2008

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I get so much from working with my grad students. It has to be the highlight of my time here. It’s the sheer variety of their backgrounds and interests. I consider it a privilege.

What courses do you teach?

I teach a second-year cartog-raphy course. It’s very visual. I also teach a graduate-level human geography course. It’s a small, incredibly diverse group of students. At the beginning of class, they each talk for a few

minutes about an encounter they’ve had with a place. It helps us understand how geography is embodied within ourselves.

How about research?

I’m very interested in how people use geotechnology and how they apply it to problems in environmental management and geographic education. One of my graduate students is looking at how levels of spatial thinking relate to solving geographical problems. Another grad student is studying mobility. He mapped all of

Kitchener’s neighbourhoods and measured how close they are to different types of services. It’s a new paradigm building bridges between sociology and geography.

What’s involved in your role as associate dean?

We’re looking at funding new initiatives, and the vision for Laurier. I’m on the curriculum committee, and we started a teaching circle that gets faculty together informally to talk about what’s happening in the classroom.

You don’t own a car. Tell us about your environmental approach.

I haven’t owned a car in 15 years. We chose a central spot to live that’s close to bike paths and bus routes. You have to plan your life. It’s a lifestyle choice. People think cars are a necessity, but really they’re a convenience.

So you bike to work?

Yes, but let’s celebrate that there are a lot more people than me riding bikes to campus. I also belong to Grand River

CarShare. It’s an excellent service.

Does your green way of life go beyond transportation?

It’s a whole attitude — an overall philosophy and way of thinking. I’m very involved in the Victoria Park working group looking at the remedi-ation of Schneider Creek. The creeks are like the cardio-vascular system of Kitchener, and we’d better clean up the arteries!

By Lori Chalmers Morrison

COffee WitH A CO-WORkeR A look at staff and faculty across campus

name: Dr. Bob Sharpe

Job: Associate geography pro-fessor and associate dean of the Faculty of Arts. Laurier faculty member since 1985.

Where you can find him: Second floor arts building, sit-ting at his desk between his map and his globe or on the fifth floor in the dean’s suite.

How he takes his coffee: Gourmet with cream, easily obtained via a “secret entrance” to the Second Cup.

WLU Symphony OrchestraWhen: October 9 & 108 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.Where: Maureen Forrester Recital HallCost: $10 adults, $5 students and seniors

Brantford Storytelling FestivalWhen: October 1012:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.Where: Odeon BuildingCost: $2 single, $5 family

Children and families listen to stories told in the oral tradition by local and guest storytellers. Clowns and face-painters will entertain between performances. For more information visit tales.bizbrant.com.

Kitchener-Waterloo OktoberfestWhen: October 10 – 18Where: various locations

Enjoy bratwurst and lederhosen at North America’s largest Bavarian festival! There are over 40 events at the festival, including music, car show, family events and a parade. For more information visit www.oktoberfest.ca.

Lunch & Learn Workshop: The Job Evaluation SystemWhen: October 1511:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.Where: TBA

Learn about the WLUSA job evaluation process including

how your work is valued under the system and what the committee’s role is. Visit www.wlu.ca/ilovemyjob for more information.

Blitzkrieg Bop by Raffael IglesiasWhen: October 15 – November 8Where: Robert Langen Art GalleryCost: Free

This exhibit features vibrant “cultural landscapes” inspired by Iglesias’ cultural heritage, socio-political issues and urban art.

ACUNS Open HouseWhen: October 1611 a.m. – 2 p.m.Where: 165 Albert Street

Visit the ACUNS offices and meet student outreach officers who will be preparing educa-tional exhibits to mark World Food Day.

Fan Appreciation Day with the Toronto ArgonautsWhen: October 181 p.m. pre-game festivites; 3 p.m. game timeWhere: Rogers PlaceCost: visit www.laurieralumni.ca

Are you a Laurier alumnus and love football? Bring the family to cheer on the Toronto Argonauts as they take on the Montreal Alouettes. There will be games, live entertainment and more.

Decreasing your Biological AgeWhen: October 21Where: Paul Martin Centre

Join us for this seminar on nutrition that will explore the concept of biological age. Topics include factors responsible for rapid aging and steps you can take to slow the process, starting now! To register, visit the www.wlu.ca/ilovemyjob.ca.

Reducing Your Risk for CancerWhen: October 2211:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.Where: Athletic Complex, Room 203

Join local naturopathic doctors as they facilitate a lunch and learn workshop on tips to help reduce your risk of developing cancer. To register, visit www.wlu.ca/ilovemyjob.

Easton McCarney Memorial Lecture: Spirituality and Social WorkWhen: November 67 p.m. – 10 p.m.Where: Faculty of Social Work AuditoriumCost: FreeTo register contact Brenda Mann at bmann@wlu.ca.

Michele Chaban, theologian and social worker, will address the role of spiritual care in holistic community and clinical service.

COming events For a complete list of events visit www.wlu.ca/events

Learning how to liftAssess before you lift1.

• Weight of the lift. • Range of the lift. • Location of the load in relation to the body. • Size and shape of load. • Number and frequency of lifts performed.

safe lifting practices2. • Stand close to the load. • Bend your knees, not your back. • Let your legs do the lifting. • Get help with awkward loads. • Use the right tools.

Carrying a load 3. • Hold the load close so you can see over it. • Keep the load balanced. • Avoid twisting the body. • Watch out for pinch points (i.e. doorways). • Face the way you move.

Prepared by Jeannette McDonald and adapted from SafetyNet, the newsletter of the Joint Health and Safety Committee. For information visit www.wlu.ca/eohs and click the link in the left-hand menu.

geography professor lives green

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Dr. Bob Sharpe, who often cycles to work, has adopted a green lifestyle and has lived without a car for 15 years.

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By Mallory O’Brien

A team of Wilfrid Laurier University political scientists has launched an election website to analyse the upcoming federal campaign and to provide insight and clarity on campaign developments. The team, based at the Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy (LISPOP), is monitoring the campaign through blogs, graphs, and a unique “seat projection calcu-lator.”

The Federal Election Monitor website (www.wlu.ca/lispop/fedblog) includes regularly updated seat projections for all of Canada, delivered through colour-coded regional maps. The projections are based on political science professor Dr. Barry Kay’s regional-swing model, which he has used successfully for over 30 years of Canadian elections.

“The map provides a conve-nient way for people to track what the polls mean for their own constituency and for the composition of the legislature,” said Dr. Steven Brown, director

of LISPOP. “The blogging space also allows professors, journalists and citizens to weigh in on interesting outcomes or poll discrepancies.”

This site follows the success of a similar election monitoring website produced by LISPOP for the 2007 Ontario provincial election. A new addition to the federal election website is a series of political profiles of Canadian voter groups that little is known about because they are normally too small to analyse in regularly sized polls.

Last year’s donation by Ipsos Reid of its 2006 Election Day Survey has given the LISPOP team access to the views and behaviour of more than 36,000 Canadian voters. The sheer size of this sample provides an opportunity to break out and analyse subgroups that have not been profiled before such as Green Party voters, gays and lesbians, gun owners, individual religious denomina-tions, and voters defined by different marital status.

Throughout the federal campaign, a series of profiles of such groups are being posted

regularly on the website. “The data provides almost

endless opportunities for new insight into the patterns of Canadian voter groups,” said Brown. “For example, we are able to compare married individuals to single voters, rural Albertans to Calgarians, Catholics to Lutherans, even immigrants in Toronto to immigrants in Montreal.”

“Voting studies are part of our academic research,” said Dr. Andrea Perrella, a political science professor on the LISPOP team. “This website is the applied face of what we do.”

CARPOOL continued

“Departments with visiting professors or faculty and staff who need to travel off-campus could also benefit from a membership.” Grand River CarShare’s rates begin at $3.70 per hour and $0.17 per kilometre, including gas, insurance, maintenance and repairs, and cleaning. If there isn’t a car available when you need one, the company will offer a discounted rate at a car rental company.

“I have great expectations for these programs,” said Basler.

“But we’re relying on feedback from the Laurier community with respect to both of these environmentally conscious plans.”

Although linking Laurier community members with carpooling and car-sharing

services is a new initiative, Basler’s department contin-ually supports alternate means of transportation such as actively promoting Laurier’s participation in the Region of Waterloo’s Commuter Challenge (the university placed first in the 501+ employees category this year), devoting parking spaces on campus for scooters and motorcycles, and increasing the number of bicycle racks on campus.

“We’re always here to listen,” said Basler. “We continuously look for ways to promote Laurier’s green initiatives and to aid in easy, economical ways for faculty, staff and students to find their way to campus.”

For more information on the carpooling or car-sharing services, visit www.wlu.ca/parking.

Homecoming’s newest event, the Laurier Loop, proved to be a great success, attracting more than 425 runners. The inaugural run raised $5,000 for Laurier’s Movement Disorder Research and Rehabilitation Centre.

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Laurier professors monitor federal electionInteractive website analyses the campaign, provides insight and clarity for voters

Bob Byron, former vice-president: finance at Laurier and a respected civil servant of the City of Waterloo, died on September 1 from a heart attack at his cottage in Haliburton. He was 79 years old.

Byron accepted a six-month post as acting vice-president of finance and administration at Laurier in 1997. He ended up staying for six years.

“It has been a tremendous experience that has given me a lot of personal satisfaction,” he once said of his tenure at the university.

Byron oversaw the univer-sity’s finances, physical resources, security services and human resources during a period of exceptional growth.

“The thing he brought to Laurier was his humility and his personal style,” said former Laurier president Dr. Robert Rosehart upon announcing Byron’s departure. “He’s done more than we could have ever expected.”

Prior to his career in academic administration, Byron was chief administrative officer for the City of Waterloo.

He left his city post in 1995 to run for the Liberals provin-cially. He lost to Elizabeth Witmer, the current MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo. A few years later he tried his hand again at government, running unsuccessfully for mayor.

An Australian native, Byron moved to Canada in 1954 and worked in northern Ontario logging timber before moving to Albtera and entering municipal administration.

former finance v-p dies at age 79Bob Byron served Laurier from 1997-2003

Bob Byron

October 1, 1908: Henry Ford’s Model T went on sale for the first time.October 3, 1990: After 45 years of division, East and West Germany were reunited.October 4, 1970: Singer Janis Joplin was found dead from a drug overdose.October 12, 1492: After a 33-day voyage, Christopher Columbus made his first landing in the New World in the Bahamas.October 16, 1793: Queen Marie Antoinette was beheaded during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution.October 19, 1987: “Black Monday” occurred on Wall Street as stocks plunged a record 508 points, the largest one-day drop in stock market history.October 30, 1938: The War of the Worlds radio broadcast panicked millions of Americans.

this month in history: what happened in October?

7

October 2008

Dr. Jim McGeer, right, and graduate students Amanda Mancini and Tony Straus check one of the lab’s 14 fish tanks.

A fine kettle of fish for Laurier researchersDr. Jim McGeer’s lab is more than just a giant aquarium; it tells a complex story that helps influence environmental policy By Lori Chalmers Morrison

If the fish lab in Laurier’s science building is the heart of biology professor Dr. Jim McGeer’s research, then the five pipes that wind around its perimeter pump its life-blood: five distinct types of water that create different testing environments for the lab’s 1,600 fish.

These fish aren’t swimming over neon-coloured pebbles or plastic replicas of shipwrecks. The lab’s 14 aquaria are sturdy green plastic drums where the only diversion for the fish is a brief glimpse of light when the lid lifts at feeding time.

Their job is simple: swim in different types of water and show how their response to contaminants varies with the different exposure environ-ments. The story the fish have to tell, however, is complex, and relates directly to environmental protection policies.

“We’re trying to understand how water chemistry affects the sensitivity of the fish to a variety of toxins,” explains McGeer, who focuses on fish physiology. Simply put, his research allows him to determine what concentration of specific metals in different aquatic environments is not harmful, and what is too much.

All elements, including metals, occur naturally in water, and some concentrations increase through urbanization and industrial activity. But it’s not the amount of the contaminant in the water alone that deter-mines its effect on fish; rather, it’s the amount of contaminant combined with the type of water the fish are swimming in.

In other words, the bioavail-ability of a contaminant — the amount a fish actually absorbs — differs when a fish is swimming in soft water, for example, than when it is swimming in calcium-enriched hard water.

“If regulators don’t understand how the safe level of a contam-inant can change from one environment to another, then they set blanket policies based on the most sensitive water and in the worst case, the highest

bioavailability conditions,” says McGeer. “This approach can lead to very conservative criteria set at concentrations less than some natural background concentra-tions in uncontaminated waters.”

According to McGeer, if specific regulations are set for specific areas based on research, then it won’t inhibit industrial activity unnecessarily in areas where the economy relies on a particular industry.

What the brown, brook, rainbow trout and lake whitefish in McGeer’s lab have told him so far is they are more susceptible to the effects of metals in soft water environments such as the Canadian Shield.

McGeer translates his research results into tools for regulators who balance environmental considerations and meeting the demands of industrial and community users.

Upstream from the fish lab, on the fourth floor of the science research centre, McGeer’s graduate students are examining the effects of metals on inver-tebrates, which can be more

sensitive than fish. This research relates to the fish lab in terms of trophic transfer.

“We are interested in how contaminants transfer from one species to another through the food chain,” says McGeer.

For example, a contaminant can accumulate in a resistant organism without an effect, but when it becomes food for a fish (or a sensitive invertebrate), it may adversely affect the predator. McGeer’s students are also looking at how metals are transferred through water and dietary routes of exposure.

As the director of the Laurier Institute for Water Science (LIWS) launched in June, McGeer is also one of the researchers reeled in from many different disciplines to look at water on a bigger scale.

“We’re combining our expertise to understand compo-nents of complex systems and how they all fit together,” he says. “There’s climatology, hydrology, ecology, toxicology and public policy aspects. Put together, they’re more than the

sum of their parts.”For example, climate

change affects the storage and movement of water within ecosystems, and altered hydrology influences the mobilization and transport of contaminants, which in turn can

impact aquatic organisms. LIWS research focuses on two

main areas. The first is northern Canada, where researchers are examining how changing climates and industrial devel-opment combine to alter aquatic ecosystems. The second area is the Grand River, which researchers hope to develop as a

“living laboratory.” “Along the Grand River we

find natural heritage, urbanized areas, agriculture, industry and recreational use,” says McGeer.

“We’re looking at how the water system can be maintained and sustained with so many different pressures.”

LIWS aims to use its research findings to improve the scien-tific basis of environmental protection regulations and to make policy recommendations related to water management and land-use planning.

“Environmental protection is usually looked at one contam-inant at a time, often out of the context of the complexities of the natural environment,” says McGeer. “The collaborative nature of LIWS allows us not only to understand the individual parts, but also the bigger picture.”

It’s a big fish to fry, but McGeer is part of a school of researchers who are up to the task.

When it was established: In the 1970s.

Where the fish come from: Local trout farms and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

number of fish: 1,600 (equal amounts of rainbow, brown and brook trout and late whitefish).

number of tanks: Eight large, six small, with 11 more large tanks arriving soon.

number of researchers in the lab: Nine — five graduate students, three undergraduate, and one post-doctoral student.

Who feeds the fish? “Everyone in the lab is respon-sible,” says McGeer. “It’s seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

do they ever name the fish? “Sure, that’s Carl number one to Carl number 67,” grins master’s student Tony Straus. “No, that one over there is Brenda,” laughs grad student Amanda Mancini.

Other people researching with fish at Laurier: Dean of Science Deb MacLatchy (ecotoxicologist and compar-ative endocrinologist), Michael Wilkie (environmental physi-ology and toxicology of ancient and modern fishes) and Lucy Lee (non-invasive diagnostic techniques to monitor health of aquatic organisms).

the biology of Laurier’s fish lab

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ReseARCH fiLe

The lab’s 1,600 fish swim in different types of water to determine how water chemistry affects their sensitivity to a variety of toxins.

October 2008

8

in tHe CLAssROOm A look inside the lecture hall

Professor: Dr. Andrew Welsh

Class: Psychology of Crime, Laurier Brantford

description: This course explores biological, developmental, cognitive and psychiatric expla-nations of criminal behaviour.

As a professor of criminology Dr. Andrew Welsh deals with some serious subject matter, so he strives to inject humour and levity into his lectures when it’s appropriate.

“Being approachable is particularly important,” he says.

“Students need to feel like they can approach you with questions.”

Welsh, who has a PhD in experimental psychology and law, describes his teaching style as traditional and “very meat-and-potatoes.” He enjoys regularly posing questions to the class and, as a self-proclaimed movie buff, making references to pop culture phenomena and showing films to make material more relevant for students.

“I really like the material I teach and allow my own interests to come through in my teaching style,” he says. “The great thing about my job is that I’m constantly learning. I think that love of learning is what fuels my love for teaching.”

By Mallory O’Brien

Preserving the university’s past

studying the criminal mind

Photo: Dean Palmer

University Archives collects and protects valuable historical items

Criminology assistant professor Dr. Andrew Welsh leads a class discussion at the Brantford campus.

By Lori Chalmers Morrison

It’s the basements and the attics of the world that house the real history lessons: the dust-covered trinkets valuable for the memories they represent.

At Laurier, basement and attic converge on the library’s first floor in the University Archives, where historical treasures have centre stage.

For years, the University Archives has been quietly collecting, preserving and sharing items of historical institutional value such as official university records, university publications and photo memorabilia. It houses about 500 linear metres of

material, including over 900 rare books and 40,000 photographs.

“We are the repository for original papers that are heavily used by staff and students,” said archives librarian Joan Mitchell, who appraises items to determine if they are significant. “It’s not a dead collection; it’s not storage.”

The most valuable area of the archives, the Special Collections, houses rare books, manuscripts and papers that support Laurier’s teaching and research. Its holdings range from a rare 500-year-old hymnal from northern Italy, to Stowe-

Gullen family mementos providing a glimpse into the life of the first Canadian woman and suffragette to graduate from medical school.

Visitors from the University of Saskatchewan and Northwestern University have travelled to view the collections (they are not circulated), and requests come from as far away as Japan and Australia.

The archives’ latest project, the Laurier Image Collection, is bringing history to people’s fingertips. Now, instead of sorting through acid-free envelopes of historical photos, people from all over the world can access some of

Laurier’s photo collection via the Internet. Through a partnership with Knowledge Ontario, Laurier photos are now part of a searchable online database.

“It’s very exciting for us to get the archives and the university out there,” said Mitchell.

So far, 600 of the 40,000 photos have been scanned and posted online with the originals maintained in the archives. It’s a time-consuming process that involves validating, dating, describing and cataloguing the photos using old yearbooks and calendars.

“Some of the early classes were so small that I now feel like I know them,” said archives administrator Cindy Preece. “I know who they married and what their majors were.”

Photos come from various sources, including staff, faculty, alumni and local photo studios. The images provide a glimpse into the past.

“We see fashion and social customs changing,” said Preece. “There are women in ball gowns smoking cigarettes and the first female students coming onto campus and getting so involved in everything.”

“Then there’s the absence of men in photos from the early ‘40s,” said Mitchell.

“And you remember they were all at war.”For more information about the

University Archives and Special Collec-tions, or to view the photos in the Laurier Image Collection, visit http://library.wlu.ca/archives.

Louise Twietmeyer, the first female graduate of Waterloo College in 1931, far left, and the library as it appeared in 1965. Photos courtesy of University Archives.