Inside
WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY
Waterloo | Brantford | Kitchener | Toronto
Photo: Sandra Muir
DECEMBER 2014
Laurier opened its doors for fall open houses on the Waterloo and Brantford campuses in November. For more photos, see page 8.
IPRM task force releases recommendations Report includes program priorities and proposed new budget model Following a thorough and collegial review process, Laurier’s Planning Task Force (PTF) — made up of faculty, staff and student members — submitted its Integrated Planning and Resource Management (IPRM) report recommending academic and administrative priorities and a new resource allocation model to Senate and the Board of Governors on Nov. 27. The PTF held Waterloo and Brantford IPRM town halls in early December to answer questions from students, faculty and staff. The recommendations in the PTF report follow a rigorous 18-month review process, where every academic and administrative program area at Laurier was evaluated according to how they align with institutional priorities. At the same time, the university’s budgeting processes were reviewed and other models studied, with the intent of recommending a new budget model that will more effectively allocate the university’s resources according to the identified priorities.
“IPRM is a strategic response to the challenging fiscal environment faced by postsecondary institutions in our province; it is not a cost-cutting exercise,” said Kim Morouney, a Laurier associate professor and co-chair of the IPRM’s overarching planning task force. “From the outset, we’ve approached this process with the question, ‘How can we make Laurier a better institution for our students, faculty and staff?’ The economics of education are changing and we need to focus our resources in the areas where we can excel.” The review process concluded that a significant majority of academic and administrative program areas at Laurier are viable, healthy and of good or excellent quality. Overall, the planning task force recommended that about 22 per cent of the university’s academic and administrative areas should receive additional resources; that the majority – roughly 60 per cent – of the areas be continued with existing resource levels; and that 18 per cent receive
fewer resources. Of this 18 per cent, it was suggested that nine administrative program areas and 18 academic program areas be maintained at a minimal level or considered for phase-out. “It is important to remember that these are recommendations at this point, and that implementation will take time,” said Mary-Louise Byrne, a Laurier associate professor and co-chair of the planning task force. “The university’s Board of Governors is responsible for making decisions about the IPRM recommendations, taking into account recommendations from the university Senate and members of the Laurier community. Decisions will be made in the first few months of 2015, and any approved recommendations will be implemented using the university’s existing governance and decision-making processes.” An implementation framework has been recommended by the PTF in its report to provide oversight of the implementation process. Some recommendations may be implemented in the short
term, but the implementation process will take time and careful planning, with many of the recommendations implemented over time. The PTF is recommending that implementation teams be put in place to consult with departments and facilitate the IPRM recommendations, and to institutionalize these prioritization reviews so they become cyclical. The implementation of any recommendations that are approved by the Board will follow the regular Senate and Board of Governors’ processes for implementing academic and financial decisions, consistent with the University Act. In keeping with Laurier’s collegial culture and to ensure input from across the university, it was essential that the evaluation process be bottom-up, transparent, and owned by members of the university. While the decision to begin the process came from senior administration, the process IPRM see page 2
IPRM Key dates Oct. 30
RMT recommendations to Senate, Board of Governors & posted to website
Nov. 26
RMT recommendations discussed at Senate meeting
Nov. 27
Full PTF recommendations to Senate, Board of Governors & posted to website
Dec. 4
IPRM Town Hall (Waterloo)
Dec. 5
IPRM Town Hall (Brantford)
Dec. 17
Special Senate meeting
Jan. 12
Senate meeting
Jan. 13
Comment form deadline
Feb. 2
Special Board of Governors meeting
Feb. 26
Board of Governors meeting
Next steps will be shared as dates are confirmed.
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More than 100 guests and 58 authors attend Laurier’s first Community Author event.
Rick Cousineau retires from Laurier after 41 years and plenty of memories.
Bank of Canada Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Wilkins returns to Laurier.
Inside
December 2014
president’s message
A strategic approach to success pension obligations that outstrip contributions, and the heightened competition that results from some of these forces. As members of a public university we have a collective obligation to manage our challenges in a responsible and strategic manner. Of the many efforts underway, the Integrated Planning and Resource Management (IPRM) initiative is perhaps the most comprehensive undertaking to develop a proactive “made-in-
Laurier” strategy to position our university for ongoing success. In an accident of timing, the IPRM process moves forward at the same time that Laurier must manage its immediate budget challenges. I encourage everyone to remember that there is a clear distinction between the IPRM recommendations, on the one hand, and the need for budget reductions on the other. IPRM is not a cost-cutting exercise, and its purpose is not linked to budget reductions. Rather, IPRM aims
Photo: Andre Furlong
As the academic term and the calendar year both wind down, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the past year. The recent past has been an intense and, in some ways, a trying time for Laurier. But we are not alone. Many of our significant challenges are rooted in a broader context — provincial funding constraint, the evolving educational needs of students, changes in demographics and enrolment trends, wage and benefit inflation at all universities,
Laurier President Max Blouw speaking at the Community Author event on the Waterloo campus in November.
to identify Laurier’s academic and administrative priorities, and the optimum budget model to allocate resources to those priorities, as part of a longer-term strategy that aims to answer the question, “How will we continue to make Laurier a better institution?” It is unfortunate that the Laurier community is contemplating the IPRM recommendations at the same time that the challenging fiscal environment requires budget managers to reduce their 201516 budgets. The effect of this is that, in future years, those IPRM recommendations that are approved by the Board of Governors will help to inform strategic resource allocation and budget decisions. This can cloud our perceptions of the IPRM process. I emphasize that IPRM was not designed or intended to be a cost-cutting process; rather, it is designed and has been implemented to identify priorities to improve our university. It goes without saying that these are not easy times. However we can take encouragement from the fact that this centuryold university, which has been
entrusted to our care, has been through challenging times before. It has always emerged a stronger and more innovative institution. I urge you to keep this heritage of strong stewardship and creative resilience in mind as we embark on what will no doubt be vigorous and important discussions over the next few months. Our goal must be the sustainable excellence of one of Canada’s oldest and finest universities. I extend my deep thanks to all members of the Laurier community for your constructive and energetic engagement in the success of our university, and my very warmest wishes for a relaxing and restorative break over the upcoming holiday season.
Dr. Max Blouw President and Vice-Chancellor
We’ll miss you, Stacey!
IPRM continued
report this month. The Board of By undertaking a prioritiGovernors will review the report zation process in tandem with a resource management process, itself was constituted at the — along with recommendations much as we’re all going to miss All of us in the university will be able to grassroots level. Working groups, from Senate and comments from Communications, her, we’d like to wish her all the strategically allocate its resources made up of more than 90 faculty senior administration and the best! Public Affairs to the areas identified as priorand staff members nominated Laurier community – in February. This issue of insideLaurier, like and Marketing by their peers, as well as underThe Board may decide to accept ities. nearly every issue before it, was would like to take the report in its original form, or “This approach allows us to graduate and graduate student made possible by Stacey’s hard this opportunity We’ll miss you Stacey! with recommended changes. make smart decisions about representatives, evaluated work. She has been an integral to bid a fond To view the report, frequently funding and operationalizing information submitted by each member of our team and a great farewell to Stacey Morrison, the asked questions about IPRM and our areas of strength rather than academic and administrative friend her seven years in CPAM. editor of insideLaurier. Stacey to submit a comment about the making across-the-board budget program area of the university. Thanks for everything Stacey and will be moving to a position at report, visit legacy.wlu.ca/iprm. increases or reductions,” said The information was evaluated best of luck at Guelph! the University of Guelph and, as Morouney. based on criteria that included In place of Laurier’s existing essentiality to the institution, “historical–based” budget process, internal and external demand, Correction the planning task force recomcosts and revenues. In the Laurier’s senior adminisNovember issue mended that the university of InsideLaurier, adopt a modified version of a tration will provide separate in the story “responsibility-centred” budget commentary on the recomtitled “Laurier model, whereby budget decisionmendations, but was not directly professors win teaching making is distributed to academic involved in the process. awards”, the wrong photo and administrative units to “This is a Laurier approach, ran with the story. This is the through and through,” said Byrne. ensure they are responsible and Email: insidelaurier@wlu.ca correct image of recipient accountable for budgeting and “The integrity and thoughtfulness Edmund Pries. We apologize financial performance. that the working-group members Deadline for submissions: for any confusion! Laurier’s Senate will review and brought to the process was Jan. 16, 2014 make recommendations on the profound.”
Send us your news, events & stories
InsideLaurier is published by Communications, Public Affairs & Marketing (CPAM) Wilfrid Laurier University 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5
InsideLaurier Volume 9, Number 3, December 2014
Contributors: Tomasz Adamski, Erin Almeida, Lori Chalmers Morrison, Kevin Crowley, Justin Fauteux, Andre Furlong, Jamie Howieson, Kevin Klein, Thomas Kolodziej, Stacey Morrison, Sandra Muir, John Ternan Printed on recycled paper
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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 welcomes your comments and suggestions for stories. Tel: (519) 884-0710 ext. 3341 | Fax: (519) 884-8848 Email: stmorrison@wlu.ca InsideLaurier (circ. 2,100) is published eight times a year by CPAM. Opinions expressed in InsideLaurier do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the university’s administration.
Available online at www.wlu.ca/publicaffairs.
Feb
Next issue of Inside February 2014
december 2014 Inside NEWS
What’s new and notable at Laurier
Nominations open for Laurier teaching awards Teaching Support Services is accepting nominations from the Laurier community for the Award for Teaching Excellence and the Teaching Assistant Award of Excellence. The Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes one full-time faculty member and one contract academic staff member who excel in teaching. Recipients will receive a certificate, a permanent notation in the university calendar and a spot in Laurier’s Teaching Hall of Fame. Nominations are due to the Faculty/School dean by Jan. 15,
2015, and to the Office of Educational Development by Feb. 1, 2015. The Teaching Assistant Award of Excellence recognizes the outstanding achievement of one undergraduate and one graduate teaching/instructional assistant at Laurier. Recipients will receive a $500 scholarship, a spot in Laurier’s Teaching Hall of Fame and a framed certificate at convocation, at which time a citation will be read. Nominations are due March 1, 2015. For eligibility requirements and further information about both awards, visit www.wlu.ca/edev/ awards and choose Institutional Awards from the left-hand menu.
Laurier marks Remembrance Day
Donations collected for Out of the Cold program Laurier’s Accounts Payable Office is once again collecting items in support of the Kitchener-Waterloo Out of the Cold Program, which provides a meal and an overnight stay to people experiencing homelessness in the region. This year, the community is in need of: • New and gently used articles of clothing (jeans, coats, boots, running shoes, knapsacks). • Undergarments (men’s and women’s), t-shirts, hats, scarves, thick gloves (all sizes). • Travel-size soaps, shampoos, and antiperspirant/deodorant. • Bus tickets. Please drop off donated items to the Accounts Payable Office on the Waterloo campus at 202 Regina St., Room 227. The office is accepting donations until Jan. 5, 2015.
LEAP winter campus open for registration
To commemorate Remembrance Day, Laurier’s History Students’ Association organized its annual ceremony in the Concourse, which included a table of artefacts from the Second World War.
LEAP (Laurier Enriched Academic Program) offers on-campus winter enrichment day camps for gifted and highly able children in Grades 1-9. Designed and led by certified teachers, LEAP camps feature a huge fun quotient, and employ innovative and creative approaches to learning through engaging activities. Sensational Saturdays 2015 Enrichment Camps are now open
Thank you to United Way donors By Lori Chalmers Morrison Laurier’s 2014 United Way campaign has raised nearly $55,000 so far for the United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo and Area and the Brant United Way. “The generosity of the Laurier community has made it possible for us to support the people who use the services provided by United Way member agencies,” said Deb MacLatchy, Laurier’s United Way campaign co-chair. “Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the campaign so far. I’d also like to thank the committee members for volunteering their time on the campaign events this fall.” As of early December, the
Waterloo campaign has raised $40,402 – about 81 per cent of its campaign goal – and the Brantford campaign has raised $14,555 or 97 per cent of its goal. “In addition to pledges, people devoted their time, creativity and donations through the bake sales and the charity soup luncheon, and departments donated earlybird campaign prizes,” said Sondra Schwartz, Laurier United Way campaign co-chair. “On behalf of the United Way committee, a sincere thank you to the Laurier community.” The Laurier United Way campaign continues to accept donations through pledge forms, and has introduced the United Way Dress Denim Days
as an opportunity to encourage contribtuions throughout the year. It’s simple: every Tuesday until May 26, Laurier employees are invited to bring in a Toonie to wear denim in support of United Way. To get your Dress Denim sticker, contact Beth Sanders at bsanders@wlu.ca in Brantford or Sondra Schwartz at sschwartz@ wlu.ca in Waterloo. All donations support United Way’s member agencies, which have a profound impact on the people who use their services. The United Way’s 2014 campaign is centred around three pillars: from poverty to possibility; healthy people, strong communities; and all that kids can be.
for registration. The camps run for six Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 31 to March 7, 2015. Camp descriptions, registration information and volunteer applications are available at www. legacy.wlu.ca/leap. For more information, email leap@wlu.ca or phone 519.884.0710 ext. 3173.
Professor wins prestigious book prize Christopher Alcantara, an associate professor of Political Science at Laurier, has been awarded the Canadian Studies Network’s Prize for the Best Book in Canadian Studies. Alcantara received the prize for his book, Negotiating the Deal: Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements in Canada, published in March 2013. The Canadian Studies Network, an organization that supports the scholarly study of Canada, awards the Prize for the Best Book in Canadian Studies to an author or authors whose work on a Canadian subject best advances knowledge and understanding of Canada and Canadian Studies. Negotiating the Deal was recognized for presenting a fresh angle on an important Canadian topic: land claims treaties between Aboriginal groups and the federal, provincial and territorial governments of Canada. “It is a real honour, but also a big surprise, to have won this
prestigious book prize,” said Alcantara. “Negotiating the Deal was a really hard book to write and eventually publish, given the many hurdles it faced over the years to finally see the light of day. In that sense, this award is really gratifying, especially because it was judged by a multidisciplinary adjudication committee.” Alcantara’s book takes a comprehensive look at completed and incomplete treaty negotiations between Aboriginal groups and federal, provincial and territorial governments of Canada. Using an interdisciplinary approach combining history, political science, environmental science and law, Alcantara compares the experiences of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation (with a completed treaty) and the Kaska Nations (with incomplete negotiations) in Yukon Territory; and the Inuit, (completed treaty), and Innu, (incomplete negotiations) in Newfoundland and Labrador. Based on the experiences of these groups, Alcantara argues that scholars and policymakers need to pay greater attention to the institutional framework governing treaty negotiations and, most importantly, to the active role that Aboriginal groups play in these processes.
Brantford campus stars on TV
CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries was on Laurier’s Brantford campus in November, filming at the Carnegie Building. The show has used the building on previous occasions.
Sudoku
Photo: Justin Fauteux
Ontario education minister visits Laurier
Ontario Education Minister Liz Sandals, left, shakes hands with Colleen Willard-Holt, Laurier’s dean of the Faculty of Education, after giving a speech at the Waterloo campus Nov. 7.
Answer see page 6.
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Inside
December 2014
Laurier Aboriginal community Event celebrates nearly 60 garden wins sustainability award Laurier-affiliated authors By Erin Almeida Laurier’s Aboriginal Student Centre, located on the university’s Waterloo campus, recently won the Community Engagement Award from REEP Green Solutions for its Mino-Kummik: Aboriginal Community Garden. The award was presented to Melissa Ireland, Aboriginal student support coordinator (Waterloo Campus), who worked closely with Claire Bennett, manager, Sustainability Office on the project. In 2012, the Aboriginal Student Centre and the Laurier Sustainability Office needed to correct a stormwater challenge. Stormwater was making its way into the basement of the student house centre on Albert Street and was also eroding a steep slope on the
people at Laurier
property. At the same time, the centre needed water to irrigate a garden that they were planning to build as part of a teaching and ceremonial space in their back yard. They approached the RAIN program, a stormwater education and action program created by Green Communities Canada, which is delivered locally by REEP Green Solutions. RAIN encourages property owners to soak up rain on their properties in order to reduce flood risk, protect local waterways and qualify for stormwater credits in Kitchener and Waterloo. The stormwater solution they developed was a rain garden on their slope and a cistern with an electric pump. Today, the Mino-Kummik garden, the Anishnabe word for good, bountiful earth — has flourished
from an idea to a reality for the Aboriginal Initiatives office. MinoKummik features a vegetable and fruit garden, ceremony space and a seating area. The garden is also open for class instruction, campus group meetings or student study space. For Aboriginal students, it can become a place where they reconnect with their heritage. “We are truly honoured the Mino-Kummik garden has been acknowledged by our local community,” said Jean Becker, senior advisor of Aboriginal Initiatives. “Across the country, Aboriginal people are really concerned about the environment and sustainable practices so we were very happy when that became part of our garden, we just feel that it fits with Indigenous traditional teachings.”
With more than 100 guests present, Laurier toasted the recent publishing accomplishments of 58 Laurier-affiliated authors at a reception Nov. 25 at the university’s Waterloo campus Library. Authors whose work was recognized included Laurier faculty members, staff, retirees, alumni and students who have published books from 2012 to the present. Their books run the gamut from academic monographs, textbooks and essay collections, to novels, books of poetry, nonfiction think pieces, memoirs, personal essays and other genres. “There is so much of importance to our communities and lives that cannot be summarized in a status update, text message, or tweet,” said Max Blouw, Laurier president and cohost of the event with University Librarian Gohar Ashoughian. “Books still have an enormous power to provide depth and context, and as a result to educate, enlighten and inspire us.
We’re thrilled by this opportunity to celebrate our authors, who make an incredibly rich contribution to our university and community.” Community Author is a new program designed to help Laurier authors connect with each other and with the Laurier community, to preserve and disseminate their work, and to continue to find new ways to partner and grow together. “Libraries like ours have been changing — they are no longer primarily the place where they keep the books, but dynamic hubs where our community members collaborate with our staff and with each other to access information, create new ideas and texts, and grapple with the great questions of our time,” said Ashoughian. Community Author is part of the Library’s recently launched Culture Series, a new program of events including artist exhibits, musical performances, author readings and more. For more information on the Community Author program, visit library.wlu.ca/communityauthor.
For a complete list of appointments visit www.wlu.ca/hr
New appointments: Maria Bernier, applications specialist, Recruitment & Admissions (Waterloo campus). Pierre Berube, research field technician, GWNT (Waterloo campus). Megan Duquette, HR assistant, Human Resources (Waterloo campus). Nicole Kteily, lab tech (Bio/ Microbiology), Biology (Waterloo campus). Laina Koskela, donor relations assistant, Donor Relations (Waterloo campus).
Tammy Lee, associate director, Special Constable Services (Waterloo campus). Wanda Mercereau, medical secretary, Student Affairs (Waterloo campus).
Changes in staff appointments:
Ian Schwartz, academic advisor, Faculty of Arts (Waterloo campus). Majda Veletanlic, coordinator: diversity education and inclusion (Waterloo campus).
Retirements:
Kelly Bishop, administrative assistant, CAU (Waterloo campus).
Rick Cousineau, supervisor, Special Constable Service (Waterloo campus).
Kelly deJong, compensation and benefits administrator, Human Resources (Waterloo campus).
Albert Morin, grounds person, Physical Resources (Waterloo campus).
Teresa Hamilton, service advisor, Service Laurier (Waterloo campus).
Mike Torelli, custodian, Physical Resources (Brantford campus).
Laurier appoints acting research roles, new chief information officer Laurier has appointed Donna Kotsopoulos to the role of acting assistant vice-president: Research. She will report to Deborah MacLatchy, who will serve as acting vice-president: Research, in addition to her role as vicepresident: Academic and Provost. Both will serve in their respective acting roles until a search process to fill the position of vice-president: Research is complete. Kotsopoulos is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education and is cross-appointed 4
By Erin Almeida
to the Department of Mathematics in the Faculty of Science. She is the director of the Mathematical Brains Laboratory and has served as graduate coordinator and associate dean in the Faculty of Education. In another appointment, Nela Petkovic has been named Laurier’s chief information officer (CIO). She will report to the vicepresident: Academic and Provost. Petkovic joined Laurier in 1995 and was most recently coordinating director: ICT. The CIO is a new position at
Laurier, created as part of an approved strategy to reorganize the unit previously known as Academic Services. Through attrition, the positions of registrar and assistant vicepresident: Academic Services have been replaced with the assistant vice-president: Enrolment Services & Registrar and the CIO, resulting in no increase to the management complement. A search for the assistant vice-president: Enrolment Services & Registrar will commence in early 2015.
Name: Michael Bittle Job Title: Communications Coordinator, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Waterloo campus Book Title: The Day the Crayons Quit Author: Drew Daywelt Most of the books I read these days are to my three-year-old daughter. Her current favourite, The Day the Crayons Quit, is about a labour dispute between a box of crayons and management (a little boy named Duncan). The book is a collection of letters written by each crayon to Duncan. For example, the beige crayon is upset because he is under utilized, and orange and yellow crayons are in a dispute about which is the true colour of the sun. In the end, the crayons are happy and Duncan gets an A for colouring.
Where are you volunteering? Name: Craig Chipps Job Title: Manager, Recruitment Services, Brantford campus Volunteers with: Forest City Community Church I’ve been one of the vocalists at Forest City Community Church in London since 2010. Two of my most memorable Sundays on stage had me dressed as Elvis covering All Shook Up and living out my dream of being in a boy-band singing lead on As Long as You Love Me by the Backstreet Boys. Between a Thursday night full-band rehearsal, Sunday morning sound check, and two services, each week is about an eighthour time commitment. I do all my rehearsing in the car on my commute to Laurier!
december 2014 Inside in the classroom
Breaking a sweat to learn about exercise testing Instructor: Zach Weston
Zach Weston, left in yellow shirt, puts students through their paces in a KP324 lab.
Golden Hawk wins MVP 2014, including most carries in a season, most yards in a season and most yards in a game. Putting his year in context at the conference and national level, Campbell’s 1,458 rushing yards in a season ranks sixth all-time in the CIS, and was the most by a CIS running back since 2007. It is also the most rushing yards in a season by an OUA running back since McMaster University’s Jesse Lumsden ran for a CIS-record 1,816 yards in 2004. Campbell now joins Lumsden as the only other OUA running back to rush for more than 1,400 yards in a season; a feat Lumsden accomplished twice in his career. “With Dillon leading the conference last year in rushing, I was asked going into this year if he would be able to match it. I said he definitely can with his work ethic,” said Michael Faulds, Laurier’s football head coach. “I still feel the same about 2015. If the CFL doesn’t grab Dillon, and they’re crazy if they don’t, he will have a great shot at surpassing all of these astronomical numbers.”
Dillon Campbell, running back for the Golden Hawks football team, was named the 2014 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Most Valuable Player (MVP). Campbell is the fourth Laurier player to receive the honour, and the first in 20 years (Bill Kubas last won in 1994). Coming off a breakout season in 2013 when he led the OUA in rushing, Campbell established himself as one of the best football players in the country by literally running away with the Canadian Interuniversity Sport rushing title. Helping carry the Golden Hawks from a 1-7 record last year to a playoff appearance this season, Campbell amassed 1,458 rushing yards — 471 yards more than CIS second-leading rusher Chris Reid from Mount Allison University. Appearing in all eight of Laurier’s regular season contests, Campbell ran for more than 100 yards every game and more than 200 yards three times, including a school record of 293 yards in a game against the University of Toronto. He led the OUA and CIS with 13 touchdowns and 182.2 yards per game. Campbell also recorded 206 receiving yards on 12 catches, giving him 1,664 all-purpose yards, which represents 46 per cent of Laurier’s total offence in 2014. In total, Campbell set three Laurier Laurier’s Dillon Campbell won the 2014 OUA MVP. rushing records in
Photo: Thomas Kolodziej
By Jamie Howieson
Special constable Rick Cousineau retires after 41 years at Laurier By Justin Fauteux Laurier has seen a lot of change in the past 40 years or so. And Rick Cousineau had a front-row seat for all of it. Cousineau, who spent 41 years in Laurier’s Special Constable Services, retired Oct. 31, ironically the same spooky date on which he started at the university back in 1973. “My first day on the job was Halloween night and I was on duty at the Halloween party,” Cousineau recalled with a laugh. “People kept asking me where I got such a realistic costume.” When Cousineau started at Laurier, the university was in its final days as Waterloo Lutheran University, the campus consisted of just seven buildings and the student population was about 1,200. Even the calls to Special Constables were quite different than today. “When I first worked here they had things like food fights, the kind of stuff you’d see in Animal House,” said Cousineau, who also recalled one memorable prank from his early days on the job. “Back then, we had portables on campus and one morning we came in and the students had worked all night to take every chair from the portables and stack them on the roofs.” During his time at the university, Cousineau saw the size of the student body grow exponentially and the physical face of Laurier change
dramatically. Cousineau was always keenly interested in the growth and development of the university, which led him to serve two terms on Laurier’s Board of Governors, starting in 1986. In particular, Cousineau was interested in the several construction projects that ultimately shaped what Laurier’s Waterloo campus looks like today. He watched as projects like the Athletic Complex, the Peters Building, Bricker Academic and the Schlegal Centre went from blueprints to reality. “If you’re open to growth and change, it’s a fantastic experience,” said Cousineau. “That was one of the great things about working here, there was constant growth at Laurier and the majority of people here were always open to it.” Despite the many changes he enjoyed over his time at Laurier, what kept Cousineau excited to come to work every morning stayed the same: working with young people. “Working with the students was always my passion. These are young people leaving home, probably away from their parents’ home for the first time, so I always tried to help however I could,” said Cousineau. “And they kept me young too. I’m 65, but I definitely don’t feel 65.” Now that he’s retired, Cousineau has more time to spend with Susan, his wife of 42 years – they got married shortly before he started at Laurier – and his three children and seven
Photo: Justin Fauteux
Zach Weston’s students come to class ready to break a sweat. In his Advanced Exercise Testing class, students learn more than 50 physiological and biomechanical tests, and develop an understanding of when to apply these tests in real-world scenarios. They then apply what they’ve learned, testing their own fitness levels and those of their classmates. A standard day in a KP324 lab will see students running on treadmills, pedalling stationary bikes and testing their flexibility, all while tracking their results using fitness-testing software. The goal is that students learn not only how to conduct fitness tests, but also how to interpret the test’s results. “The course material is presented in an applied manner to simulate real-world clinical work,” said Weston, who has nearly 20 years of experience as a clinician in health care and high-performance areas, counting Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists, and Stanley Cup champions among his clients. He brings his real-world knowledge into the classroom in weekly lectures, outlining practical and clinical fitness testing processes, and then assists students in conducting tests in weekly labs. ~ Justin Fauteux
Photo: Justin Fauteux
Class: KP324 – Advanced Exercise Testing
Rick Cousineau spent over 40 years at Laurier as a special constable.
grandchildren. He also plans to spend more time on one of his other passions: fishing. Known as the “guru of fishing” around Laurier, Cousineau has been an avid fisherman since he was a boy fishing in streams around Waterloo. He also volunteers as a fish and wildlife guardian with the Ministry of Natural Resources, something he plans to continue post-retirement. “Retirement will be an adjustment for sure, but I’ll always have very fond memories of Laurier,” said Cousineu, who always looks forward to seeing old friends at Homecoming. “I’ve enjoyed working with the students all those years and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t make any changes.” 5
December 2014
coffee with a co-worker
Name: Shaun McCracken Title: Residence Life Area Coordinator, Brantford campus. Where you can find him: Brantford campus. Drink of choice: Steeped tea from Tim Horton’s.
How long have you been at Laurier? I have worked as the residence life area coordinator (RLAC) for almost two years. I currently live in the Expositor Residence located on the Brantford campus. What is your typical workday like? There is nothing typical about my job — it changes every day. That’s why I love it so much. At the beginning of each week, I meet with my student staff to discuss the upcoming week, any issues management things that may have occurred during the week or to plan our residence programming. Since my role is not a typical ‘nine-to-five’ job, it is important to be nimble. I may have a series of scheduled meetings in my calendar, but if something comes up, like meeting with a student for a conduct meeting or other issues, my other plans come second.
A look at staff and faculty across campus
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? Many of my friends and colleagues know how much I love to golf, but I think people would be surprised to know that I’m a former Canadian professional golfer. I worked at the North Halton Golf & Country Club, which is now known as The Club at North Halton. I spent four years as a golf pro and loved every minute of it. However, since we don’t live in a climate where you can golf yearround, it was time for me to find another job! Also, in 1978 my father became a head resident for the University of Windsor, which could have been considered an RLAC at the time. His manager was David McMurray, who was the director. It’s funny how small the world really is. What do you like to do in your spare time? I’m an avid golfer, obviously, so in my spare time, I love hitting the golf course! Throughout the golfing season, I usually golf two to three times a week. One of my most favourite golf courses to play is Burlington Golf & Country Club, and the best course I’ve ever played is The Faldo Legacy Course at Roco Ki, in the Dominican Republic.
coming Events
Heard on Twitter Check out what the Laurier community has been tweeting about at twitter.com/lauriernews. Laurier also has official sites on Facebook at www. facebook.com/WilfridLaurierUniversity and YouTube at www.youtube.com/LaurierVideo.
@WR_Record Shell shock — misunderstood then and now, Wilfrid Laurier University historian says ow.ly/ EDvyP #WLU @OntarioResearch Sara Matthews @LaurierNews discusses how drone warfare alters our sense of what it means to be human yourontarioresearch.ca/2014/11/peerin… #drone @arno_kopecky Huge thanks to everyone at #Laurier University and the Edna Staebler Award committee for hosting such a fine event last night! @bgillesp Luv @GKWCC RT @IanMcLeanKW: @GKWCC & @aucc_ca partnering w/ @UWaterloo & @LaurierNews to host “Open Doors, Open Knowledge 2014- Big Ideas for Better Biz @techtriangle Laurier receives $500,000 social entrepreneurship grant from J.W. McConnell Family Foundation bit.ly/144lDFO @LaurierNews
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What do you like most about working at Laurier? I know it sounds cliché, but honestly, it’s the students that make this job. After I completed my diploma in Business Administration – Professional Golf Management at Georgian College, I attended Laurentian University and graduated with a BBA. During my time at Laurentian, I was a residence don, and really enjoyed it. So, when the opportunity came up to be a RLAC in Brantford, I jumped on it. There are seven residences in Brantford, and I am responsible for three of them, which houses about 350 students. Being a don is a rewarding, yet difficult role. Students come to residence and usually it’s the first time they’ve lived on their own. Some make mistakes, but you can’t get angry or upset with them because we all make mistakes. We are here to educate them about respect for themselves and for others, as well as responsibility. We’re also here to prepare them to live on their own and to develop strong relationships with their roommates, their landlord and the community. What are your plans for the future? My position is a three-year contract, and I am halfway into
Photo: Erin Almeida
Inside
Residence life area coordinator Shaun McCracken is a former golf pro who loves to hit the links as often as possible.
my role. I really enjoy the student affairs aspect of university life, and I would love to continue in this area for years to come. Laurier is known as a leader in residence life programming and I’d like
to continue working with this dynamic team to grow the current program even further.
By Erin Almeida
For a complete list of events visit www.wlu.ca/events
Wonders of Winter: A Festival of Lights When: Until Dec. 31 Where: Waterloo Park, Waterloo Cost: Free, donations accepted Bring the family and marvel at the spectacle of more than 100,000 lights in more than 80 displays. Trolley rides, a nativity scene and concession are also available. For more information, visit www. wondersofwinter.ca
Music at Noon When: Jan. 8 Noon – 1 p.m. Where: Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, Waterloo campus Cost: Free Bring your lunch and enjoy the music of James Westman, baritone, and Anna Ronai, piano.
University Holiday Closure When: Dec. 24 – Jan. 4 Happy holidays!
Nostalgia by Mary Catherine Newcombe When: Jan. 7 – Feb. 14, 2015 Where: Robert Langen Art Gallery, Waterloo campus Cost: Free Nostalgia explores a dissonance experienced on revisiting and reconsidering remembered landscapes. The work acknowledges a corporeal relationship with experience that shapes personal identity and mythologies.
Can Property Rights Substantially Reduce Aboriginal Poverty on Canadian Indian Reserves? When: Jan. 14, 2015 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Where: Milton Centre for the Arts, Milton Cost: Free In this lecture, Laurier’s Christopher Alcantara will examine existing property regimes on Canadian Indian reserves and discuss how they have created both barriers and opportunities for Indigenous wealth creation and self-determination.
Come cheer on the Hawks, and raise money for a good cause. The women’s and men’s basketball teams will be taking on the Algoma Thunderbirds at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively. The women’s game will be the annual Breast Cancer Awareness game.
Sudoku
Women’s Hockey vs. York When: Jan. 9, 2015 7:30 p.m. Where: Waterloo Recreation Complex Cost: $2-$8 Cheer on the women’s varsity hockey team as they take on York University. For a complete athletics schedule, visit laurierathletics.com. Brew Ha!: The History of Beer in the Waterloo Region When: Jan. 14, 2015 Noon – 1 p.m. Where: Kitchener Public Library, Central Branch Cost: Free Join Laurier’s beer aficionado Sally Heath for this informative Ideas & Issues lecture at the Kitchener library.
Women’s and Men’s Basketball vs. Algoma When: Feb. 6, 2015 Where: Laurier Athletic Complex Cost: $2-$8
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december 2014 Inside
The Bank of Canada’s Carolyn Wilkins visits campus As Laurier’s economist-in-residence, it was a fitting homecoming for the No. 2 policymaker By Justin Fauteux
school and benefitting from the university’s intimate atmosphere and small class sizes. “My time [as a student] at Laurier was just great,” said Wilkins. “I remember the class sizes were so small and, I don’t know how much I realized it at the time, but we were very lucky to have that kind of time with our professors.” After graduating from Laurier and then earning her master’s degree from the University of Western Ontario, Wilkins began her career in the Federal
Department of Finance. She then moved to Canada’s Privy Council Office, where she worked under three prime ministers before starting at the Bank of Canada in 2001. After working her way up through increasingly senior positions at the Bank of Canada, Wilkins was appointed senior deputy governor in April 2014, becoming the first woman to hold the position as the bank’s second-highest ranking official. “We were very pleased to welcome Carolyn as our
inaugural economist-inresidence,” said Micheál Kelly, dean of Laurier’s School of Business and Economics. “Hearing from an alumna in such a leadership role at the central bank is an outstanding learning opportunity for our students.” The Laurier economist-inresidence is an appointed honour by the dean of the School of Business and Economics, and has been developed to deliver a perspective to students beyond their studies and research in the classroom.
Photo: Justin Fauteux
Laurier alumna Carolyn Wilkins returned to campus in early November, making her first public appearance as the Bank of Canada’s senior deputy governor. Wilkins, the No. 2 policymaker at Canada’s central bank, was speaking at Laurier’s Waterloo campus as the School of Business and Economics’ inaugural economist-in-residence. She delivered an address entitled “Money in a Digital World,” discussing the unique challenges
presented by digital currencies such as Bitcoin and how they affect the way we pay for goods and services, before joining Associate Economics Professor Steffen Ziss to take questions from the audience. Wilkins then joined students, faculty, staff and guests at a reception in the lobby of the Maureen Forrester Recital Hall. Wilkins graduated from Laurier with an Economics degree in 1987 and has fond memories of her alma mater, including working at Wilf’s to help put herself through
Carolyn Wilkins, the Bank of Canada’s senior deputy governor and a Laurier alumna, had a unique homecoming to her alma mater in November, speaking as the university’s inaugural economist-in-residence.
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Active learning and innovative RinkWatch scores with early winter teaching at Laurier in the news Climate-change research project in full swing Associate Professor Gavin Brockett teaches his second-year Introduction to Muslim Studies course at Laurier’s Waterloo campus and at Sehir University in Turkey — at the same time. Using videoconferencing technology to link classrooms, students from both parts of the world can participate in large group discussions and presentations, and can see each other at all times. Students also interact through online discussion, often on Facebook and in chat groups. “With the emphasis on internationalization of our student body, and the costs and obstacles of students going abroad, an alternative is to bring them into direct contact with their peers in another country,” said Brockett. Brockett’s class is one of several taught in Laurier’s Active Learning Classroom (ALC), which promotes a more exciting learning experience. Rather than rows of chairs, the classroom has five round tables that seat eight students each, and features a dedicated laptop, six
projectors and walls lined with projector screens and portable whiteboards. Brockett was named a 2014/15 Laurier Teaching Fellow in recognition of his innovative teaching methods. His approach and the ALC were also featured in The Globe and Mail’s 2014 University Report in a section called “What universities are doing to create a more exciting learning experience.” The outcomes and benefits of Brockett’s course are featured on Contact North, an online resource for post-secondary educators in Ontario to find the latest information on new technology in online learning, and how to integrate technology in their teaching. They included students being engaged with the learning process, content and interactions, and taking responsibility for their own learning and supporting their peers. “They are working a great deal harder and so am I,” Brockett says in the University Report. “The result is that they are happy and learning, and I am happy because I can see the learning.”
An unusually wintery November had Canadians skating on backyard rinks much earlier than last year. And that’s great news for the Laurier researchers behind RinkWatch, a research project that uses outdoor rinks to study winter weather conditions and climate change. In mid-November, backyard rinks in Edmonton, Lloydminster and Brandon reported good skating conditions to the RinkWatch website, with many rinkmakers in Ontario already flooding their rinks in hopes of skating soon. “At this pace, the outdoor skating season looks to be starting roughly two weeks earlier than last winter across
Photo: Tomasz Adamski
By Stacey Morrison
much of Canada,” said Robert McLeman, an associate professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Laurier and one of the researchers behind RinkWatch. Entering its third winter, the RinkWatch project asks backyard rinkmakers in Canada and the northern United States to mark their location on an interactive online map — found at rinkwatch. org — and provide updates of skating conditions throughout the winter. Researchers at Laurier use the data to do fine resolution mapping of winter temperatures and track year-to-year progress of larger winter climate trends. They also find it helps stimulate a wider public discussion about the potential
impacts of climate change on cherished outdoor activities like skating. More than 1,000 backyard and neighbourhood rinks have participated in the RinkWatch project over its previous two winters, and the RinkWatch.org website has a busy discussion forum where outdoor rink enthusiasts share photos and rinkmaking tips. Last winter, Laurier kinesiology student Ashleigh Frederickson surveyed RinkWatch participants to find out what motivates them to build backyard rinks. Her results showed that most backyard rinkmakers have children under 12, and share their rink with neighbouring families. Shinny is the most popular activity. Interestingly, most rink builders said they themselves did not have a backyard rink when they were kids, something the researchers plan to explore in greater detail this winter. Among the additional resources being developed by the RinkWatch team for the coming winter include curriculum-linked learning activities for teaching primary school math and science. 7
Inside
December 2014
Laurier opens doors for Open Houses
Photos: Sandra Muir, John Ternan
Prospective students and parents visit Waterloo and Brantford campuses
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