Student Life
201 QUIZ!
do you have a healthy attitude toward food and your body?
February 2009 | Volume 18
Black History Month!
Connections
A celebration of african music and culture
and
Lawrence Hill tips for Applying to graduate and Professional School
The award-winning author reads at UW
Counselling Services Feature
the lonEliness of difference
Student Life
201
February 2009 | Volume 18
Calendar February | 3
headlines Athletics | 4 Career Services | 4 Counselling Services | 5 Library Services | 6 Organizational and Human Development | 6
Features Do You Have a Healthy Attitude Toward Food and Your Body? | 7 The Loneliness of Difference | 8 Applying to Professional and Graduate School | 14
Events Black History Month | 10 FASS 2009: Live FASS, Die Tomorrow | 12 International Celebrations Week | 13 Warrior Weekends | 13
Archives 2006 Oct | Nov | Dec 2007 Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov| Dec Making your way to the top
2008 Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec 2009 Jan
2 | Student life 101 | February 2009
Calendar
1 2 3 4
February
Feds eletion campaign continues (Jan. 27-Feb. 9) www.vote.feds.ca Graduating Students’ Week (Feb. 2-7) www.graduatingstudents.uwaterloo.ca Graduating Students’ Services Fair and Seminars; SLC Great Hall @ 10am-4pm
Men’s and Women’s Varsity Basketball Game; PAC @ 6pm Deadline to submit OSAP Signature Pages and Supporting Documentation for Winter only term MBET Information Session; 295 Hagey Boulevard in the Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology @ 4-5:30pm Ettiquette Essentials Dinner; SCH, Festival Room @ 6pm FASS 2009: Live FASS, Die Tomorrow; Humanities Theatre @ 8pm www.fass.uwaterloo.ca/2009 Lecture: David Goodstein, California Institute of Technology - “Out of Gas: The End of the Age of Oil;” Perimeter Institute @ 4pm
6
FASS 2009: Live FASS, Die Tomorrow; Humanities Theatre @ 7pm and 10pm (tickets are half price when you register with Warrior Weekends) Warrior Weekends; SLC Great Hall @ 9pm www.warriorweekends.uwaterloo.ca
7
11
Job Fair; RIM Park @ 10am-3:30pm
OSAP Application Deadline for Winter only term
5
10
FASS 2009: Live FASS, Die Tomorrow; Humanities Theatre @ 8pm (tickets are half price when you register with Warrior Weekends)
Spring Enrollment Begins (Feb. 9-14); Check your enrolment appt. on Quest
“The ‘Bare Naked’ Talk” with author Kathy Stinson; Sweeney Hall, St. Jerome’s University @ 5pm; Book signing follows Final Exam Information Available www.registrar.uwaterloo.ca/exams/ finalexams.html MBET Information Session: 295 Hagey Blvd. @ 4-5:40pm
12 13 16
Black History Month - Connections; Conrad Grebel, Great Hall @ 8-10pm Black History Month - Reading by Lawrence Hill; St. Jerome’s, Siegfried Hall @ 7:30pm Family Day (University Closed) Reading Week Begins (Feb. 16-20) Open class enrolment begins
19
OSAP Application Deadline (full funding) for Winter & Spring term
20
Deadline for 50% Tuition Refund
23 27
QPR suicide prevention course; MC 4068 @ 11:30am-1pm Register with Counselling Services, ext. 33528
Drop, Penalty 1 Period Ends: last day to receive a WD grade (no credit granted) for course(s) dropped Deadline for OSAP Reviews (appeals) for Winter only and Fall & Winter terms Last day to submit Full-Time Bursary/Award Application for Winter only term
Warrior Weekends; SLC Great Hall @ 9pm www.warriorweekends.uwaterloo.ca
9
Feds Election Voting Begins (Feb. 10-12) www. vote.feds.ca/ballot
Co-op rankings open @ 1pm
28
Drop, Penalty 2 Period begins: WF grade assigned (value 32) for course(s) dropped February 2009 | Student life 101 | 3
Athletics
Headlines Fan bus trip
shoot for tuition
oua playoffs
Interested in taking a road trip? Join your fellow Warriors on the Warrior Fan Bus trip to the Men’s Hockey at Western on Friday February 6th. The bus leaves the PAC at 5:15pm. Tickets are only $15 and includes your bus, game ticket and free stuff. Stop by the Athletics office to purchase your ticket before they’re all gone. Any questions, please contact Jenny at jmmackay@uwaterloo. ca.
On Wednesday February 4th, come cheer on your Warrior Basketball teams as they face off against Brock. Women play at 6pm followed by the men at 8pm. One lucky student will have an opportunity to “Shoot For Tuition” at half time of both games. Our final “Shoot for Tuition” contest will take place at our Women’s Hockey game on Sunday February 8th at 2pm. Any questions, please contact Jenny at jmmackay@uwaterloo. ca.
Make sure to check out www. gowarriorsgo.ca all month long to see which of your Warrior teams are competing in OUA playoff action!
Career Services Job Fair Feb. 4, 10am-3:30pm RIM Park The Job Fair is an excellent opportunity to network with close to 180 employers from across North America who are currently hiring for full-time, summer, co-op, contract and part-time jobs. Come out to investigate and research career options and potential positions from diverse sectors. This is an excellent opportunity to offer your resume to numerous employers and present your skills and qualifications in person. You can pick up an employer guidebook at Career Services, Tatham Centre for a list of participating organizations or visit www.partners4employment.ca In preparation for this event, make sure you research employers attending the fair and target those of interest. Update your resume and take copies to the fair along with questions to ask employers. Free bus transportation is available every half hour throughout the day to and from the fair at the front of the Humanities Theatre. 4 | Student life 101 | February 2009
Employer information sessions Employer information sessions are presented by employers (usually informally) as a way to promote their organization to either or both coop and graduating students. The sessions and are often accompanied by food and soft drinks to thank you for attending. Most employer information sessions target students from specific programs, but usually you do not have to apply for a job with the employer to be able to attend their information session. www.cecs.uwaterloo.ca/ students/sessions.php
Counselling Services
February 2009 | Student life 101 | 5
Headlines
Library Services
Register now for winter workshops Learn the research skills you need to ace that paper! Registration is now open for the Library’s winter workshop series. This semester’s sessions cover everything from beginner research to strategies for staying current in your field of research and study. For detailed session descriptions, see the workshop registration page: http://www. lib.uwaterloo.ca/usered/index.html. Register now! Space is limited.
Get into the davis zone! Coming soon, the Davis Centre Library will be re-zoned to increase the amount of quiet study space available to students. The biggest change? The main floor will be designated a SILENT floor, meaning that if you want to talk or use your cell phone, you’ll need to go to the Library’s lower level or leave the Library.
This re-zoning is in response to consistent feedback from students telling us that they require more silent study areas. Stay tuned for more information and the rollout later in February!
Organizational and Human Development Student Leadership Workshops We’re excited to share with you that on-line registration is now open for the Student Leadership Workshops offered through OHDhttp://www.ohd.uwaterloo.ca/ students Organizational & Human Development [OHD] is offering several leadership workshops in Winter 2009 - free to any current UW student. Each session is 2hours.
The session topics include: Exploring the Principles of Leadership Communication and Leadership Styles Presentation Skills - How to Express Yourself in Leadership and Followship Conflict Management Exploration Planning and Running an Effective Team Meeting Building Your Credibility as a Student Leader
6 | Student life 101 | February 2009
You may sign up for one or all six. There are a variety of times and dates available. Note, if you would like to register for all six, they will be offered Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm 8:30pm for 6 weeks in a row [excluding reading week]. You may also enroll in all 6 over two Saturdays in March. See website for details. The workshops are limited to approx. 20 students each. Register online: http://www.ohd.uwaterloo.ca/ students/registration.php.
Feature
Do you have a healthy attitute toward food and your body? by Sandy Ace, RD, Health Services Dietitian Do you starve yourself to fit into your “skinny” jeans or step on the scale every day to determine how much, when or even if you will eat? Then maybe it’s time to “Celebrate Your Natural Size,” which is the message promoted by Eating Disorders Awareness Week, February 1- 7. In a society where unhealthy attitudes and behaviours towards food, weight and dieting have become increasingly common among both females and males, take time to reflect on how you judge not only yourself but others. Check out the events and resources in the Student Life Centre this week to learn more about eating disorders, mindful eating and good nutrition for students.
Try the following self-check: I’m always thinking about food, weight or the way I look I think about food and weight no matter what I’m doing I’m ashamed or feel guilty about what I eat I eat in secret or lie about what I have eaten I plan my day around food or ways to avoid food I work, exercise or see people too much to avoid eating I often over-eat or under-eat and don’t control it I try to make up for eating by purging or eating very little
I weigh myself every day and my mood depends on the numbers I obsess about parts of my body that are “wrong” I count the calories of everything I eat or drink I exercise or eat less to punish myself for how much I weigh I am very strict about staying a certain weight I exercise even if I feel sick I exercise to lose weight, or because I ate too much I call foods “good” and “bad” and feel good or bad depending on which I eat
Do any or all of these statements sound like you? A few or even a single positive response may indicate that you have a serious eating or body image problem. Even if you don’t feel ready to change anything right now, it can help to talk to someone. There are many professionals on campus with experience in helping students with “disordered” eating. A good place to start your journey to better health is to make an appointment at Health Services (519 888-4096) or Counselling Services (519 888-4567 x32655).
February 2009 | Student life 101 | 7
Feature
The Loneliness of Difference by Linda Mackay, MSW RSW, Counselling Services Are you lonely tonight? Change can make us feel lonely and you have faced many changes coming to university. Whether you have come from a rural Alberta or northern Ontario town or from a village in Trinidad or Pakistan, or from a bustling city like Beijing or Bombay, you may long for what you left behind. Your high school pals, your family members and neighbourhood, the sights, sounds, weather, food, music - all that has been familiar to you and contributes to who you are may now seem far away and out of reach.
The experience of being “different” can also contribute to an experience of loneliness. As a teenager it may have been so important not to be different in order to avoid being targeted or made fun of, or feared, or disliked. Your difference here in university may be a result of the belief you are alone in your experience: “No one but me feels shy”, or “I am the only one who is struggling in my class”, or “ Everyone else has made friends except me”. Your difference may be amplified by the fact that you have not found others who share your difference, perhaps your language, culture or worldview, sexual orientation, unique
8 | Student life 101 | February 2009
abilities or challenges. Is loneliness a disease? No. Loneliness is part of the human condition and has been the theme of our human story across cultures and through generations. Loneliness, whether it be because of a broken heart, or from an experience of being misunderstood or unaccepted, or judged, or ignored - can inspire great art and invention. It can also propel us to connect, to reach out, and to seek out others who share our own unique difference. How do you know if your loneliness is hurting you? People are a relational species. It is not only a
part of socialization, it is a physiological necessity imprinted in our genetic code to help us survive. These connections also need to feel meaningful. It is important to know that someone else in the world “gets� you, or believes you, or accepts you, or loves you. For some of you, these connections may have been left behind or have shifted in all the change. Some warning signs: If your loneliness cuts you off from interacting and engaging in everyday events, if your eating and sleeping patterns are erratic or imbalanced, if you have thoughts of self harm or are contemplating death as a solution, this is not loneliness. This is depression and you need help. Talk to someone, a doctor, a counselor, an advisor, a friend, because depression can be treated effectively and there are many resources on campus and in the community to help you.
It is a challenge to construct meaningful connections in university. Perhaps the friendships you made in the beginning changed because you went away for work terms. Perhaps the burden of workload and school demands discourage the time it takes to seek out and build these connections. Perhaps the process of making connections creates intense feelings of anxiety you would prefer to avoid. Some suggestions for connection building: allow your difference to lead you to those who share similar experiences. Allow your interests to sustain connections so even if people come and go, the activity continues to draw new people. Nurture your curiosity. Learn something new, a new skill or hobby like dancing, yoga, badminton, cooking! Give your time and skills to help others. There are many places on
campus to volunteer such as The Office For Persons With Disabilities or The International Students Office or Federation of Students. Take a workshop at Counselling Services where you will get support, build skills and realize many other people share similar struggles or concerns. There may also be benefits to spending time alone. It may help you to rejuvenate and reenergize. It may help you organize your thoughts and plan or set goals. What can you learn about yourself from your loneliness? How can you soothe yourself, nurture and care for yourself in healthy and compassionate ways? Maybe this is the very thing that will inspire you to write that poem or song, or create that great work of art or science. Check out our website for information about individual counselling appointments, or how to register for workshops and for other resources and links : www. adm.uwaterloo.ca/infocs/.
#& "/ 03*&/5"5*0/ -&"%&3 7JTJU XXX PSJFOUBUJPO VXBUFSMPP DB GPS EFUBJMT
February 2009 | Student life 101 | 9
Events
Black History Month
10 | Student life 101 | February 2009
February 2009 | Student life 101 | 11
Events
FASS 2009 Live FASS, Die Tomorrow The FASS Amateur Theatre Company, the oldest drama organization at the University of Waterloo, is performing its forty-seventh annual show in the first week of February. This year’s show, Live FASS, Die Tomorrow, is a sometimes-homage, sometimesspoof of the spy genre: A new Bachelor of Spy program is being offered at the University, which sets all of the other faculties on edge! Performances Nights: $7
Thursday, February 5th @ 8pm Friday, February 6th @ 7pm and 10pm
$10
Saturday, February 7th $10 @ 8pm Register for Warrior Weekends (can do so at all Friday and Saturday shows) and show your wristband to purchase a ticket at half price ($5). For more information: fass.uwaterloo.ca or email producer@fass.uwaterloo.ca
Tickets are half price when you register for Warrior Weekends! Register at any Friday, Feb. 6 or Saturday, Feb. 7 show. 12 | Student life 101 | February 2009
International Celebrations Week
Friday, February 6 Movie @ 9pm: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist Movie @ 11pm: Quarantine Craft: Picture frames and Valentine’s Day Cards (Sponsored by Alumni Affairs) Food: Pizza and Pop at 10:45pm Activities: • Learn how to Salsa @ 9-10:30pm • Speed Dating @ 9-11pm • Dodgeball (PAC Small Gym) @8-9:30pm; Proper shoes and attire should be worn.
Saturday, February 7 Movie @ 11:00pm: My Best Friend’s Girl Crafts: Decorate your own sock puppets and scarves (Sponsored by Alumni Affairs) Food: Coffee Bar and Ice cream sundaes Activites • The Great Mug Give Away of 2009 • BHM Jam Session featuring the Engineering Jazz Band @ 9-11pm • Euchre @ 9-11pm • Bingo @ 9-11pm
February 2009 | Student life 101 | 13
Grad Feature
Tips for Applying to Graduate or Professional School
Many of you may be considering applying to professional and graduate school. Typically you apply to professional or graduate programs a year prior to your anticipated start date; however, prerequisites / experience are often (but not always) required in order to apply to the program of your choice. Unfortunately, too many students leave researching this information too late and do not have the
Handouts Workshops Websites
Appointments
required prerequisites or experience when completing applications. For example, if you are considering applying to Faculties of Education they all consider classroom experience an asset and it is important to have some experience with the age group that you wish to teach. If you are considering applying to become a doctor, optometrist, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist it is
important that you have done some volunteer work and/or job shadowing. Being able to speak about these experiences when completing your application and in the interview will be an asset. Career Services has information to start you thinking about the required qualifications. Check out the following resources (all information is available from our website: www. careerservices.uwaterloo.ca):
Further Education, Dental School, Law School, MBA, Medical School, Optometry, Pharmacy, Teaching, and Personal Statement/Letter of Intent.
Check the variety of workshops and events related to “Further Education” that we are offering.
Check out the “Further Education” section
Go to the “Appointments” link on the Career Services homepage and follow the instructions to book an appointment. These are the appointment types related to “Further Education”: • Professional/Graduate School Planning • Professional/Graduate School Application/Personal Statement Review • Professional School Mock Interview
14 | Student life 101 | February 2009
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY Student Life 101 Directors The Student Life 101 Committee is looking for enthusiastic, dedicated applicants for Student Life 101 Director positions. Enhance your organizational, event management and leadership skills in an exciting team environment. Apply to become a member of our team today! Student Life 101 Directors are responsible for assisting in the planning of Student Life 101 including, recruitment and management of volunteers, communication with faculty and staff, as well as designing advertising materials and much more. Strong interpersonal and leadership skills are an asset. Students who will be in Waterloo during the spring term are preferred. Candidates must be available for the event on Saturday, July 25th, 2009. Successful candidates must be full time registered undergraduate students (including co-op) in good academic standing. Interested applicants are asked to submit a resume and cover letter to the Cora Dupuis (cedupuis@uwaterloo.ca) by: Wednesday February 4th First and Second Year Students are encouraged to apply.