New Appointments Kate Brand has been appointed as manager, communications: Development & Alumni Relations. She has previously held communications positions at the universities of Toronto, Western Ontario and Guelph. Most recently, she was acting manager of communications and assistant to the dean for policy and planning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Brenna Flynn financial/retail operations assistant, Bookstore. Catherine O’Brien admissions/ recruitment/communications assistant, Recruitment & Admissions.
Changes in staff appointments Aboriginal Elder Jean Becker has been appointed on a permanent basis to the role of senior advisor: aboriginal initiatives, overseeing activities related
to Aboriginal initiatives at the Waterloo and Brantford campuses and within the Faculty of Social Work in Kitchener. Becker, an elder-in-residence for the Aboriginal Field of Study in Laurier’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program, was appointed to the post last year on an interim basis. Holly Cox director, Recruitment & Admissions. Cox will lead the undergraduate recruitment and admissions team, overseeing domestic recruitment for the Waterloo and Brantford campuses as well as international recruitment and admissions. Deb Russell graduate admissions & records officer. Sally Heath manager, academic program development & review, Teaching Support Services. Michael Lisetto-Smith manager, Study Skills & SI Centre, Learning Services. Melodee Martinuk manager, access and transition services, Learning Services. Anne Marie Wetter learning strategist/access and transition officer, Learning Services. Got a question? Send it to ndinka@wlu.ca
Photo: Laurier Archives
CAMPUS DECODER
For a complete list of appointments visit www.wlu.ca/hr
A window to one of the old pedestrian tunnels is visible just west of the DAWB.
I recently noticed light coming from a strange little window in a retaining wall just west of the Dr. Alvin Woods Building. What’s in there? These days, if you want to get from the Waterloo campus Library to the Dr. Alvin Woods building on a rainy April day, you’ll want to bring along an umbrella – or at least a handy copy of InsideLaurier to cover your head with. But until quite recently there was a third option: you could take one of the underground pedestrian tunnels that allowed staff and students to move between buildings without venturing out into the elements. The tunnels were built in the late 1960s as part of a major campus redevelopment initiative that also included the construction of a president’s house (now Alumni Hall), four new residences, and offices for the business and science faculties. Built between the Library, the DAWB and the Frank C. Peters Building, the subterranean
connections also included service tunnels designed to deliver heating and cooling to the Library and Peters Building from a central system located under the DAWB. Those service tunnels are still in use today, their role and layout having remained largely unchanged over the years. But unfortunately for those who dislike lashing rains or freezing blizzards, the pedestrian walkways were permanently closed in 2007 due to renovations to the Dr. Alvin Woods building. The windows you saw by the DAWB look in on a section of the old pedestrian tunnels now used by the Laurier Bookstore for storage – which explains why the lights were on the other evening when you passed by. As for the other parts of the pedestrian tunnel system, we haven’t heard much about human usage, but if campus rumours have it that they may provide shelter to the occasional goblin or marauding troll.
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CAMPUS | CONNECTIONS | COMMUNITY
VOL. 1 | NO. 1 | APRIL 7,2008
David Docherty named president of Calgary’s Mount Royal University Laurier political scientist David Docherty, widely known for his expertise in federal and provincial affairs, has been named president of Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Docherty will complete the current academic term at Laurier and take up his new duties at Mount Royal on Aug. 1, 2011. “David has made many outstanding contributions to Wilfrid Laurier University as a teacher, scholar, administrator and colleague,” said Max Blouw, Laurier’s president and vicechancellor. “His experience, passion and good humour will be missed. I thank him for his many years of distinguished service and wish him well in his new position at Mount Royal University.” Docherty received his BA from Laurier in 1984 and went on to earn a master’s degree
David Docherty
from McMaster University and a PhD from the University of Toronto. He returned to Laurier as a professor of political science in 1994. Docherty has held a number of senior positions during his time at Laurier, including chair of the Department of Political Science and dean of the Faculty of Arts. Most recently, he has served as
senior advisor, multi-campus initiatives, and played a lead role on the President’s Task Force on Multi-Campus Governance. He has also been an active member of the Canadian Political Science Association and is helping to organize the association’s first stand-alone annual conference, which will be held at Laurier May 16-18, 2011. “This is a tremendous opportunity for me both personally and professionally,” Docherty said of his new position. “At the same time, I am going to miss everyone at Laurier. I have been here as a professor since 1994 and have made many lasting friendships. The people and organization at Laurier have allowed me to achieve so much, and I am grateful to the university and the many individuals who made coming to work each day such an enjoyable experience.”
Aboriginal Awareness Week: Aboriginal 101 By Sandra Muir Laurier’s Waterloo and Brantford campuses each hosted their first-ever Aboriginal Awareness Week in March, featuring traditional drumming and dancing performances, comedy shows, art exhibits and workshops. One of the events on the Waterloo campus was called “Aboriginal 101 – Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask.” The “Aboriginal 101” session was meant to give people an opportunity to ask questions about Aboriginal culture they might not normally feel comfortable asking. Answering those questions in the Grad Lounge on March 9 were Aboriginal students Allan Downey, a PhD history student, and Kandice Baptiste, a student, Laurier varsity basketball player and Aboriginal student intern, as well as Aboriginal Elder Jean Becker. Becker is senior advisor: aboriginal initiatives, a role created in 2010 with the purpose of overseeing activities related to Aboriginal initiatives at the Waterloo and Brantford campuses and within the Faculty of Social Work. Below are some of the questions asked and answered at the March 9 session in Waterloo: Question #1 - Is “Aboriginal” the right term to use? Jean “Aboriginal” is a Canadian government designation. It includes First Nations, Métis and Inuit. But everyone has their own terms when you get to know them. Aboriginal was the term adopted by Laurier – we chose to use the word Aboriginal.
Photo: Sandra Muir
PEOPLE AT LAURIER
April 2011
CAMPUS | COMMUNITY | CONNECTIONS
The session gave people the opportunity to ask questions about Aboriginal culture.
Question #2 - What has your experience been like at Laurier? Kandice I was recruited to play basketball by Laurier’s coach at the time, Stu Julius, and have had a great experience because of basketball and my teammates. But the first four years I walked around campus thinking I was the only Aboriginal person here, which made me think that something was missing in my experience. I would also get questions like: Do you live in a teepee? Do you understand how recycling works? It further isolates you. But now I’ve found a home and a purpose working for Aboriginal Student Services and this has completed my years at Laurier perfectly. I think if we continue to set the bar higher and improve services it will only get better for future Aboriginal students at Laurier. Allan I came here because I wanted to come home. I grew up walking past Laurier everyday. I’m a teaching assistant (TA) in the History Department and was TAing Canadian history, but confronting the misinfor-
mation and ignorance about my heritage is exhausting time after time. So now I teach U.S. history, where First Nations issues are not as prominent. It’s not a solution in itself to the issue of the education that needs to take place concerning First Nations, but it does give me a temporary break from it as I plan to go back to teaching Canadian history. I do see positive changes being made at Laurier, especially in the past year, and I hope I can continue to be a part of them. Question #4 - What would Laurier look like if it was guided by Aboriginal principles? Kandice Ideally a lot of things would be more equal. Instead of lecturing, it would be more about knowledge sharing rather than just one person talking for an hour. It would also be a more personal experience, more of a journey. If people were challenged to take their own journey and learn about what they want to learn about, they would be more engaged. It would challenge how you think about everything in life. Students would find their own way. 5