Daily News

January 15, 2001

Malfunctioning heating systems, lights and clocks are the main complaints coming in on the new classroom hotline. Since the winter term began Jan. 3, 27 . . .

January 15, 2001

Third-year student Jennifer Anderson is the new undergraduate representative to the University Planning Committee. Anderson received 145 votes in an electronic election conducted last week . . .

January 12, 2001

McMaster is the only Canadian university involved in a consortium of eight North American academic institutions that will collaborate on a new metals research centre. The Centre for Metals in the Environment will conduct applied research focusing on the fate and effects of metals in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. According to the International Lead Zinc Research Organization (ILZRO), which made the announcement in December, research conducted by the centre's scientists and engineers is expected to lead to the creation of reliable predictive models that will assist in the conduct of hazard and risk assessment. Each of the institutions was selected for its expertise in certain areas. The three participating McMaster faculty are professors Gordon McDonald and Chris Wood, and associate professor Pat Chow-Fraser,all in the Department of Biology. They bring to the centre over 20 years' of knowledge and expertise in the fields of the physiology of aquatic organisms, and the mechanisms of metal uptake and toxicity.

January 12, 2001

The University's e-mail system is shut down today (Jan. 12) while staff in Computing & Information Services work to repair damage done yesterday by the Emanuel.exe virus. CIS hopes to have the system up and running again by this afternoon. (END)

January 12, 2001

Computing & Information Services expects to have McMaster's e-mail system up and running by around 3 p.m. today. Pat O'Day, director of CIS, reports that it should be "business as usual" for most e-mail users. Ninety-nine mailboxes were affected by the virus. CIS has reset those mailboxes, using back-up tape, to Wednesday evening. Anyone with questions or concerns about their e-mail, should contact Pat O'Day at ext. 23870 or Brian Beckberger at ext. 24159. (END)

January 11, 2001

A Learning Innovation Grants Program will be established at McMaster thanks to a $1 million partnership with Imperial Oil. "This is a unique opportunity to change substantially how undergraduate programs at McMaster are delivered," said President Peter George. "The University has led the way in developing inquiry and self-directed education, and the generous support from Imperial will allow McMaster to continue to deliver top quality programs in a way that will best serve our students." In announcing the donation, Imperial's chairman, Robert B. Peterson, said: " We believe that programs like the Learning Innovation Grants and the work of McMaster's Centre for Leadership in Learning will make a difference in undergraduate education and help to better prepare students for the increasingly challenging environment of the 21st century." The Imperial Oil Learning Innovation Grants Program will fund a total of 11 projects through McMaster's Centre for Leadership in Learning. The Centre's director is Dick Day. "The goal is simple. We want to give departments the opportunity to make significant changes in the way they teach undergraduate programs. Projects that receive funding must truly transform the way programs are delivered and must provide students with the chance to learn course content along with the inquiry, research, critical thinking and communication skills that will lead to life-long success. Each project will be evaluated and the most successful approaches can then be adopted by other departments or other universities," says Day. Each grant provides a total of $90,000 in funding over three years. Photo (L. to R.): Dick Day, Robert Peterson, Peter George, Red Wilson. Credit: Ron Scheffler

January 11, 2001

A Balanced Transportation Strategy for the McMaster campus was approved by the Board of Governors on Dec. 15, but the strategy generated some discussion among members prior to the vote. The strategy was developed by members of an ad hoc committee created by the Board to examine ways to encourage faculty, staff and students at McMaster to reduce vehicle traffic to campus in conjunction with consultants hired by the University to conduct a parking needs assessment and develop new campus parking strategies. The Board's Planning & Building Committee recommended the adoption of the strategy comprising the following components: * parking supply expansions limited to at-grade only (no garage); * participate with the Hamilton Street Railway to subsidize faculty and staff transit passes; * assess parking permit rates to make transit more attractive for faculty, staff and students (changes should be implemented before 2003); and * implement additional travel demand management measures.

January 9, 2001

The Board of Governors has approved recommendations for the allocation of more than $1 million from the McMaster University Futures Fund (MUFF) for 2000-01. A total of $1,167,650 will be spent on a variety of initiatives as submitted by members of the McMaster community. The three broad categories that will receive funds are: education and learning, workplace environment enhancement, and total wellness/quality of life. "The committee received over 50 requests this year, totalling in excess of $4 million," notes Karen Belaire, vice-president administration. "The recommendations made best reflect the principles of the MUFF fund." More than $300,000 has been allocated for initiatives that promote wellness, fitness and quality of life, in response to the high number of requests received that focused on these areas.

January 9, 2001

Roofers working on new campus construction sites have added snow shovels and brooms to their tool kits. Almost weekly snowfalls throughout December and this month . . .

January 8, 2001

The Board of Governors is holding its first online election for undergraduates beginning today (Jan. 8). Undergraduate students are eligible to vote at the Board of Governors' election Web site for one student to represent them on the University Planning Committee during an electronic election starting today (Jan. 8) at 9 a.m. The election continues all week with polls closing on Friday, Jan. 12 at 4:30 p.m. Election of one undergraduate student is required for the University Planning Committee, a joint Senate-Board of Governors committee, for a term beginning immediately and continuing until Oct. 31, 2002. The election was called to replace the student representative who resigned from the position at the end of the summer. Two undergraduate students were nominated as candidates to sit on the University Planning Committee: Jennifer Anderson, a third year student in the Combined Honours Comparative Literature and Linguistics Program and Matt Lannan, second year of the Arts and Science and Political Science Program. Risumis for each candidate may be viewed at the Board of Governors' election Web site. The committee is a senior planning committee and the undergraduate representative is automatically a member of the Board's budget committee, which develops the University budget. Board of Governors secretary Bruce Frank is optimistic students will find the online voting method accessible and easy to use. "It should make it easier for all the electorate to take part," said Frank. "It's easy and more accessible for undergraduate students than the previous method of having students line up at a polling station." Students can vote online at http://www.mcmaster.ca/bog/elections at any personal computer with internet access. Student IDs and a Personal Identification Number (the same as the MUGSI system) are required to cast a ballot.

January 5, 2001

The default rate for McMaster students issued Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP) loans has decreased for the fourth consecutive year. The Ontario goverment released figures . . .

January 4, 2001

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/colourpress.jpg” caption=”Darin Ouellette and Paul Knowles”]McMaster is now the operator of one of the fastest cut-sheet digital colour presses in the world. It . . .

January 4, 2001

More than 600 delegates are expected to attend this week's second World Congress on the Management of Electronic Commerce, sponsored by the Management of Innovation and New Technology (MINT) Research Centre at McMaster. Organized by McMaster business students, the congress runs from Wednesday, Jan. 17 to Friday, Jan. 19 at the Hamilton Convention Centre concurrently with the fourth World Congress on the Management of Intellectual Capital. Researchers from more than 30 countries will present reports and studies that demonstrate what succeeds on Web sites as well as what fails.

January 4, 2001

Dean of science Peter Sutherland will serve a second five-year term. His reappointment, for the period July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2006, was approved by the Board of Governors in December. The recommendation of the ad hoc selection committee for the dean concluded that the needs of the Faculty are being well served by Sutherland. A professor of physics & astronomy, Sutherland has his research interests in the modelling of physical processes in pulsars and supernovae, as well as in the numerical codes for radiative transfer models and dynamics. Sutherland taught at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania before joining McMaster as an assistant professor in 1976. He became a full professor in 1982 and served as chair of the physics department from 1987-1991. He has served on numerous university committees. For other highlights of the Dec. 15 Board meeting:

January 4, 2001

The Centre for Peace Studies is offering a course on the study of war this term. The three-unit credit course in peace studies, which may . . .

January 4, 2001

Classrooms without chalk or erasers. Lecture halls with broken seats or projectors. Rooms without light or heat. According to a memo distributed to all McMaster instructors in December by Harvey Weingarten, provost and vice-president academic and Karen Belaire, vice-president administration, these and similar problems have become an all-too-familiar frustration for teaching faculty and lecturers. "It appears that instructors are unsure who to contact to address these problems," Weingarten says. "In some cases where individuals are contacted, instructors get little action. This is unacceptable." The solution is the creation of a classroom hotline: ext. 23072. Beginning Jan. 3, instructors should call this hotline to report any problems with their classrooms, Weingarten says.

January 3, 2001

The Office of the Registrar has set the dates for make-up examinations for students approved for special examination arrangements due to the cancellation and rescheduling of Dec. 11 (7:30 p.m.) and Dec. 12 exams. Students approved for special examination arrangements will have a make-up exam for the course either Jan. 18, 19 or 20. All exams will take place in ABB-B163 (the new testing centre). A specific schedule of exams and dates will be posted on the Office of the Registrar's Notices section at registrar.mcmaster.ca/internal on Jan. 12.

January 2, 2001

The new University Centre is now officially the McMaster University Student Centre. The Board of Governors approved the naming of the facility at its Dec. 14 meeting. The Student Representative Assembly of the McMaster Students Union voted in favour of the name at its Nov. 26 meeting after considering a shortlist of three names. Initially, 45 names were nominated by 72 submitters.

January 2, 2001

Beginning this month, the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics is offering beginner courses in both Chinese and Catalan. Gabriele Erasmi, chair of modern languages . . .

January 1, 2001

The following is a citation by McMaster President Peter George on Adam Spence, 2003 Honour M Award recipient. An honours social sciences student, Adam is . . .