Daily News

Posted on Nov. 24: Rub-a-dub-dub, three girls in a tub

The bathtub in the McMaster University Students Centre marketplace overflows with generosity. Toothbrushes, hotel-sized lotion bottles, bars of deodorant and little yellow ducks nearly spill over the side, as another person walks up and hands a bag of items to donate. The immense goodwill of McMaster is amazing to the five co-ordinators of the first annual Rub a Dub Dub, Drop Your Stuff in the Tub project. The co-ordinators -- Jessica Waserman, Hanieh Rahimi, Alana Kayfetz, Cole Bassarab and Stephanie Forrest -- as well as an army of volunteers are collecting toiletries and stocking stuffer toys for holiday gift baskets for battered women's and children's shelters of the Hamilton community. "We have received phenomenal contributions so far," says Kayfetz, a second-year communications and women's studies student. "We are overwhelmed by the response." The bathtub will be located in the McMaster University Student Centre marketplace today (Monday) and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Posted on Nov. 21: MUSA to select new job evaluation system

McMaster University and the McMaster University Staff Association (MUSA) have established a committee to develop and implement a new job evaluation system and process for the positions in MUSA. This involves selecting a job evaluation tool, collecting job content information and rating jobs. Implementation of the new system is scheduled for June 16, 2005. The Joint Job Evaluation Steering Committee (JJESC) includes: Carmela Civitareale, Kathy Ouellette and Gord Slater as the MUSA representatives and Susan Birnie, Heather Grigg and Marvin Gunderman as the University representatives. The JJESC has two alternate members, Rosemary Viola for MUSA and John Drake for the University. The JJESC also includes two expert advisors, Nancy Vukelich for the University and Daina Green, a labour consultant contracted by MUSA.

Posted on Nov. 21: McMaster honours nine for outstanding achievement

A former McMaster University president, the founding dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and a nursing school visionary were honoured Friday by having their portraits hung at the University. The photographs and biographies of nine former faculty members are displayed in a Community of Distinction on a second floor wall in McMaster's Health Sciences Centre. All were chosen for outstanding leadership and distinguished contributions through outstanding scholarship and innovative research. Harry Thode - president of McMaster from 1961 to 1972 Murray Enkin - an advocate for change, and faculty member in obstetrics and gynecology David Sackett - founder of Canada's first Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics May Cohen - family physician and promoter of the equality of women in medicine John Basmajian - professor of medicine and biomedical sciences, and a leader in the field of rehabilitation science Alma Reid - director of the School of Nursing from 1949 to 1970. Jerry Dolovich - pediatrician and founder of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at McMaster Fraser Mustard -instrumental in the development of the new medical school curriculum and its research capability John Evans - the founding Dean of McMaster's Faculty of Medicine. Click here for biographies of the recipients.

Posted on Nov. 20: Learning the lingo

A shrug of the shoulders, a sarcastic remark, or a common phrase that makes reference to an historic parable can communicate different messages in English, Arabic and French. But for a student whose first language isn't English, those subtle innuendos can make a big difference in how well they process and understand what others are saying. For the hundreds of international students attending McMaster each year, tackling the pace, material and workload of university-level courses is coupled with the pressure of adapting to a new culture, climate, and language. Now, McMaster's commitment to meeting those students' needs has seen the recently-expanded English as a Second Language (ESL) courses reach new levels of popularity. Rosette Adera and Claire Rivlin, the Centre for Student Development's English as a Second Language (ESL) instructors and co-ordinators, say many students who are new to English and Canada have no idea how well or poorly they'll do in real-life foreign language situations until they arrive. "A lot of students can read and write well, but often their listening and speaking skills need work," says Rivlin. "Sometimes the English-language education they received in their home country doesn't coincide with their needs to understand lectures, ask questions, and express opinions in an academic environment."