Daily News

Posted on Aug. 27: McMaster celebrates construction of Centre for Learning & Discovery

The words "on time" and "on budget" were something to celebrate at a "topping off" ceremony Wednesday on top of the fifth floor of the $70-million Centre for Learning & Discovery. The final concrete was poured by, pictured from right to left, Karen Belaire, vice-president administration, Tony Cupido, director of physical plant, Bob Dunn, assistant director of physical plant and David Clusiau, design principal at Norr Architects and Engineers. A "topping off" ceremony is customary when a construction project is on time and on budget. The pouring ceremony was followed by a barbecue for 400 tradespeople, users' group members, the steering committee and other guests who have had a part in the design or construction of the building.

Posted on Aug. 26: Temporary classroom to open on schedule

New students on campus this September will have another classroom to locate on their campus maps, now that the second temporary classroom is nearing completion. Karen Belaire, vice-president administration, says the temporary building (T-29) will be ready to accommodate this year's influx of students by the first day of classes. "We've worked very hard to get ready for the double cohort, and adding this temporary classroom space was a big part of that," says Belaire. "Over the next couple of weeks we'll be adding the finishing touches so that additional classroom space will be ready on day one." The new building is similar in appearance to its neighboring temporary classroom, T-28, which was completed last September. Both are located on the tennis courts, facing Mitchell Crescent. The new building contains two 200-seat lecture rooms on either side, and an entrance in the middle. It is expected to be in place as a temporary classroom until the new permanent classroom space becomes available with the opening of the Centre for Learning and Discovery in September 2004. (end of story)

Posted on Aug. 25: Residence staff put teamwork to the test

Less than two weeks before 3,420 undergraduate students are scheduled to begin residence life at McMaster, the student leaders in place to help them with the transition into residence life are already unpacked. They're scheduled for 12 days of intensive leadership training that will equip them with the skills they need to support residence students -- many who will be living away from home for the first time. "Every summer the residence management team brainstorm about the skills we want our staff to acquire during summer training and throughout the year," says Kevin Beatty, residence manager of staff training and development, and one of eight professional management staff responsible for the supervision of the residence life program. With an optional walk or run scheduled every morning at 7 a.m., the trainees can expect intense, active days to prepare them for the first exciting, busy nights during welcome week. They'll be trained in topics ranging from event programming and crisis management to teambuilding and student development theory. Staff members can hold one of three positions, but Beatty says most of the training they'll experienced is "streamed" to give each student leader the opportunity to develop skills that will be valuable for their respective positions. He hopes the streamed training will also lend itself to building tight bonds across the entire staff team of 114. "This year, as we welcome the students of the double cohort, we've put a lot more focus on the development of transferable skills and team-building to establish a solid foundation of student support," says Beatty.

Posted on Aug. 22: Energy conservation efforts continue this weekend

McMaster staff are encouraged to continue exercising energy conservation measures this weekend. If the provincial state of emergency is lifted over the weekend, full power will be gradually reinstated at the University and the hospital. Members of the crisis management team will continue to monitor the situation and provide regular information updates as available. There will be regular security on campus this weekend and all scheduled events will continue as planned. The peak generating plant located on campus is supplementing the University's essential power requirements during this crisis period. Physical Plant is addressing noise concerns produced by the generators by establishing a noise abatement plan, which is expected to be in place within the next few days. Power conservation includes shutting off power when not in use. It is important that the last person out of the office at the end of the day ensure all power has been shut off, including lights, computers and photocopiers. An improvement in weather conditions is helping McMaster get through the provincial state of emergency that was still in effect Friday.