Daily News

Posted on April 9: Maple Leafs’ Ken Dryden, business executive Belinda Stronach among Spring Convocation honorary degree recipients

Toronto Maple Leafs president Ken Dryden, Hamilton police chief Ken Robertson, and Belinda Stronach, ranked by Fortune Magazine as one of the world's most powerful women in business are among the distinguished recipients who will be given honorary degrees at McMaster University's Spring Convocation ceremonies. The honorary degree recipients are honoured for their contributions in areas such as public service, education and scholarship, creative and performing arts and the McMaster community. About 3,000 students will celebrate graduation at Convocation ceremonies to take place in May and June at the Great Hall, Hamilton Place.

Posted on April 9: Conference examines shift towards aging society

Implications of the aging of the population will be examined during a two-day conference this week. From April 10-11, professionals in policy and planning, researchers, academics and statisticians, will participate in the conference entitled "Moving Towards and Older Society", hosted by McMaster's Centre for Gerontological Studies and Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population (SEDAP). Speakers include James Banks, from the University College London; John Ermisch, from the University of Essex; Rejean Hebert; CIHR and University of Sherbrooke; John Myles, from the University of Toronto; James P. Smith, RAND; and Alan Walker, from the University of Sheffield. SEDAP is a multidisciplinary research program at McMaster that studies a wide range of aging-related issues. Located at McMaster, SEDAP is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. It involves 28 researchers from McMaster, the University of British Columbia, Universiti de Montrial, Queen's and the University of Toronto. The conference will be held in the CIBC Banquet Hall, third floor McMaster University Student Centre. Click here for program and registration information.

Posted on April 8: Another school year comes to a close

Today is the last day of classes at McMaster and students are now gearing up to write exams, which begin Thursday (April 10) and run until April 28. A total of 60,883 exams will be written over the 18-day period. For the exam schedule, click here. To help students prepare, the McMaster Students Union Student Life Committee (SLC) has co-ordinated an All-Night Study Program in the MUSC, where all floors are dedicated to students studying for exams. Silent areas and discussion areas have been established 24 hours a day in meeting rooms, banquet halls, lounges and the atrium. Consideration hours are in effect 24 hours a day, while no tolerance hours are between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. The Union Market will be open 24 hours during most of the exam period. A 22-hour quiet time also has been imposed in most residences and halls during the exam period. Student Walk Home Attendant Team volunteers are available to walk students home between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. seven days a week until April 28. For a walk home call ext. 27500. McMaster Libraries are also busy with students preparing for exams. Click here for hours of operation.

Posted on April 4: MUSA, University begin negotiations

McMaster University and the McMaster University Staff Association (MUSA) commenced negotiations Thursday for a renewal of their current collective agreement that expires June 15, 2003. This was the first of 24 days that the respective bargaining teams have set aside for bargaining through the months of April, May and June. Both teams have expressed their commitment to working hard to achieve a new agreement that balances the needs of staff and the University and that reinforces their progress in building a constructive union-management relationship. Fred L. Hall, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, is the chair of the University's team while Barry Diacon, past president of MUSA, who works in the Department of Engineering Physics, chairs the MUSA team. Also on the University's team are: Suzanne Crosta, associate dean of the Faculty of Humanities; Wilf Ward, director of the Office of Analysis & Budgeting; Susan Birnie, manager of the Department of Psychiatry; Alisan Noble, business manager of the Faculty of Science; and Murray Lapp, Judy Forbes and Stephen Fletcher from Human Resources Services. With Barry Diacon on the MUSA team are: Mina Dizdarevic, MUSA president, who works in the School of Business; Carmela Civitareale, who works in the Department of Pathology & Molecular Medicine; Debra Kigar, from the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences; Roxanne Wilson, from the Centre for Continuing Educaton at the Downtown Centre; Mike Groom, MUSA's executive assistant and Barry Fraser, regional representative, Canadian Labour Congress. The parties have agreed on a number of protocols to assist the bargaining process, including a restriction on communications. Due to the nature of the negotiations process it is important that bargaining occurs through the official representatives at the bargaining table. For this reason, the union and the University may keep their respective principals updated on progress but there will be a blackout of public communications while bargaining is underway.

Posted on April 7: Health Sciences Library reserve collection moved to Mills Library

Material from the Health Sciences reserve collection has been moved to the Mills Memorial Library circulation desk in order to make books, articles and audiotapes accessible to students restricted from entering the hospital during the SARS health alert. Anyone wishing to use material listed in MORRIS as part of the Health Sciences reserve collection will be able to request it from Health Sciences Library staff working at the Mills circulation desk. The Health Sciences Library has also set up a service where students can request to have material delivered to Mills Library. Delivery request forms can be downloaded at http://hsl.mcmaster.ca/hslrequest.pdf. A library card is required to sign books out. The loan period on short-term loan items during the SARS health alert has also increased to two weeks from five days. Photocopy request forms can also be found at this site. Students can request a copy of one or more articles held in the Health Sciences Library collection to be delivered to the circulation desk for pickup. The charge is 10 cents per page and the fee can be charged to an account number, a student ID, or it can be paid by cheque, credit card or debit card. Completed forms should be faxed to 905-528-3733, or sent via campus mail to: SARS Document Delivery, Health Sciences Library, HSC 2B. Copies of both request forms will also be available from HSL staff at the circulation desk in the Mills Library throughout the SARS health alert. For further information or questions about any of these services visit http://hsl.mcmaster.ca or call the Information Desk in the Health Sciences Library at 905-525-9140 ext. 22327.