Daily News

Posted on July 30: Committee examines IT plan

A four-member ad hoc committee has been established to review McMaster's Information Technology (IT) plan. The organizational structure that governs IT has been altered significantly in the last couple of years, says a letter from the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic to McMaster faculty, staff and students. "Perhaps the most visible change is that there are now separate groups responsible for supporting teaching, research and administrative computing activities." To ensure IT needs are met, the committee will review the organizational structure that governs IT at McMaster and its current administrative arrangements. It will review unresolved issues and broader questions as to where responsibility lies for developing a campus-wide IT plan. Committee members are Peter Sutherland, dean of science, Alan Harrison, dean of social sciences, Lilian Scime assistant vice-president administration and Michael Marrin, academic services assistant dean. The committee will consult with interested individuals and organizations and report to Ken Norrie, provost and vice-president academic, Karen Belaire, vice-president administration and Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president research & international affairs by Nov. 30. The report, which will go to the University Planning Committee for discussion and possible revisions, will form the basis of a revised IT policy for McMaster.

Posted on July 29: U of T questions McMaster

Q: What university observes McMaster University in celebrating its past? A: The University of Toronto Q and A, a regular online feature which commemorates the University of Toronto's 175th anniversary, highlights McMaster in an excerpt from The University of Toronto: A History. The question: Q: What theological college bucked the federation trend with the University of Toronto in 1888? A: Toronto Baptist College chose independence and would later become the foundation of the new McMaster University. A portion of the excerpt... "The Toronto Baptist College, rejected federation in favour of becoming an independent arts and theological college. Its building on Bloor Street on land purchased from the University (now the Royal Conservatory of Music) had been made possible in 1881 by the generosity of the Toronto businessman William McMaster, who provided $100,000 for what became known as McMaster Hall, and an annual contribution of $14,500 a year. Although the college participated in the federation discussions, it had serious concerns about the form of federation. Later in 1887, legislation was introduced to unite the Baptist theological college with a Baptist arts college in Woodstock. The supporters of an independent Baptist university knew they could count on further support from William McMaster, and three weeks after the bill was introduced, he drew up a new will leaving virtually his entire estate to the new Baptist institution, McMaster University. He died suddenly the following spring, and the princely sum of close to $1 million came to the institution. A movement by some prominent Baptists to thwart independence and join the University of Toronto was decisively defeated by the Baptist Convention of 1888, which passed a motion that McMaster University "be organized and developed as a permanently independent school of learning, with the Lordship of Christ as the controlling principle." In 1912, the university purchased a large block of land on Avenue Road north of Eglinton, but owing to the war it did not proceed with its plans to relocate there. The question of federation would continue to be raised from time to time, and in 1930 it was finally laid to rest when McMaster University physically moved to Hamilton, Ontario." Click here to read more. Photo caption: Postcard of McMaster University on Bloor Street, date unknown. (photo: U of T)

Posted on July 29: Human rights educator a catalyst for change

While everyone is entitled to human rights, not everyone is educated about them. But the view that human rights at McMaster are important is clear. Especially to Jane Mulkewich. "University is a place of higher learning and there are people here from all over the world, so we should be accessible to people from all over the world," she says. "If it doesn't happen on a university campus, then where is it going to happen?" McMaster's new human rights educator wants to create an environment free from harassment and discrimination. But she can't do it alone. "Everyone needs to take responsibility to make this an equitable environment," she says. "I want to be a catalyst for change." Since starting her new position in June, Mulkewich has found others feel the same. "Everyone that I have talked to so far, all say that there is a huge need for human rights education," she says. These views were presented to her during recent focus groups with faculty organized by her office. This is important since it is faculty and staff who set the climate, she says. "We want to find out from them what things we need to do on camps to make it a more safe and equitable place." In the part-time position - 22 hours a week - Mulkewich is responsible for the development and implementation of training workshops and educational programs dealing with human rights, anti-discrimination and sexual harassment. "There are a lot of people who don't know about human rights," she says. "Racism and discrimination continues because they are unaware and they do not know about what kind of impact their actions have. People will often know when their rights have been violated but they often don't know what to do about it. They need to know what resources are available."

Posted on July 26: Olympic leaders meet at McMaster

Canadian Olympic gold-medal swimmer Mark Tewksbury, Norwegian speedskating legend Johann Koss and president of the World Anti-Doping Agency Dick Pound will inspire more than 40 current and future Olympic leaders this week at McMaster. Athletes, coaches, olympic medalists, students, academics, administrators, officials and health professionals will learn the values of the Olympic Movement during the 17th Olympic Academy of Canada (OAC) workshops from July 27 to Aug. 2. "The goal of the program is that this group of aspiring and current leaders will be quite connected to promoting the Olympic movement when they return to their community," says Charlotte MacNaughton, manager of communications for the Canadian Olympic Committee and co-organizer of the event. "We want the delegates to be actively involved in the Olympic movement when they return home." The workshops also provide an opportunity for networking. "People who participate in the workshops stay connected for a long time," she says. Delegates from across Canada, ranging in age from 20 to 55, will attend the leadership development program designed for Canadians with a strong interest in the Olympic movement. They will discuss Olympic values and strategies for promoting these values across Canada, current issues facing sport and the Olympic movement. Olympic values, says MacNaughton, are fun, fairness, respect, excellence, leadership, peace and human development. "If more people lived by these values, the world would be a much better place."

Posted on July 25: Summer school offers unique opportunities

Always at the forefront of undergraduate education, McMaster University is leading the pack again, this time, during the summer instead of the fall or winter. The Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research (BIMR) is holding summer school for a group of exceptional undergraduate students. These 57 students, including nine from outside of McMaster, are taking part in some of the strongest research projects on campus, says John Preston, director of the BIMR. "The primary issue is training," he says. "We want students to see that they are working on problems for which the professors and the graduate students don't know the answers." From his experiences with a former theme school, Preston learned the value of combining experience with a summer position, and helping students to see their summer job as part of their academic studies. That is just the case for Rudi Phillion, studying aerospace engineering at Carleton University. "I'm hoping to use what I learn here in another job," he says. "What I'm learning complements it (my program of study) very well. I didn't want to come here and relearn material. I wanted to learn something new." This year is the pilot year for this innovative program. At the beginning of the work term, students were matched with faculty members who were studying areas students were interested in. They then spend the summer working with those professors, and graduate students, on a variety of research projects. "These are not artificial undergraduate projects," says Preston. "The students get paid, and are working on these projects, and have a supervisor who cares about the project." As well as giving students access to world-class laboratories, facilities and equipment, organizers of the summer school have provided many opportunities for students to develop their careers and to discover more about the many fields of materials research. Supplementary activities include lectures by faculty or students on current research, information sessions by representatives from various industries, tours to research or industrial sites and small student-group workshops for training in specialized techniques.