Daily News

posted on Jan. 9: Humanities Essay Prizes submission deadline is Jan. 11

The Humanities Essay Prizes are awarded for outstanding essays written for courses in the humanities. The deadline for Term 1 essays is Friday, Jan. 11. The prize winners will be announced Feb. 28. Eight 1st place prizes are awarded each year: one per level per term. The 1st prize in each category is $250, with the 2nd prize in each category being $50. At the end of the fall term and at the end of the spring term, students may submit essays for consideration. Instructors will encourage authors of outstanding essays to enter the competition, but students are free to submit their work whether or not they have been advised by an instructor to do so. Any student in any program is eligible for this award. Students are asked to submit a clean copy of the essay to Christa Schlechta, Office of the Dean of Humanities, CNH-112. Each submission should include the following information: name, student number, address, e-mail address and telephone number; the title and date of the essay; the course name and number; the instructor's name and signature to indicate approval. Deadline for submission of Term 2 papers is Wednesday, May 1, with prize winners being announced on June 28. (End of story)

posted on Jan. 8: Psychologist named chairholder in patient-centred health care

The well-being of patients will be the focus of research conducted under the auspices of the new Jack Laidlaw Chair in Patient-Centred Health Care at McMaster University. The endowed chair is being supported by a $2-million dollar gift from Bill and Joyce Young, a portion of which is being administered by the Hamilton Community Foundation. The research goals also include improving communication between health providers, patients and their families. The chair is named in honour of Jack Laidlaw, a former dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and chair of the Department of Medicine, as well as a leading scientist in the field of endocrinology. His concern for patients led him to focus on patient-centred care, communications with patients and between health professionals, supportive care for cancer patients and the education of future health care providers. "The generosity of the Young family will be felt by many patients and their families," said Carolyn Milne, president of the Hamilton Community Foundation. "Through the establishment of this innovative chair, the body of scholarship on patient-centred health care will be advanced across disciplines and will ultimately demonstrate the professional legacy of Dr. Laidlaw - that expert technical care can and should be integrated with humane care." John Kelton, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences, noted, "Dr. Laidlaw continually reminded students and his peers that their job entailed caring for patients, not just treating a disease. The McMaster approach to medical education was founded on teaching not only the technology, but also the humanity of medicine, and innovation in education continues to be a hallmark of the Faculty." Charles E. Cunningham, a professor of psychiatry & behavioural neurosciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences, is the first chairholder. He is a psychologist in the Children's Hospital at Hamilton Health Sciences.

posted on Jan. 4: McMaster Library receives collection of Icelandic sagas

The Viking Icelanders first set foot in North America 1,000 years ago. The occasion was marked at McMaster last month with the presentation of a special collection of Icelandic sagas. Outlaws, rogues and champions. Regional feuds, horse fights and love stories. These and other sagas are presented and told in a beautifully illustrated and bound five-volume collection given recently to the McMaster University Library by the people of Iceland. The volumes contain 40 Icelandic sagas and 49 tales that have been translated, for the first time, into English from Icelandic. Titled The Complete Sagas of Icelanders: Viking Age Classics, the collection published by the Leifur Eriksson Publishing Limited, is one of 500 sets of the famous sagas that are being distributed throughout North America as a cultural gift from the people of Iceland to the people of Canada. Saga literature has been a national treasure in Iceland for centuries, although it remained unknown elsewhere until it began to be printed in the 17th century. The stories describe the events surrounding the discovery and settlement of Iceland, and became an endless source of knowledge and wisdom, entertainment and brilliant language.

posted on Dec. 21: Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from the Daily News. The University will be closed from Monday, Dec. 24 to Tuesday, Jan. 1, reopening on Wednesday, Jan. 2. Classes resume Monday, Jan. 7. Most campus services are closed for the holiday period. Go to Hospitality Services for a listing of dining facility operating hours. Go to the Library Web page for hours of operation. Security will be on duty throughout the holiday period, providing services 24 hours a day. Officers will be patrolling campus, answering alarms and monitoring security systems. For assistance, call security at ext. 24281. The Daily News returns Wednesday, Jan. 2. Photo by Kelly Curwin