January 8, 2009
Ross serves while Weedon on study leave
Former Faculty of Information and Media Studies dean Catherine Ross will serve as Vice-Provost (Planning, Policy & Faculty) for a four-month period beginning Jan. 1 when Alan Weedon takes a study leave. In 1991-92, Ross served as Acting Dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science and in 1995-96 as Dean of Graduate Studies. “She is one of Western’s most experienced leaders, with a truly distinguished background in scholarship and academic administration,” says Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Fred Longstaffe.
Nowhere to hide
The University of Western Ontario has signed a two-year contract with Google to index and provide search engine services for the hundreds of thousands of pages making up the university’s web world. Google replaces Ultraseek on the main homepage and will gradually be adapted to the search function on other key pages. Google is the search engine of choice for 80 per cent of Canadians and 69 per cent of the worldwide web.
Arrest in home intrusions
A 28-year-old London man was charged in December with break and enter and voyeurism charges after young women in the Fanshawe College and University of Western Ontario areas reported a man entered their bedrooms. The women reported waking up to discover a man watching them. In most cases he entered through unlocked doors. Timothy Stephen Griffin is appearing in court.
Mustangs lineman makes Argos
Richard Zulys, offensive lineman for The University of Western Ontario football team, has signed a contract with the Toronto Argonauts Football Club through 2011. The 2008 CFL draft pick was among the few young Canadian players to secure a spot on North America’s oldest professional football club, which is celebrating its 135th anniversary this year.
Not all trash is garbage
Perth Hall residence was November’s campus champion at keeping recyclables out of landfill. The monthly recycling audit identified Perth Hall after an inspection revealed only five per cent of garbage contents to be recyclable. Among the seven buildings audited, the average recyclables in the trash was 16.7 per cent. Other results included: Law – 10 per cent; Thames Hall – 12.8; Health Sciences – 17.1; Alumni Hall – 18.4; Weldon Library – 18.8; and Ivey School of Business – 27.
New research web page
A new web page developed by Research Development & Services brings researchers a short click away from accessing critical funding. The initiative is the first of a number of planned improvements to the online approval process associated with Research Online Approvals (ROLA). The new page is available at www.uwo.ca/research/rds/fo/fo.html.
Tentative contract with Power Plant workers
Campus power plant workers reached a tentative contract with the university. The 10 members of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 772 had been working without a contract since June 30, 2008 when their four-year contract expired. Bargaining talks on Nov. 20 involving a conciliator resulted in a no board report. The union then conducted a strike vote and received a unanimous mandate. Negotiations continued to within hours of a possible strike but agreement was reached. The Board of Governors must still ratify the agreement. The power plant, operated by the Physical Plant department, provides heating, cooling and compressed air to the university and London Health Sciences Centre – University Hospital. Prime minister in waiting?
Western grad George Sipsis has tossed his hat into the ring for the CBC’s Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister competition. The annual contest, started as a written essay contest in 1995 by Magna International Inc., has become a nationally televised program with a prize of $50,000 and a paid internship at Magna International for the winner. Second, third and fourth place winners also receive cash and internship prizes. Sipsis is an honours medical sciences graduate, who plans to pursue a medical degree at Western. To learn more about Sipsis and his journey to become Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister, visit his Facebook page or head to the CBC website and take part of the forums surrounding the competition.
First Seewald award given
The Hear the World association, created under the initiative of the hearing aid manufacturer Phonak, is donating the first Richard Seewald Award to the Sorocaba Association for the Hearing Impaired. The non-profit Brazilian organization, based in Sao Paulo, will receive $20,000 to support its research on hearing loss among children and to construct a new treatment centre. Phonak congratulated Seewald, a Western professor, for selecting the “meaningful work” of the Sorocaba Association for the inaugural award that also recognizes Seewald’s groundbreaking work in children’s hearing issues.