News in Brief

WLU to acquire new Toronto office

Wilfrid Laurier University is currently in negotiations to sign a lease that will give the university space in a downtown Toronto building.

This space, located at King Street West and York Street, will primarily be used for recruitment, alumni, fundraising, government relations and having a presence in the city.

WLU president Max Blouw said that a large number of alumni, recruitment and business programming opportunities come from Toronto; therefore, it makes sense to have a location in the area.

“Toronto is the financial and provincial government centre in the province and therefore having a presence there is very important for us.”

While nothing is finalized yet, Blouw hopes that Laurier will be able to move into the space by the middle of June.

• Lauren Millet

YMCA and Laurier plan for a $40M athletic complex

BRANTFORD – The YMCA and Laurier Brantford are seeking federal funding to build a $40 million athletic and recreation complex in downtown Brantford.

Last month, the YMCA and Laurier held a public meeting with the South Side of Colborne Task Force, which includes councilors and staff members responsible for developmens in that area of town.

The two organizations presented details on their preliminary plan.

The proposal contained details of an aquatic centre, gymnasium, change rooms, fitness areas, spectator seating, community rooms, hot tubs, sauna, therapist facilities, a café, lockers and office space.

The organizations requesting an additional $4 million from the city to cover initial site preparation costs.

• Compiled by Kaitlan Denneny

Laurier and Waterloo innovators receive federal funding

The Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Leaders Opportunity Fund presented the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University with new funds.

UW was provided with $536,099 and WLU with $50,422 to broaden their fields of research.

Student studies in health, environment, energy and information technology will now have more support to advance their research.

• Compiled by Kaitlan Denneny

WLU Library employee receives 2009 CLA/YBP award

Wilfrid Laurier University’s Carol Stephenson is the winner of the 2009 CLA/YBP Award for Outstanding Contribution to Collection Development and Management.

The Canadian Library Association/Association Canadienne des Bibliotheques awarded Stephenson for her contribution to library services.

Currently, Stephenson is the head of collections and acquisitions at WLU. She previously worked for the University of Waterloo.

-Compiled by Kaitlan Denneny

Sun Life Financial donates $250, 000 to Parkinson’s research

Sun Life Financial is donating $250, 000 to the Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Dr. Quincy Almeida will lead the newly-renamed Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre.

Since the centre opened three years ago, over 700 sufferers of Parkinson’s disease have visited the centre. Waterloo Region has the highest population of people with Parkinson’s disease in Ontario.

• Compiled by Kaitlan Denneny

Laurier student receives Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship

The Government of Canada awarded Wilfrid Laurier University PhD student, Bharati Sethi, the
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

This entitles Sethi, who is currently enrolled in the faculty of social work, $50,000 a year for three years.

Sethi arrived in Canada as a 19-year-old student from India in 1994.

Sethi will apply the scholarship towards her research on the well-being and mental health of
South Asian immigrant woman who come to Canada through the Family Class Sponsorship Policy.

166 student nominees were selected by Canadian and international experts to receive the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

-Compiled by Kaitlan Denneny

Summer students not hired by physical plant and planning

Due to university budget cuts, students normally hired for grounds crew and landscaping by physical plant and planning have not been granted employment this summer.

Typically, approximately a dozen students are hired to do jobs such as cutting grass, picking up litter and others general maintenance tasks.

According to Gary Nower, vice-president of physical resources, the jobs students previously completed are simply not getting done.

“The jobs are going to back up,” said Nower.

“It wasn’t a happy decision for us, because we need them,” he added.

Nower is not sure if they will be able to hire any more students in the near future.

• Lauren Millet

Laurier fundraising campaign kicks off with free ice-cream

On Wednesday, May 13, faculty staff and retirees of the Wilfrid Laurier University community gathered in the concourse to celebrate the kickoff of this year’s “Our Community, Our Laurier” campaign.

The celebration included free ice cream sundaes and a draw.

This year, the theme of the campaign is “Pick your passion, make your mark.”

This allows donors to select a specific area of Laurier that they are passionate about and donate directly to it. The goal for this year’s campaign is $450,000 in new gifts and pledges.

• Lauren Millet

WLU names 2009 honorary degree recipients

Louise Fréchette, David Anderson, Heather Reisman and Audrey Ronning Topping will all be recieving honourary degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University at convocation ceremonies this June.

Fréchette was the first person to serve as deputy-secretary-general of the United Nations and is currently a distinguished fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. She will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws at the faculty of graduate studies convocation.

Anderson is an Olympic silver-medallist and served in Jean Chretien’s cabinet. He will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science at the faculty of science convocation.

Reisman founded Indigo Books and Music, is a director of Mount Sinai Hospital and sits on several corporate boards. She will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws at the general arts and the school of business and economics convocation.

During the cultural revolution, Ronning Topping was the first western journalist to report from China. Her work has run in leading publications such as the New York Times Magazine and National Geographic. She will receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters at Brantford convocation.

-Compiled by Jeremy Tremblay