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Campus Life
Here at Memorial University, volunteerism plays an important role in adding to the quality of campus life. While it is not a well-known fact, many students, faculty and staff are actively involved in on-campus and community volunteer programs, each with goals and initiatives of varied and distinct natures. The Student Volunteer Bureau (SVB) works to promote volunteerism on campus. The bureau operates primarily as a referral service for Memorial students interested in getting involved with on-campus or community-based volunteer work, and we place approximately 500 students each year within volunteer programs offered by over 100 agencies listed in our office. We post information for on-going programs with agencies such as the Boys and Girls Club, Hoyles-Escasoni Complex, the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and many other community agencies. We also post information on short-term volunteer projects, including the Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games, the Rabbitown Community Centre, Association for New Canadians, and the Osteoporosis Society. This year, in order to promote the various community volunteer programs, the SVB hosted its first MUN Volunteer Fair, which allowed these community agencies to exhibit their volunteer programs on campus. The event was a great success, so watch out for it in the years to come! The SVB is very active with on-campus volunteer work. One of its largest projects is the recruitment and training of about 120 volunteers for the First-Year Orientation Series, during which time we promote the Ask Me Campaign, which identifies students, faculty, staff and administrators who can provide information to confused students. Ask Me posters, buttons and information sheets are distributed around campus prior to the beginning of classes in September. While the SVB can be considered the primary centre for volunteerism, there are other facets of other volunteerism happening on campus. All of the clubs, societies, and resource centres provide essential services to students, and these groups are operated primarily by volunteers. Our campus newspaper, the muse, and our campus radio station, CHMR, are run by volunteers, and the Campus Foodbank and the CSU Child Daycare Centre are supported in their daily operations by numerous volunteers. In order to recognize the outstanding volunteer efforts of the members of Memorial University, the Student Volunteer Bureau hosts our annual MUN Volunteer Day. This ceremony is one of the most important events for our office because it allows us to publicly recognize the generosity of many volunteers. During this ceremony the SVB presents four awards to various members of the university community - MUN Volunteer of the Year, MUN Club/Society/Resource Centre of the Year, MUN Faculty/Staff of the Year, MUN Residence of the Year. The event is attended by various university officials, community agency representatives, students, faculty, and staff, and this year we had the honour of welcoming the Lieutenant-Governor, Hon. Dr. A. M. House, as our guest speaker. Our MUN Volunteer Day celebration marks a significant day for Memorial's volunteers. Quiet glory is very characteristic of Newfoundlanders, and the volunteer efforts of the members of Memorial University are a testimony to this. The students, faculty, and staff of our campus are actively involved in many on-campus and community volunteer programs, and it is these generous efforts that make a difference within our university environment and the community at large. If you have any questions or inquiries regarding volunteerism, please contact the Student Volunteer Bureau at 737-4301, or e-mail us at svb@mun.ca. Michelle Reed
Memorial University is a strong supporter of its Employee Assistance Program. Changes in the workforce and society, and the pressures facing individuals and families continue to underscore the need for employee assistance programs. It is important that employees know about the program, trust it and use it. As the university's most important asset, all staff may access externally-based professional assistance to enhance their well-being. The university is pleased to announce the Family Advisory Service, which will come into effect in September. To help employees balance work and family needs, CHC Working Well has expanded and enhanced our resources to include information, support and advice for the different caregiving stages in life, including information for expectant and new parents, general childcare and parenting advice, advice in caring for children and adults with special needs, a YouthLine, home care information and planning for family members with health concerns, and elder care information. To make it as easy as possible for employees and their family members to contact and use EAP services, a national, toll-free number (English: 1-800-268-5211; French: 1-800-363-3872) is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Professional teams of counsellors are specifically trained to deal with any type of personal crisis and have immediate access to community emergency services and local counsellors.
On Friday, March 9, employees of the Arts & Administration Building attended the fifth Annual Fun Bowl in recognition of Healthy Lifestyles Week. This year's event was organized by employees of the Department of Human Resources: Deborah Morrissey, Mary Clarke, Madeline Taylor, Karen Slaney and Jackie Constantine. Over 120 employees paid $6 each to attend the event, which included an hour of glow bowling at Plaza Bowl followed by a pizza lunch and prize draw at Pete's Place, Hatcher House. Over 130 donated prizes were awarded, ranging from a dinner for two at the Cellar to $10 gas certificates. The event also raised $102.33 for the Campus Food Bank. The winning team comprised of employees from the Registrar's Office: Glen Perfect (top male bowler with a score of 255), Kim Osmond, Marjorie Rose, Tish Walsh, Lynn Goodland and Nancy Wood. Top female bowler was Kim Simms, Education, with a score of 223. Next year's event will be organized by Catherine McGrath, Carol King, Shona Perry-Maidment, Jean Graham and Wendy Fewer of Student Recruitment and Promotion, and Dorothy Joy, Education.
Human Resources is pleased to announce the appointment of Lori Yetman to the position of sexual harassment adviser, effective Wednesday, May 3, 2000. Ms. Yetman will be responsible for the creation of a campus awareness and education program on sexual harassment and sexual assault, and ensuring support services are made available within the university community. She is located within the University Centre, Room UC-4012, and can be reached at 737-2015 or loriy@mun.ca. A graduate of Memorial's Faculty of Arts, she holds a diploma in information technology. She has worked in a number of positions related to equity within the workplace.
Use cooking appliances safely Many offices around campus have small cooking appliances in their kitchen/eating areas. These are convenient, but they can be a source of fires and electric shocks. Recently a coffee maker in the Engineering Building overheated and caught fire, resulting in fire and smoke damage and evacuation of the building it had been left plugged in and unattended. To ensure the safe operation of kitchen appliances remember the following:
Are you transporting dangerous goods? Under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods regulations, training is mandatory for personnel who package, ship, transport, receive, load, unload or unpack dangerous goods which are transported by any means. A dangerous good is any material that can harm health, property or the environment and falls under one of the nine classes of dangerous goods. If you are unsure if the material you are handling falls under the regulations, or if you want information regarding training programs, please call the Safety Office at 737-4320 or 737-8250.
E-mail can be a useful tool but if it's not managed well it can be a serious drag on your time. Some people receive so many e-mail messages that sorting through them all can be a job in itself. Below are some time-saving tips to keep in mind when using e-mail: When sending e-mail:
When receiving e-mail:
Computing and Communications has enhanced its central e-mail services in response to users' requests for simpler e-mail addressing. This is an optional feature and anyone content with current e-mail addresses need not make any change. All e-mail addresses of the form username@morgan.ucs.mun.ca or username@plato.ucs.mun.ca may instead be addressed as username@mun.ca E-mail addressed to username@morgan.ucs.mun.ca will continue to be delivered. The change affects plato.ucs. and morgan.ucs accounts only. Departmental addresses such as username@physics.mun.ca cannot use the abbreviated @mun.ca format. To find out more about how to change your e-mail address and to find out about how the new format may affect mailing list subscribers, please see http://www.mun.ca/cc/cc-announce.html, or contact The Help Centre, Computing and Communications, e-mail: help@mun.ca, or by phone, 737-4595.
 The Department of Biology held a retirement party for Shirley Hawco on April 7. Shirley worked in the department as a science technician for the past 18 years. Shirley's approach to microbiological cleanup won the respect of many of her colleagues, who noted her sense of humour and positive attitude. Shirley plans to enjoy her time travelling.
Jean Voisey In the almost 25 years that Jean Voisey has worked at Memorial, she has seen thousands of students come through Paton College and has met as many visitors and conference delegates from here and away. "I love my job – it's given me a chance to meet such a wide variety of people over the years," says Jean of her work as supervisor of Food Services and Conference Office. Jean started work at Memorial in 1975 as the senior secretary to Dr. Stan Carew, who was the director of conferences. After his death in 1977 the office was re-organized and moved under the jurisdiction of Student Housing, with Jean as the supervisor. Her job evolved over years and most recently it involved handling internal conferences, coordinating special events held on campus and working with Nova Services to plan campus food services. "During the summer, we basically run the residences like a hotel and offer accommodations, meals, banquets and those kind of services. It's a great way to bring in some money during the summer and it also helps to introduce people to the university and give them a good impression," says Jean. Jean's department has played host to everything from weddings and senior proms to conferences for the Embroiderer's Guild, softball teams and the Kinsmen. But the high point for her has been working with the Memorial students who make Paton College their home. "The students are our bread and butter – they are the reason that we're all working here. So I always make sure I treat them with respect and let them know that I appreciate having them here." While she's enjoyed her time at Memorial, Jean is eager to get to her next project – retirement. She finished work at the end of April, the week after her colleagues at Memorial hosted her going-away party. "I have loved my job but there comes a time when you realize there's more to life. There's my family, my hobbies, some volunteer work...I'm looking forward to a whole new life in retirement – no worries, no stress!" This summer Jean hopes to devote most of her time to working on her garden, a beautiful backyard retreat that features a gazebo. She also plans to spend more time with her family, which includes her husband, Bob, who's already enjoying the retired life, their four children and their two grandchildren. Down the road, she may volunteer at the children's hospital or the cancer clinic and get more involved in making crafts. But for now the emphasis is on relaxation. "I'm not going to commit to anything for a while. I'm just going to take each day and do whatever I want to do!"
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