THE NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO ENGINEERING SOCIETY http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.

ca/

volume 23 issue 12 | 27 September 2002

The Triumphant Return of LowRider Page 3

No, not that Bomber, our Bomber. Page 13

Beginning of Term POETS Pub Night Round Up

Jason Griese 3B Computer
hour, only a trickle of people showed up for the 9pm start time. The early crowd was treated to a pick of the best seats in the house and a quick hula-hoop session in the main room.

A
Ryan demos some Tongue-Tech

Jason in full-on Batman mode

Theres a lot going on...

lright, this is for all you new people. Three times a term, EngSoc holds a Before long, POETS was packed with pub night in POETS. This is an opportuni- exuberant young people. Luckily the weather was good, ty for Engineers to so the POETS meet and socialize patio was opened with people they for some outdoor might not see othpartying. The erwise. Theres crowd was treated music, pizza for to both an appearsale, Bar Services, ance by the TOOL interesting people, and a premiere and usually a visit presentation of the from our beloved frosh week video, mascot. If you where frosh and missed the last frosh leaders alike Pub, then I highly could relive their recommend makantics from frosh ing it out to the Engineers just givener week. The video next one. went over very well, culminating in a rousing rendition of With that out of the way, the first Friday of the (real) Plummers Cheer. the term was kicked off in the usual style with POETS being invaded by drunken revellers. In attendance were the veterans The Middle of Term Pub will be held on of A-Soc terms past and a large crowd of Friday, November 1. There will be the frosh who were being initiated to a UW usual shenanigans plus a live band. So Engineering tradition (after perhaps being come out, relieve some midterm week initiated to a few other traditions first). stress and get to know some of your fellow Even with the start time pushed back an engineering students.

Tragically, this is the last picture of Dave

Spactic Drunken Hula-Hooping!!

Hitting the Semi-Formal in High Style

Janna Hickson 4A Systems
* Make a conversation piece necklace. Depending on the type of engineer you aim on attracting, attach a piece of computer hardware, a mechanical part or big rock for the geos. Think of all the compliments youll receive: Wow, that sedimentary rock is really cool. I just love chemical precipitates. For the shy (broke) guys: * You could wear your interview clothes in a bind. However, if youre obviously digging into the interview stash, why not add a clipboard to take notes during your conversations and business cards for the more promising prospects. * If you want to get some instant attention, wear a bow tie. Bow ties are different. Different is cool. Think of Steve Urkel. He was cool on that episode he went in the time machine and stuff. Whatever you wear, make sure to buy your tickets for the semi formal early. A limited number of dinner tickets (approximately 40) will be sold. Dance tickets will also be available.

Univerisity of Waterloo - Microsoft Canada Forum: Questions Answered

Maria Simoes
with funding for research into math symbol recognition on the Tablet PC. The second targets empowering lab facilities with wireless capabilities. The last, and most controversial, dealt with both a proposed student outreach program, ECE 050, and a modification to the current Introduction to Computing Course for the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department to use C# instead of C++. The entire proposal entitled the University to a sum of $2.3-million, over a period of 5 years. At the Forum, it was revealed by University President David Johnston, that at the time of the press release, the University had not yet talked with the Dean of Engineering. Furthermore, he admitted that he had made a mistake in not involving certain members of the faculty

efore the next issue of the Iron Warrior is distributed, many of you will have already left to go home for Thanksgiving. I must stress that you should remember to bring back your party gear as engineering Semi-formal will be held on November 9th this term. Bring back that good outfit and beauty supplies that you didnt think youd need at school or you may be forced to resort to some of the fashion tips below: For the conservative (broke) girl * The semi-formal really is on the less dressy side. Wear your curtains a la Sound of Music or Gone With the Wind to really make an impression on the crowd. * Beer makes a wonderful hair spray. If youre at a pre-party and discover that you have a million fly-aways, accept that drink and fix your hair. Ive actually seen a relative of mine do this. It is also rumoured to make your hair smooth and shiny.

3B Computer

n Thursday, September 12th, the Engineering Society of the University of Waterloo hosted a forum to address the issue of the proposed Microsoft-Waterloo partnership. The main purpose of the forum was to allow the people involved in the partnership to give public statements and to clarify any misinterpretations. Furthermore, the forum would allow staff, students and the general public the opportunity to have their questions and concerns addressed by the panel. The partnership under question was announced in a press release on August 14th. Documented within that press release were three projects. The first dealt

Continued on page 5. See EngSoc Hosted Forum for the UW - MS Partnership.

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they never use. - Kierkegaard

Friday, September 27, 2002

Editorial
would release their nuclear payload. The radiation and thermonuclear reactions would probably be in the area of the planet surrounding the United States, but relatively close to it. Any missiles launched from Asia would probably go over the poles, meaning they would be intercepted in Canada. Meanwhile, a serious and important treaty that helped to prevent the proliferation of nuclear devices is now gone. If you are wondering how this could have ever happened, or why it has happened, follow the money. Who stands to benefit from expanded ballistic missile development? Defence and aerospace contractors stand to make hefty products from this abandonment of ABM. Who will benefit from this? No one will. No one will be safer and no one will feel safer. No one will actually be any safer because no country would actually ever launch ballistic missiles at the United States. No nation, no matter how rogue they may be would ever think Oh well, its been a good run. Lets have all of our citizens die a fiery death so we can kill some of the American pig-dogs. That Will Never Happen. If anyone tries to convince you of that, they are fear mongers, who have some economic benefit to be realized by inciting a state of fear in society. Believe me, many voices in the media will try to convince you that I, and columnists like me, are undemocratic, hate freedom, and want you to die. That is a bold-faced lie. None of the leftist columnists want anyone to die. They do not want American soldiers, Western civilians, South East Asian people, Middle Eastern people, Black people or ANYONE to die a needless and pointless death. In general, people who view life as precious, view all human life as being equally precious. Ask yourself this: If a leader is so eager to sacrifice the lives of their soldiers, how much regard do they have for the lives of foreign civilians. Are people with little to no regard for human life fit to decide when and when not to go to war? I am very tempted to bring this column back towards bashing Bush on the many other ways he has screwed over his citizens, starting with his election. That is not useful is any way shape or form. Every week there are probably a thousand newspaper columnists who Bush Bash. Are they doing any good? Not really at all. The American media reports on how much the rest of the world disapproves of their elected Chief of State and the American population gets indignant. Once you sell the whole idea that the entire world is going to bitch and moan at you, no matter what you do, it is easy to make people ignore the criticism. It is also a lot easier to sell the ideology of Unilateralism, if you convince the populace that the rest of the world wants to prevent you from enacting your sovereignty. So, it seems that the more that Bush is criticised from outside his country, the stronger his Iron Grip over the American people will become. At the same time, most of the most disgusting, diabolical aspects of the Bush Administrations actions (Enron involvement, thousands of detainees, erosion of constitutional rights, tariffs against softwood lumber, subsidies to farmers, etc.) are barely even reported on. The American media constantly bombards the public with kidnapping after kidnapping. The rate of kidnappings this year is actually down by the way. What passes for criticism of Dubya is the kind of light hearted teasing that is appropriate for a four year old child who mixes up their words. Is there a way out of this slow descent into the abyss? I am trying really hard to think of one. If I come up with the big answer to this conundrum, Ill let you know. For now Ill try to put together a cohesive interim plan to respond. First, I would advise people who know Americans, please do not tell them how much you hate their President. Instead, here are some examples of questions to ask Americans, whenever you see them. Whatever happened with that Enron Investigation? That TIPS program is kind of Orwellian, dont you think? Man, it must suck to try to sell food to America at low prices, with those sweet subsidies the domestic farmers are getting, huh? Hows he do that? Second, if they get defensive and act like youre a foreign American hater, just tell them you want to know their perspective on the issues. Hopefully, that should prompt a greater number of them to look beyond the hype and get some answers. Here is something to work your brain on: Does our media keep us in the dark about our governments shady dealings? Contributors Questions? Comments? We welcome letters and feedback from all our readers. Please email us at: iwarrior@engmail.uwaterloo.ca Kristin Farn Marc Joly Richard Kulikauskas Lawrence Lam Jennifer McArthur Laura Mooney Geoff Rawle Ryan Walker Leanne Whiteley The Newspaper of the University of Waterloo Engineering Society

Matthew Harper 2B Computer Editor-in-Chief

ool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I can recite that off the top of my head. I do not have a speechwriter or a speaking coach. George W Bush has both, yet he completely butchered that simple, clichd saying. Of course, this is old news. Those of us in the press are constantly ribbing him for his complete lack of control of the English language. Some of the more courageous, or left-wing biased, columnists point to these acts as evidence that Bush possesses an inferior intellect. When professionals who claim to be purveyors of news nitpick the mans use of the English language, it is quite funny. However, it is totally useless. While we are all preoccupied with Bushs latest verbal fark-up, most people ignore the really insane activities that the Bush Administration is perpetrating. Take for instance the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The Bush Administration announced their intention to withdraw from the Treaty and subsequently followed through. These actions should incite thousands of people to run screaming naked down the streets of their respective cities. Yet, there has been very little criticism of this decision. Let me break down why it is a bad idea to repeal the ABM treaty, theoretically allowing the development of anti-missile defensive measures. Anti-missile defences are extremely unfeasible. Even if they were feasible, they would most likely cost a great deal more than conventional warheads. If, another nation decided to start a warhead production program, the United States could never hope to build an anti-missile for every missile that threatened them. All the money that would be wasted on an anti-missile system would be better spent feeding and educating the worlds poor. Failure to do that will lead to more and more conventional terrorist attacks, against which the anti-missile is useless. If, by some amazing alignment of the cosmos, the United States did succeed in developing a complete nuclear dominance over all of the world, would that really be such a grand thing for everybody? I keep hearing the world Hegemony in my head. I think Ill look that up and find out what it means. Oh, and guess where most intercepted missiles

Editor-in-Chief Matthew Harper

Assistant Editor Sophie Shahrokhi Photo Editor Jon Fishbein Layout Editor Dan Foong Technical Editor Maria Simoes Webmaster Katherine Chiang Distribution Manager Elisa Zhang Business Manager Vacant Staff Andre Beltemper Ryan Bayne Matt Gagliardi Jason Griese Jeff Henry Jana Hickson Kristina Hotz Laura Jones Mike Kerrigan James Kunz Sandra Le John Olaveson Jose Penate

The Iron Warrior is a forum for thought provoking and informative articles published by the Engineering Society. Views expressed in The Iron Warrior are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Engineering Society. The Iron Warrior encourages submissions from students, faculty and members of the university community. Submissions should reflect the concerns and intellectual standards of the university in general. The author's name and phone number should be included. All submissions, unless otherwise stated, become the property of The Iron Warrior, which reserves the right to refuse publication of material which it deems unsuitable. The Iron Warrior also reserves the right to edit grammar, spelling and text that do not meet university standards. Authors will be notified of any major changes that may be required. Mail should be addressed to The Iron Warrior, Engineering Society, CPH 1327, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1. Our phone number is (519) 888-4567 x2693. Our fax number is (519) 725-4872. E-mail can be sent to iwarrior@engmail.uwaterloo.ca

Friday, September 27, 2002

LowRider

Dear LowRider:

Advice UWLOWRIDER@Hotmail.com

Six Million Ways to Ride, Choose Low

4A Chemical
Dear Calcu-lost,

ear LowRider, I think the integral is SIN(X) or maybe its SinH(x)... No, I got it, its: Lawn(x) + CosH(x). I forget, I havent had to integrate since the first time I did 1A. Im pretty sure its Lawn something though! -LR P.S. Dont forget to add the speed of light c at the end :-)! Dear LowRider, Where is the Engineering Lecture Hall? My older brother (Class of 91 Elec) told me that there was a building called the Submarine and it was called EL but I cant find it! All Ive seen are series of Block shaped buildings. Where has it gone? -Frosh Submariner

summer of 01. Sorry, you missed a good one! -LR Dear LowRider,

Dear LowRider, I am sometimes prone to hallucinations, maybe you can help: Did I just pay close to $4000 for 4 months of school?!??!!? -Not Guilty

Should I get a cell phone? All my roommates have one and it would cost too much to pay for a landline on my own. Did I say that right? Or, is it LANline? or maybe its WANline? I always screw those things up... You know what I mean though? The phone lines that arent cell phones but... Bell phones! Not wireless though, the kind that my Mom has... You dont even know her though, did that help? I mean the ones that ring in your house and you cant leave the house... unless youre on a cordless phone. I know how to describe it: the ones that plug into the wall... Should I get one of those or a cell phone? Thanks. Speech Impeded

Are there people that actually write into your column? With apathy on the rise and Engi-Nerds taking over and repelling normal people from POETS, etc, who the heck is writing to you? I am convinced that you write your own letters to yourself just to look cool. I know that you are probably the best writer on the IW staff and your good-looking mug attracts a large readership but who are you fooling? You slick devil you! Damn I look good. That is to say, you look good. Keep up the good work! -Miroir Dear Miroir, Oh how you do go on! -LR

Dear Not Guilty, Yes you did! Isnt that great!!? I have good news for you too; the cost of Tuition will only be going UP! Be on the look out for more block-shaped buildings on campus and software only Systems kids can use on the school computers! -LR Editors Note: Dear LowRider is open to the Waterloo Engineering Society for students who need answers to lifes problems. It is meant as a forum for discussion and to inspire deep, sometimes philosophical, albeit simple yet enduring and metaphysical run-on sentences.

Deer Speech Impeded, Dear Frosh Submariner, With the cost of air time and your grotesque butchering of even the simplest description, I think you should not get a cell phone. Or, do I mean shell phone? -LR Dear LowRider, I heard that you are a great mathematician. I have a Calculus problem I cant solve: What is the integral of 1/x? Please help! -Calcu-lost The old Submarine sank. I think it was the

IEEE Trick Shots

Kristina Hotz

3B Computer

his week marked the beginning of the IEEE/Engineering Society Foosball tournament. Im sure the games were very exciting, but Im writing this article *before* any games occurred, so I really cant tell you. In POETS, people have been practicing their trick shots, their best defence moves, and working out their strategies in the hopes of becoming known as the best foosball player in Engineering (and maybe beyond). Wait a second, you may be thinking. I recognize the Engineering Society, but what in the world is the IEEE? Thats simple. In a tricky marketing ploy designed just to make you ask that question the UW IEEE Student Branch decided to co-host this foosball tournament. Theyre the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Its an international society with a mission to promote the development of electrotechnology and applied science, the application of those technologies for the benefit of humanity, the advancement of the profession and the well-being of its members. For more information about the IEEE or to learn how to join, visit the international website at www.ieee.org, or our student branch www.ieee.uwaterloo.ca.

Friday, September 27, 2002

Columns

The Legality of a War of Self-Defense

Jeff Henry
tions to operate in the nation be ceased. In 1993, Iraq attempted to assassinate the Emir of Kuwait and a former American president. Iraqi dissidents are also targeted for murder abroad. Once again the resolution has been ignored. together - assessing the threat was based on what information was brought in by the inspectors. The UN is now four years into the dark and has no way of truly assessing the threat Iraq poses to its neighbours and, through the international reach of terrorism, to the world.

A Buck 75!?
James Kunz 3B Computer

3B Computer

- In 1991, Iraq agreed to destroy and stop ne cannot begin writing about the developing all weapons of mass destruc- The United States believes that the threat political issues facing Canada and tion and long-range missiles as well as to is great, and that for repeatedly violating others without encountering issues about demonstrate compliance by allowing rig- all UN resolutions the Iraqi regime must preserving peace through pre-emptive orous inspections. In the mid-nineties be replaced. Convincing the UN Security acts, through coalition action, or even when a senior weapons program official Council of that conclusion has proven to through unilateral action. Canada has defected, the regime was forced to admit it be a challenge. The United States has spent the summer sitting on the fence over had produced tens of thousands of litres of agreed to settle for a new resolution the issue of what to do about Iraq, weigh- anthrax and other agents for use with war- demanding the immediate and unfettered ing the right of self-defence with the legal- heads, aerial bombs, and aircraft spray return of the inspectors with the caveat ity of backing action. The fence was not tanks. In 1995 Iraq admitted to having a that there be no opportunity to repeatedly crash nuclear weapons program in violate the new resolution. To convince and is not a lonely place. progress from before the Gulf War. other nations of the need for even that Quoting Bushs much is also difficult as France and Russia Jean Chrtien has stataddress directly: - veto-wielding members of the Security ed from the fence that Just months after Council - seem to require the smoking We are with the We believe very strongly the 1991 cease-fire, gun of proof in order to sign on. The Americans on terrorin building legally-based, the Security Council problem with that requirement, says the ism, while adding that multilateral reactions to twice renewed its U.S. National Security Advisor Canadas role in the demand that the Condoleezza Rice, is that there will conflict would be based problems in the world and Iraqi regime coalways be some uncertainty about how on UN or NATO resolutions. Canadian we would urge the United operate fully with quickly (Saddam) can acquire nuclear inspectors, con- weapons. But we dont want the smoking Foreign Affairs States to accept that. demning Iraqs gun to be a mushroom cloud. Minister Bill Graham serious violations echoed that position when he said We believe very strongly in of its obligations. The Security Council While earlier in the summer the White building legally-based, multilateral reac- again renewed that demand in 1994 and House appeared fractured and had positions to problems in the world and we twice more in 1996, deploring Iraqs tions that lacked support in the internawould urge the United States to accept clear violations of its obligations. The tional community. Now their position is that. In other words, we fully support Security Council renewed its demand more widely supported. They had objectAmerican actions as long as the United three more times in 1997, citing flagrant ed to the idea of inspectors and now Nations or NATO legally allows those violations and three more times in 1998, embrace it within specific criteria. In calling Iraqs behaviour totally unaccept- obtaining the necessary coalition support actions. able. In 1999, the demand was renewed that was present in the Gulf War, they will likely have to change at least part of their The United Nations was born in the hope yet again. hard-line statements yet again. It seemed that survived a world war, the hope of a The question of the relevance of the that there was an expression of relief from world moving toward justice, escaping old United Nations was well made if the the world that Bush restrained the earlier patterns of conflict and fear. The founding Security Council believes the actions of a position and thus they gave support for the members resolved that the peace of the nation to be totally unacceptable and toned down position. world must never again be destroyed by finds that there have been clear and flathe will and wickedness of any man. We created a United Nations Security Council, grant violations of its resolutions, why The only remaining difficulty in the eyes so that, unlike the League of Nations, our does it not act? The United Nations was to of Canada, and of many nations in the deliberations would be more than talk, and succeed where the League of Nations world, is that of the necessity of military our resolutions would be more than wish- failed because it did not lack the means of action being so high that the United States es. After generations of deceitful dictators, enforcing its talk. Of course, the issue of will act with whatever support it has if the broken treaties and squandered lives, we what action is justified is still a valid one, UN refuses to pass the new resolution. dedicate ourselves to standards of human as no reprisal was stated in the initial reso- French President Jacques Chirac has dignity shared by all, and to a system of lutions - hence the call for a new resolution touched on the implications of such a unilateral action by saying, As soon as one security defended by all. - George W. that puts a penalty on non-compliance. nation claims the right to take preventive Bush to the United Nations, 12 September While Iraq has released a statement capitaction, other countries will naturally do the 2002. ulating to the demand for the inspectors to same. If we go down that road, where are The appeal from the United States is to the return, they have said they will not abide we going? relevance of the United Nations in todays by a resolution threatOne can envision China world. The argument is rather simplistic, ening military force to ...there will always be back that demand. In using it as an excuse to yet is quite dramatic when made. In the the eyes of the United retake the rogue same address to the UN, President Bush some uncertainty States and Britain, this province of Taiwan. outlined his argument as follows: about how quickly lends credence to the Furthermore, any voice (Saddam) can acquire notion that Bagdads the United States puts - In 1991, Security Council Resolution offer to allow inspec688 demanded Iraq cease at once the sysnuclear weapons. But against the on-again, offtors to return is just again preventative tematic repression of minorities in its we dont want the another ploy and that actions of Israel in the nation. Last year the UN Commissioner full co-operation will Gaza Strip and the West on Human rights found extremely grave smoking gun to be a not happen. After all, if Bank loses all weight. violations on the all pervasive represmushroom cloud. one does not allow Where the road goes from sion including arbitrary arrest, imprisoninspectors in certain there is anyones guess. ment, summary execution, and torture. places their usefulness becomes moot. Clearly the resolution has been ignored. In order for the United Nations to function What remains from the situation is the as it was designed to, the Security Council - In 1991, Security Council Resolutions same underlying issue that was present must agree on a new resolution containing 686 and 687 demanded all foreign prisonafter the Gulf War; namely, how much of a a deadline for the return of inspectors with ers be returned. The UN is aware of more threat is Iraq and is any multilateral body unfettered access and a suitable response if than 600 unaccounted people from justified in infringing on the right of indethe deadline is ignored. For that to hapKuwait, Saudi Arabia, India, Syria, pendence of nations? Eleven years ago, the pen, the United States will likely have to Lebanon, Iran, Egypt, Bahrain, and Oman. decision was that the UN must infringe on agree to abide by the Security Councils Again the resolution has been ignored. the right of independence of Iraq in that it decision. At that point, Canada can finally - In 1991, Security Council Resolution must allow inspectors full access to its get off the fence and follow both the 687 demanded all involvement with terror- facilities based on the supposed threat of United States and the United Nations. ism including allowing terrorist organiza- Iraq to its neighbours. The two went

eeding my afternoon energy fix, I did what many Engineering students do each day: I walked up to the vending machine, swiped my Watcard through the tattered card reader and pressed the button for a Coke. After several seconds of internal clanking my pop emerges freshly shaken (not stirred). Next comes the beeping phase where the money is actually removed; lazily looking up at the LCD screen, I watch it charge me for the product. Rubbing my eyes, I needed to go back for a second look. Even then, I could barely believe the $1.75 charge displayed. Had I looked at the price first, my outrage would have given me the energy fix I needed without costing me a cent. GroceryGateway.com currently quotes the price of twenty four cans of coke at $7.69 which works out to about $0.32 per can. To compare apples to apples, this works out to a little over $0.53 per 591 mL (a bottle, if you hadnt noticed, is no longer 600 mL). While the concepts like bulk purchase and convenience come to mind as an attempt to rationalize the price, these arguments are misguided. First, Coke and its contractors have a captive market. There will be students who are working late at night in the SLC. Some of them will be thirsty. They have little choice but to drink from the v e n d i n g machines. Given No Frickin Way... the volume the university community buys, the fact that I can get a better deal buying only twentyfour cans is ridiculous. Secondly, it is convenient for Coke to sell to us. Their regional monopoly allows them to put little to no effort into marketing and selling the product to us. So, while the service is convenient to the students, providing the service and doing it at a profit is convenient for the supplier. In any case, this convenience certainly isnt worth more than a dollar and it certainly isnt worth $1.22 more than the already profitable price Grocery Gateway is selling at! I can already hear those decrying my reference to the volume of the university community rather than the volume of individual purchasers; however, at the end of the day, the University of Waterloo is nothing if not for the collection of people we have on campus. These people, and those that represent us, should demand that contracts we enter into do not result in us (and our wallets) being unfairly, unjustly and inappropriately gouged of our hard earned money. $1.75 for a Coke is exactly that.

Friday, September 27, 2002

News & Opinions

EngSoc Hosted Forum for the UW - MS Partnership

Continued from page 1 in his decisions. President Johnston also delved into the proposed timeline of the third project. ECE 050 is set to be launched on March 2003, and any changes to the ECE 150 course would go through in September 2003. The Dean of Engineering, Dr. Sujeet Chaudhuri, also had a chance to speak within the first part of the forum. The first thing he mentioned was that he still stands by the statement of facts that he released during the first week of September. He continued to mention that the integrity of the University, and the Engineering Faculty in particular, were not in any way compromised by the partnership. The real reason for any perceived concession would be that the press release was incomplete, with incomplete factual information. First and foremost, the Dean mentioned that the curriculum change process at this university is very rigorous. There are many levels of approval that need to be dealt with before any change in the curriculum can occur. These include getting the authorization of both a departmental group as well as getting student represented approval. The main concern of the Dean of Engineering, as well as the entire faculty, is ensuring that students have the marketable skills needed for them to land cutting-edge jobs. In order for this to happen, any curriculum changes need to reflect the current requirements of the technological market. Furthermore, the University of Waterloo needs to attract knowledgeable, committed and creative students. In order for this to happen, and to ensure that high school students have the necessary programming background to adapt to the ECE curriculum, the university has created an outreach program, otherwise known as ECE 050. This program is intended to benefit prospective high school students, in the same way that the University of Waterloo Descartes program helps prospective Math, CS and Engineering students. The main hope is that students will all have met an equal standard of programming skills and experience. As of yet, the faculty has not completely decided on a language to be used for this program. The last thing that Dean Chaudhuri mentioned was that even if Microsoft were not to fund a curriculum change from C++ to C#, if all the advisory boards and levels of approval decide that C# is the best thing for the students, than the department will still continue with the curriculum change. After the Dean Chaudhuri finished his panel presentation, Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Anthony Vannelli, began his speech. He mentioned that the implementation of the student outreach program would ensure that the programming concepts of students coming into the University would be strong. He also mentioned that ECE 050 has been in discussion since 1997, and that using a language other than C++ for ECE 150 has been in consideration since 1999. C# and the .NET Framework, in particular, were in consideration since last fall. He mentioned himself that he was an instigator in this changes, and that the move to C# and .NET would represent a huge improvement in the computing support environment. For example, the use of Visual Studio .NET would entitle staff and students to the huge .NET expertise base. Since he is the Associate Chair of ECE Undergrad, one of his roles is now to impact of such a move needs to be analysed, especially with the respect to the impact on students in later, more lowerlevel courses. One last thing mentioned was that the Canadian Accreditation Board of Engineering does not look at the operation of a language when accrediting engineering programs; rather, all they want to see with respect to engineering programming courses is that the constructs and good programming design are taught. In this way the ECE program differs from the Math and CS programs, since the language used is NOT as critical, it is just a tool to teach proper programming design skills. Also mentioned was that ECE 050 would not be a mandatory course, with respect to Engineering admissions; rather, it would parallel what was done with the Descartes program by the Math department. Furthermore, there would be no cost to students taking the outreach course. If properly funded, the University will ensure that all course materials and tools will be available on a server for students to use. The language that will be used to teach this course has not yet been completely decided upon. The last thing touched upon was the perceived damage to the University reputation that has resulted from the events of the Microsoft-Waterloo partnership. President Johnston hopes that this damage is only perceived, since any move being made is to ensure that the University is innovative enough to use the latest technology in the learning environment. Dean Chaudhuri pointed out that any damage to the school reputation will be seen in the future; however, all that is done with C# will be done in an open and transparent way to forgo any future damage. For a streamed transcript of the forum, please see http://mp3.feds.ca/special/ msForum/msForum.mp3. The MP3 stream is courtesy of the University of Waterloo Federation of Students. Remember that your Engineering Society President will be acting as the undergraduate faculty representative during approval meetings. If you have any valid concerns about the move to C# from C++ that you would like brought up during the approval process, talk to your Engineering Society class representatives and help them voice your concerns. The outreach course will also ensure a level playing field for students in ECE 150.

Professor Anthony Vannelli, Chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Program, speaks on the Microsoft Waterloo partnership as President Johnston (right) and CS Department Chair (left) listen.
tioned that the proper procedures, with respect to the curriculum change, are being followed; however, these procedures were NOT complete by the time of the August 14th press release. Lastly, he mentioned that the main goal of the ECE department was to empower students with as many languages as possible to ensure that they would get good co-op jobs in the IT industry. After the preliminary round of talks, Professor George Freeman, Associate Chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Program, and one of the key players in the move from C++ to C#, took a moment to state a few words. He mentioned that he had been teaching ECE 150 since 1987. That he had taught the course more than 10 times, in four different languages. He also menensure that any curriculum changes go through proper channels, and to ensure that any impact on Engineering Year 1 and Engineering Computing is also taken into consideration. After Professor Freeman, the forum opened up into a general question and answer period. Many topics were hashed and rehashed during this period. The talk surrounding ECE 150 dealt with the fact that C# is a Java-like language, and that the move to C# will keep enough of a C++ base in the curriculum, but would also facilitate somewhat of a move towards a more object oriented language. It was also mentioned that the course content in the move from C to C++ had not been greatly altered; likewise, the course content in the move from C++ to C# will attempt to remain somewhat the same. In the end, the

The Ordeal of Moving

Andre Beltemper
for the luxury of leaving it messy enough to hide an armadillo. Of course thats all after youve actually physically moved to the place. So, you start to fill garbage bags with clothes and fill boxes full of books, not to mention all that other stuff you simply cant live without but weighs a ton: the family anvil, the Guitar, the computer. In about an hour youve narrowed down all the stuff you need to bring, and you suddenly realize you have a pile higher than a spotted giraffe in your room, with an average density approaching that of a neutron star. So there goes the plan to use your friends 86 Fiesta to move. You knew you were in trouble the second you brought that anvil. That means that you must now face the inevitable and go to the guys you swore youd never go near. Thats right, you know who Im talking about: U-Haul. Dont get me wrong, U-Haul vehicles will get your stuff from point A to B, its just a question of whether that stuff will be in one piece at the end of it. Youre muttering U-Haul catchphrases like: easy-ride suspension and simplified loading as curses by the time you get your stuff into the thing, and then get the thing down the highway to fair Waterloo. But wait! I hear you cry. What if I buy my furniture here, and assemble it myself? This presents a possibility, but then thats only if you believe the phrase of infamy: Some assembly required. I dont know what those Swedish design engineers were thinking when they thought the customer would enjoy putting together sixty seven pieces of wood with an Allen key, but it sure couldnt have had anything to do with simplicity. Having said that, the furniture does stand up pretty well once you get it set up. But of course, then its nearly impossible to take apart, which leaves you back with Mr. U-Haul when you need to leave. So, once you manage get to the house, get your furniture up, festoon your room with flags and posters, and set up your furniture, youre ready to go, right? Wrong. You still need to change your mailing address about thirty times for your different IDs, as well as set up the three things you cant function without: TV, phone and Internet. So, once everything is done, in the final analysis, is moving worth it? Well, it certainly is a hassle for time, money, stress and frustration, and we all know we have to move every four months for four years, which means twelve moves. But, if you learn to travel light, keep an open mind, laugh off adversity, become really handy with an Allen key and adept at loading UHauls, youll be fine. Oh and one more thing: leave the anvil at home.

2A Mechanical

he one thing almost every Engineering student at UW will experience at one time or another will be the joyous experience known as moving. Moving is certainly a time of high excitement: time to leave home, time to decide what you really need to bring, and time to set up your own place. Of course this also means youll have to pay rent, utilities, TV, phone, and just about twenty seven other bills every four seconds, not to mention live with people you may not know yet. But you can handle that, because there wont be any parents at your new place to nag at you to clean your room. After all, youre paying

Friday, September 27, 2002

EngSoc

EngSoc Presidents Report Better Value Than A Coke

Leanne Whitely Kristin Farn
for donations for student projects and initiatives. If you are a member of the Engineering Society (i.e. you have not requested your $14 EngSoc fee back) and you have a project that requires funding then you are eligible to apply. Donation proposal forms are available in the Orifice and must be returned by November 6th. As well, at the EngSoc council meeting on November 13th, each group/individual that submitted a proposal will be required to present their proposal. The council then decides how much money each group is given by a vote.

President

VP Finance

ello everyone and welcome to a funfilled term with the Engineering Society (Eng Soc). Weve already got off to a great start with an Engineering Society council meeting, the Microsoft/UW Forum, the Orifice (Engineering Society Office in CPH 1327) Open House and the Beginning of Term Pub (BOT) at POETS. That was just the first week! I am really looking forward to this term. There are so many events planned. Please check out the Eng Soc web site at engsoc.uwaterloo.ca for more information. Thanks to our terrific web masters, it is updated on a regular basis. While you are there, I strongly recommend that you check out the on-line Engineering Society Usability Survey. By filling this out, you will help us to determine what we can do to serve you better. After all, we are here for you, the students. I realize that tuition is high and almost everyone is strapped for cash, but I want to remind you how important it is to NOT take back your refunds (or investments as I affectionately like to call them). With your EngSoc fee, you have access to the exam bank, cheap photocopies, great food at the C&D, a term packed with fun and educational events, and so much more. Your WEEF donation is extremely important. Only the interest of the fund is spent each term. This money helps out all the departments as well numerous student groups and project teams. (They dont call it the WEEF lab for nothing!!) Please check out the web site www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~weef/ for more information.

elcome back, or for the class of 2007 simply welcome. I hope everyone is having a good time. Im the VPF for the Fall 2002 term and its my job to prepare a budget for the Engineering Society and to make certain that bills get paid and directors get reimbursed, with the help of Mary Bland our corporate manager.

If anyone would like more information about the nominee or the election process, please feel free to contact me at asoc_prez@engmail.uwaterloo.ca or stop by the Orifice (CPH 1327)

Now for my why paying $14 to the Engineering Society benefits you rant. For this small fee you can gain access to To EngSoc directors, if you havent filled such great things as subsidized prices at out a budget proposal form yet then the C & D (Coffee & Donuts), cheap $0.05 youve missed the deadline. I will assign photocopies and other supplies available in the Orifice, the you a budget based on prior exam bank also term budgets for your directorship. If you are why paying $14 to the available in the Orifice, free local expecting to require a sigEngineering Society phones, and the nificantly different amount engineering of money this term come benefits you lounge/pub, POETS, see me ASAP and we can with bar services discuss making a revision. available on Thursday and Friday afterAs well, I need a signed copy of a budget noons. EngSoc also runs many activities, proposal from you anyways, so that when sports and events that are posted on the you submit expense forms I can verify the EngSoc website calendar. All this and request to avoid misappropriation. The more sounds like a sweet deal to me. draft budget will have been presented at the last EngSoc meeting and hopefully it Finally, my office hours will be on has been approved. Wednesday from 11:30am 1:30pm, at which time Ill be available for any quesExpense forms are available in the Orifice. tions or concerns you may have for me. As Make sure to attach all your receipts and to well, you can always contact me at separate the GST for your purchase so that asoc_vpfin@engmail or leave a message EngSoc can receive a refund later. in my mailbox. Expense forms can be placed in the VPF mailbox and Ill do my best to have a cheque placed in your directorship mail- Hees to productive studying time and incredibly fun free time. Have a super box within a week. duper term. Each term a part of the EngSoc budget is

Surveys, Conferences, Lectures, and Competitions

Jeff Henry
Conferences There are currently two different conference applications available on the EngSoc website - the Conference on Women in Engineering (CWIE) and the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES) Congress. The twelfth annual CWIE, held in Kingston on November 1st and 2nd, is a wonderful opportunity for anyone in the Engineering Society to explore the issues concerning women in engineering, and what they mean to you and those around you. The application deadline is Monday, October 7, so that I can pick delegates and make the registration deadline. CFES Congress is held in Saskatoon from January 3rd to 9th in 2003. This conference is the flagship of CFES and involves not only electing and mandating the objectives of the new executive, but also allows us the opportunity to get together with all the other wonderful Canadian engineering schools that we dont see all the time here in Ontario. If you apply, be prepared for one of the most productive AND entertaining weeks of your lives and certainly a time youll never forget. The application deadline is firmly November 22, so the earlier you register the better. If you have any questions about either of these conferences, dont hesitate to ask (asoc_vpext@engmail). First Year Integration Conference (FYIC) applications will also be coming out soon, and Ill talk more about them in the next issue. Bridging the Gap The Bridging the Gap lecture series is traditionally co-sponsored by the Dean of Engineering, the Sanford Fleming Foundation, and the Engineering Society and is designed to help you as engineering students see the connections between academics here and how you relate to the outside world. The first one in the series is a talk by JeanMarc Hachey entitled Skills for Succeeding Overseas & Gaining International Experience. Jean-Marc is the best selling author of The Canadian Guide to Working and Living Overseas. On Tuesday, October 1 from 11:30am to 1:00pm in the Humanities Theatre (HH 180), the first part of the seminar will take place. The second part, this time focusing on international rsums and the hiring process, will follow, later that day, taking place from 4:30pm to 6pm. If you have considered working overseas, this is the perfect opportunity to find out what is involved and what is out there. CECS and others are also co-sponsoring the lecture. The second one in the series is a talk by Larry Smith entitled Ego Enterprises Why you should run your career like a business. Larry is a popular speaker on subjects like this at the university and well worth an hour of your time - just about everybody who has taken Economics 101 or 102 with him would tell you the same thing. The talk is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8 from 11:30am to 12:30pm in CPH 3385. Refreshments will be provided. Ontario Engineering Competition The 2003 OEC will be held at the University of Western Ontario on the weekend of January 31, 2003 and consists of six different events: Editorial Communications, Explanatory Communications, Parliamentary Debate, Corporate Design, Entrepreneurial Design, and Team Design. Traditionally, Waterloo has done very well at this competition but we need engineering students like you to apply for these events. OEC is the perfect opportunity to show everyone your talent and enginuity - especially those Western engineers. To read more about these events, and OEC in general, visit the EngSoc website; specifically at http://engsoc.uwaterloo.ca/www/ documents/OEC.html If youre still reading, congratulations, as you are now more informed about whats going on and whats available to you then even I was after my first year. So take the time to fill out the survey, apply for some conferences, attend the lecture series talks, and get a team together for OEC.

3B Computer

ith September almost over, deadlines and opportunities that seemed far away only weeks ago are now fast approaching. From comprehensive and valued surveys to conferences and from lecture series to engineering competitions there are a number of things on the horizon I would like to remind you about. EngSoc Usability Survey While it may take you several minutes to actually complete the survey, I encourage all of you to do so. The results will help us to provide you with more visible, more effective, and more relevant services, activities, and opportunities for your $14. Most important are the questions in step 5 as they give you the opportunity to provide direct feedback to us with respect to our deficiencies, how and to whom we represent you, and finally with respect to the meaning, visibility, and relevance of our mascot, the TOOL. The survey can be found off of the EngSoc website or directly at http://engsoc.uwaterloo.ca/www/survey.php

Friday, September 27, 2002

EngSoc

Its All About Balance!

Ryan Walker
excessively good time. By the time you want to cut into study-time. Its all about are reading this, Engweek balance! has most likely come to a close. The outline of Want to help out with Octoberfest tickets events looks quite fun and are on sale at the events without being well organized. I am lookOrifice and supply is ing forward to a great responsible for running very limited. Come term with many little out and join us Oct. the show? events that will help to 17 at Bingemans. raise spirits during lunch hour. I realise that not everyone is orga- Join the task team! Want to help out with nized enough to participate in activities events without being responsible for runthat require high levels of commitment, ning the show? E-mail Janna Hickson, but these individual events will cater to jclhicks@engmail.uwaterloo.ca, the task those who want to have some fun but dont team director and sign yourself up as someone how can help out. Id also like to point out to directors that all you need to do for help with running your event is to email Janna and she will assemble the people you need. One last thing before I go. My office hours are Tuesday from 12:30 1:30 and Thursday from 11:30 12:30. You can find me in the Orifice at this time. If you need to get a hold of me outside of these times, e-mail me at asoc_vpint@engmail.uwaterloo.ca or look in POETS.

VP Internal

he term has started with a roar. The directors meeting had good attendance and there is definetly a cool group of people here who want to see everyone have a great term. B.O.T. went well and the frosh video was great. Good times were had by all. In keeping with VPI tradition, I had an

All About The Benjamins

Laura Mooney
Next on the list is scholarships. If you are at all interested in applying for money, the university awards web site is www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infoawards. There are a lot of scholarships and bursaries available, but the deadlines for some of them are fast approaching so dont miss out! Speaking of money (and ways to get it) the co-op season is in full swing already. Posting #1 went up last Friday, so hopefully you didnt miss it. Also, the 2002 Career Fair is being held at RIM Park this year. So, if you are interested in checking out potential employers, you can get more info at http://www.partners4employment.ca. Also, check the CECS web site for more information on skills workshops and other random information that may be of interest. If anyone is interested in keeping on top of co-op news and communicating it to the rest of engineering in Reader s There are a lot Digest format, there is a of scholarships d i r e c t o r s h i p and bursaries open to do just that - just available... come and talk to me or drop me an e-mail. Finally (and this also has money attached to it), the SFF debating and technical speaking competitions are being held in the next month, with faculty level competitions in October. Check with your class prof or undergraduate secretary for the dates of the departmental competitions. Prizes for faculty level competitors are $300 for the winner of the technical speaking competition and $100 for all other competitors, $100 each for the winning faculty debating team and $50 for each for the other competitors. If you have any questions about whats going on, concerns with your education, or just want to get involved, swing by and vist the Orifice, or drop an e-mail to asoc_vpedu@engmail.uwaterloo.ca.

VP Education

o, the first few weeks are over and done with, and there are a few issues on my plate that are worth sharing. First off though, a big thank you to Maria and all the volunteers for organizing and critiquing resumes last week. If anyone would like to get a critique done but couldnt make it in on Thursday or Friday, drop an e-mail to asoc_vpedu@engmail.uwaterloo.ca and a time can be arranged to get it done.

Waterloo Engineering Without WEEF?

Marc Joly
founded. They also paid $75, which was tion today is significantly less then that of quite large compared to their tuition and the students in 1990, and in return we are they only received about $20,000 from receiving more then ten times what they WEEF. They understood did. To all of you that that their donation would have kindly donated generate interest each year significantly less then this term, thank you! to assist in maintaining that of the students in As for whats happenand improving the quality reputation a degree from ing with WEEF this 1990.. ..receiving Waterloo now enjoys. term. If you are readmore then ten times ing this on September Today, the voluntary stu27th, this is the last what they did. dent contribution is still at day to get your refund $75, and WEEF will be (just remember that it spending $220,000 to improve our engi- is tax deductible). In the next IW issue, I neering programs this year. By considering will inform you about the development of the effect of inflation, our WEEF contribu- the endowment fund. WEEF proposals will be accepted from October 7th until November 8th, and presentations will be held during the following week. If you have a proposal that you think is worthwhile, please do not hesitate to send in a submission. Remember, that everyone (students, professors and lab technicians) in Waterloo Engineering can submit a proposal to WEEF. For more information, please visit WEEFs web site at www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~weef. If you have a question related to WEEF, feel free to email me or my assistants at weef@engmail or phone us at x4893. Remember one last thing, WEEF is GOOD!

WEEF Director

here would Waterloo Engineering be without WEEF? Simply imagine removing $2.1 million worth of engineering lab equipment, teaching facilities, student projects and computer upgrades. I understand how hard it is to give money, when every time you receive your fee statement, tuition increases, but think about the students back in 1990 when WEEF was

Scunt of the Rings: Its Happening Right Now!

Richard Kulikauskas 2A Systems
ipating in many wild events (like egg drops, improv, and much more), road tripping to awesome places, and staying up all night with your friends. Every term Scunt has a different theme, whether its Star Wars, Fight Club, or James Bond. This terms theme is Lord of the Rings, so be ready with your Tolkien trivia and costumes, and start practicing those Dwarven bawdy songs. If you want to make a team, get together with your classmates and friends, and email us at scunt@se-xperts.com. Even if youve got classes you cant skip on Friday afternoon, dont worry. You can show up at any time during the Scunt to join your team and still have loads of fun. I hope to see everybody there.

oday, Friday September 27th at 12:00 noon in RCH 307 a group of crazy, motivated, hyper engineers (and maybe some others) will be participating in the event of the term the Scunt of the Rings. What is this Scunt you ask? Well its kind of like that frosh week Scunt, but its 24 hours long, and not just for Frosh. Yes, that means upper year students should enter teams too. If you forget what Frosh Scunt looked like, or maybe you couldnt make it, let me remind you of the wondrous event that a Scunt is. A Havenger Scunt (thats no typo) consists of many fun parts. It includes hunting for all sorts of crazy stuff (scavenging if you will), partic-

Friday, September 27, 2002

Frosh

Frosh Week: The Best Damn

Dan Foong 3B Civil
7, 2002, 600 pre-registered Frosh reported to HQ for their first days as part of the Engineering Faculty. About 200 more Frosh would sign-up before the day was done. They had come from far and wide to experience what they had been told would be a great week, they would not be disappointed. The weeks colour groups were related to this years theme, the School of Hard Rocks. As a result, the colour groups were based on gemstones. started from POETS, ran past the C & D and out the door of CPH. As Frosh began learning their colour group cheers they also prepared to Scratch onto the Polaris/Nexus system. Most importantly, the Frosh were presented with their Hardhats. Day 2: Mystery Night & Professional Reception - The Professional Reception,

ow that classes have begun youre reflecting on the week that brought you to UW. Who could forget that day when you waved good-bye to your par-

Marc Just Loved Yelling at the Frosh

they prepared to meet EDCOM. As EDCOM burst into EL (RCH) 101 they immediately grabbed the attention of the Frosh. Led by Headcoms, Stephanie Ho and Daren Toppin, EDCOM made a great first impression on this years batch of First-Years. After meeting EDCOM, Frosh moved outside to learn the Principles of Engineering and prove they were truly worthy to be Engineers. Once learning the Principles, which started last year, brought Frosh and professionals from different fields of Engineering together. It was a chance for First-years to learn about the practical application of their chosen fields. In attendance this year were a couple of recent graduates from the University: Allister Mason (Civil 02) and Ryan Bayne (Comp 02). Both were instantly surrounded by Frosh, and they related what they had learned and subsequently took away from their time here.

That Looks Sweet

ents, and waved hello to the freedom that having a place of your own brings? For all of you who werent here for the Best Damn Week Ever!, Ill bring you up to speed. At about 8:30 AM September Day 1: Registration - The day started off easy, as Frosh trickled into the buildings, they quickly made their way towards their Headquarters. However as 9:00 approached the line for on-day registration

Choosing A Complementary Studies Elective

Dan Foong 3B Civil

elcome to the wonderful world of Engineering. Considered one of the coldest professions in existence, Engineering at Waterloo has attempted to break out of the mold. If you havent guessed by now, you will learn that you will eventually leave the safety of the Engineering buildings and venture forth into the rest of the University. Why must thou venture forth, you ask? Simply put, youre being made to. More technically put, in order to develop as a more caring profession, it was mandated that in order to graduate (get your degree) you must satisfy certain Complementary Study Electives (CSEs). Known as Arts-Electives to must upper year students, CSEs give Engineering students a chance to develop into a well-rounded student. In other words, before your head explodes from one more Integral or line calculation, you get to break away from the traditional Engineering course. Although most of you wont be deciding your CSEs until your 2A term, several departments (Civil being one of them) are now offering CSEs in 1B. Deciding what course(s) to take is rather difficult. Considering that youre handed a rather lengthy list and required to choose a course, as opposed to being handed a list of courses youre supposed to take. The following is a list of courses that have no pre-requisites that are quite interesting (read: will get you a pretty easy credit).

Lets start with the basics: English. Okay, so youve failed the ELPE. No big deal, write it some other time. Dont let one failed English test turn you away from the wonders that the English department has to offer here at UW. If you feel that you speak English good, this course might just be for you: ENGL 140R (The Use of English I). What makes this course great is its lack of Final Exam. Secondly, your mark is based on attendance (20%) and your work. Get this; make sure that you actually learn something, because what you learn here may help you pass the ELPE and your first Work Report. ENGL 140R full? Why not try one of the many other wondrous departments within the Arts faculty? Like History? What if I told you that there were history courses out there that pander to the likes of us? HIST 200 (History and Film). Toted as Monday Night At The Movies, you will watch old movies, have discussions about them, and finally write an essay using them as reference. Theres one catch though, some of the movies that you may watch, you may have never heard of, or theyre so boring youll fall asleep and have no idea what the roundtable discussion is about. Heres one that the men out there (90% of the Engineering Faculty) will love, HIST 205 (History of North American Sport). If you love sports, and can talk day and night about the subject, this might just be for you. However there is one catch, you have to be able to consistently write coherent knowledge on the development of North American Sports. Quoting the latest stats from the daily newspaper wont cut it here. So make sure that you understand why Jackie Robinson was the first black man in baseball,

why the colour barrier was so difficult to break through. So, historys not your thing. You dont like discussing the past too much. What about just plain discussing things? DRAMA 223 (Public Speaking), is an introductory course to Public Speaking. As the course goes on, you develop speeches that you must present to your fellow classmates. This class is so high tech, that you are video taped as you speak and can get instant self-feedback if you so desire. Maybe speaking in front of large crowds terrifies you; what about a course that offers you a chance to delve into your inner most thoughts? PHIL 145 (Critical Thinking) is a course thats just right up your alley. You will learn the basics behind logical thought processes, and critical thought. This means that youll be exposing yourself (dont laugh) to the wonderful world of deep thoughts. You may find the answer to that ever-elusive question Why wont that pretty girl talk to me?? or If I drink now, I can recuperate in 8 hours, and still have 40 hours over the weekend to finish that assignment. Sound interesting yet Socrates? Thinking deep thoughts not your bag? What about learning about what other people are thinking? PSYCH 101 (Introduction to Psychology) is an introduction to the basic thoughts on psychology as a behavioral science. Heres the part that youll all love though, and I thought it was great; midterm and final are all multiple-choice. Although not all sections are like this, if you happen to be in the one class that is, say your prayers cause youre coasting. Read the text, show up for lectures (sleep through them and learn

by osmosis), and youll do fine. Heres the icing on the cake though, for every psych experiment that you take part in, goes towards your final mark, up to a total of 5%! Dont like learning about what other people are thinking? Okay, how about what people are doing? Actions speak louder than words right? Well, SOC 101 (Introduction to Sociology) is a course that is suited for you. Here youre introduced to the basic principles of Sociology and taught to apply them to the Canadian Society. Multiple-choice tests that are non-cumulative make this an excellent choice for all the crammers out there. Similar to PSYCH 101, you should be careful to read the assigned chapters and dont forget to get the notes from Dana Porter Library. Moving away from the thoughts and actions of people, to what makes the world tick. Music! MUSIC 140 (Popular Music and Culture) is an in-depth look at the styles, forms and developments of music throughout the 20th Century. Aside from the essays that are a requirement in the course, a course thats based solely on the development of music in the 20th Century (thats the music that you listen to), cant possibly be that hard. Not enough to convince you to take this course? Okay heres the really icing on the cake, the exams, are listening exams! This means that you listen to a selected piece of music then write a discussion paper. If you cant talk about the style of the music that you love, I dont know what else to say. Seen some stuff you like? Well theres more to come, stick around, well be evaluating more classes in the next issue.

Friday, September 27, 2002

Frosh

Week Youll Ever Have at UW!

Following the Professional Reception was Mystery Night. This years mystery: the WEEF Money has been stolen. The SLC was converted from a large meeting area into several smaller, themed bars (British, Canadian etc). As some Frosh struggled to unravel the mystery by deciphering clues they received from James Bond impersonators, others amused themselves by visiting the various themed bars. pay homage to the best mascot in all of Engineering. By presenting their leaders as sacrifices to EDCOM, groups attempted to be the first to enter Fed Hall, thus being closest to the TOOL. Once meeting the TOOL, Frosh were broken into discipline and sent into the hands of their departments. They were then introduced to their department and what to expect during their time at UW. tools and materials, each group put forth impressive machines. The winner was declared based on number of pop cans collected and design considerations. were available. Everything from Trivia Lists (The Hard Thinker) to Stupid Human Tricks (The Weird Doer) was available. This mini-scavenger hunt, packed every-

If Only Engineering Were Alwyas This Fun

Waterloos Engineering teams were also out in force, as was the TOOL. Frosh could take some time away from their devices and learn more about design by speaking with the student project teams present. Formula SAE, Solar Car, WARG, and UWAFT were all more than willing to share their knowledge with the class of 2007. Day 4: Scunt - A shortened version of the 24-hour Scunt. From now on to be named Scavenger Hunts, activities for all types thing that goes into a 24-hour hunt into 7 hours! Tired Frosh fell by the wayside, and only the strong survived! A Special thanks goes out to my fellow Orientation Committee members: Emma Valkyrie Saask (Super Huge), Stephanie Chinadoll Ho, and Daren Jookie Toppin. You guys made the week great and enjoyable. To all the Frosh: We hope that you had a great week! Dan FLICK Foong

See, We Said You Would Make Close Friends During Frosh Week
Day 3: Meet the TOOL, Junkyard Wars, Aerial Photo, and Department Lunches Whats the coolest thing about Engineering at UW? The TOOL of course! Frosh arrived bright and early to Junkyard Wars, based on the popular TLC program, invited the Frosh to use their knowledge and skill to construct devices which would first collect pop cans, then toss them into containers. Using limited

FFAQ: Frosh Frequently Asked Questions

Dan Foong
PBD (POETS Bottle Drive) Every term we collect the bottles from the BEvERages that you consume. Return your empty bottles to the bar in POETS and dont forget to tell the score marker your year and discipline. All those who forget, will be punished. C&D (Coffee & Donuts) The staple of any hard working Engineering Student. Located right next to POETS, please stop in and grab a coffee ($0.60 for a Large), say hello to Mary and head off to class, or POETS for a brief pause. Orifice (Engineering Society Undergrad Office) Where you will most likely end up before midterms trying desperately to find that one midterm question that might show up on your midterm (phew!). The EngSoc Office is an office place first, and a social atmosphere second. Pop in, check your class mailbox, make some photocopies, get a report bound, make a large sign, make a small sign. On your way in remember to say hi to that lovely lady behind the desk, Betty. She wont bite. The Exec (Those people who sit at the Front of the class at EngSoc Meetings) Your liaison to the rest of the University. These people have been elected by the Engineering student body to represent the Engineering student body. Want to know more about each position? E-mail them, or simply ask them when you stop in the Orifice. EngSoc Meetings (Good times) Held every other Wednesday (except around midterm week), its a chance for you to voice your opinions or announce something your class is doing. Take part in the discussion, its a great way to get involved in deciding serious student issues, should they arise. Respect the rules of this open forum and candy and other various treats will be launched towards you. Disrespect the rules and large heavy objects will be hurled in your general direction. EngSoc Events (Stuff you can do!) These happen throughout the term. Remember to read the walls. Theres always some interesting stuff up there, and the whiteboard outside the Orifice should be updated weekly. Remember to sign-up for events (if you can participate), and have fun when the events are run. No one likes a poor sport or a wet blanket, so dont be one. Usually, events are free, and you get free stuff when you help out, but there are a few that may cost you (i.e. Scunt). Non-EngSoc Non-Events (Ummmother stuff you didnt do) These are happening throughout the term as well. Non-events should not be publicized. Please dont announce to your class that something is happening this weekend when the Prof walks in. He/She doesnt want to spoil your fun, but are legally required to report your illegal actions to the Deans Office. That means bad news for you. Make sure that you know what youre doing when you plan something or plan on attending an event not sanctioned by EngSoc, or attend an event not endorsed by EngSoc (read, signs that dont have the EngSoc stamp on them). Remember you didnt go out to have a good time. EngSoc Paraphernalia (Cool EngSoc stuff) Can be found on most Engineering Students. Stop any Engineering student and ask them if they have a patch/shirt/mug/anything that has an EngSoc crest on it. Chances are theyll have something; therefore, you should get something too! Common questions: 1. Who can attend an EngSoc Meeting and when are they held? Any Engineering Student can! Held every other Wednesday except around midterms. 2. Who can attend EngSoc Events? Any one can! 3. Are first years allowed in POETS? Of course you are! 4. What is an OT? A Term Pub, we have 3 (Beginning, Middle, and, End) Of Term Pub 5. Where is the TOOL kept? Couldnt tell you, even if I knew, well I could tell you, but then Id have to kill you 6. What are all those people chanting when the TOOL comes out? Chant along, its not that hard, we only have 2 cheers for the TOOL: TOOL, TOOL, Big F****** Wrench TOOOOOOOOOOL, TOOOOOOOOOL Learn em, and love em! Ive just introduced you to a few of the things that you should know by now. Hopefully you knew the above-mentioned things and this article is just filler. But for the rest of you hapless souls out there who didnt know, I hope that I have enlightened you. If you have more questions (youre allowed 3 dumb ones as Frosh), dont hesitate to stop someone and ask. Most people are more than willing to help.

3B Civil

t has come to my attention that Frosh dont seem to know anything. No offence to you first years out there, but youve been to about 2 3 weeks of classes and yet you still havent learned anything outside of classes yet. That first week of no tutorials/labs/extra stuff, should have given you ample time to discover some of the major secrets of the Engineering. Well if you have or havent figured them out yet, Im going to disclose some information to you that you should all know by now... or at least be somewhat aware of. POETS (Piss On Everything Tomorrows Saturday) Our Lounge. If you havent found POETS yet, youve definitely been spending too much time in class or with your nose buried in a textbook. As I have no idea where you are now, I can only assume that youre somewhere in Engineering reading this article, stop the next person you see and ask them Wheres POETS? They should be able to direct you. POETS is the Engineering Society Lounge. Its where many upper year students head to relax after classes are done, or where many people just relax between classes. Remember, on Thursdays and Fridays we serve BEvERages in POETS.

10

Friday, September 27, 2002

Activities

Environmental Student Groups

Laura Jones Offstream Environmental Civil

Mines Action Canada De-Mining Competition

consists of three steps:

Jennifer McArthur

Mechanical 02

1) Go to www.minesactioncanada.org/ competition and register your team online before November 30th. 2) Submit your preliminary proposal (a 2 or 3 page description of your idea, with sketches if youve gotten that far along) by November 30th.

elcome back to school everyone! I remember back in first I wanted to get involved and I did not really know what I had to do, and whom I was supposed to talk to and what not. Luckily, the EngSoc crew were easy to talk to and very visible, and I quickly became involved with the Engineering Society. Unfortunately, not all student groups are as easy to get involved with or visible to the average first year. I did not hear of a few of the student teams/groups until I was in second year. So, for all you environmentally inclined folk out there, this is for you! There are a number of environmentally related student groups on campus including UWSP (University of Waterloo Sustainability Project), STEP (Solar Technology Education Project), UWAFT (University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team the truck EDCOM drove around in all of frosh week), and the Midnight Sun (Solar Car). The Midnight Sun Solar Race Team is the largest student-run project at the University of Waterloo and placed 3rd overall (and top Canadian team) at the 2001 American Solar Challenge and 15th overall in the 2001 World Solar Challenge in Australia. Their mission statement is To build a competitive solar car which will promote design, innovation and teamwork amongst students at the University of Waterloo and will further serve to educate the public on the applicability of renewable resources for a greener tomorrow. There are many areas to get involved in, from technical to business to education, regardless of your experience level. To find out more or to join the team, visit the website www.midsun.uwaThere terloo.ca STEP is probably one of the newest student groups on campus. Its main objective is to raise enough money to put 22 (or 33) electricity producing solar panels on the side of Fed Hall. The panels will be used for education projects and devices, and will produce enough power to help run the University. Student involvement is presently focused on attaining funding, but in the near future will involve the design of

very year, between 15 000 and 25 000 people are killed and injured by landmines. You, however, can reduce these numbers by using some of your engineering skills and entering the Mines Action Canada (MAC) Technology Competition. The MAC Competition focuses on developing simple, low-cost, effective technologies to be used by de-miners. Areas of focus include the development of solarpowered battery chargers (for use in metal detectors in remote areas), protective equipment for de-miners (no footwear permitted), improved tools for clearing landmines, and products to help landmine victims lead a normal life. There are cash prizes of $5 000, $2 000 and $1 000 available for the winning people (or teams up to 5) and the competition

Heavy duty flak jackets in 40oC swelter my masters research is focused in this area, and partly because I spent three weeks in Bosnia-Herzegovina with deminers this summer, so I can provide technical information. Email me with information requests at jennm@ewb.ca. Also, keep your eyes out for posters advertising an upcoming presentation about the technical challenges posed by landmines (including competition info) put on by Engineers Without Borders - UW Chapter.

3) In January (when you are on co-op, in 4B or in 1B and should have more time) you will receive feedback for your idea from de-miners around the world. From January 29th-February 1st, you will be invited to attend the Engineers Without Borders conference (held here in Waterloo), which will include a workshop that allows the participants to sit down with people who have worked in the demining industry and ask them questions about your projects (- this is optional). 4) Submit a final report describing the project, how it works, any testing that has been done, etc., by May 1st, 2003. Winners will be announced in June. Reports from past winners are on the MAC website to give you ideas of types of projects that have done well in the competition. I also have a variety of resources, partly because

There are approximately 60 million landmines preventing development and injuring civilians in over 100 countries. De-mining is a slow, difficult process that could be improved with new technologies that you could develop.

Its sad to think this area is littered with deadly mines output. For more information, visit the website at www.step.uwaterloo.ca. The meetings take place on Wednesday from 12:00-1:00. E-mail jdeloyde@engmail. uwaterloo.ca for more information. The University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) is a student organization that researches, designs and implements vehicle modifications for the combustion of alternative fuels, such as ethanol and propane. Team members are primarily from the faculty of mechanical engineering, although members are wel-

are a number of environmentally related student groups on campus including UWSP, STEP, UWAFT and Solar Car

come from all engineering disciplines (as well as other faculties). Part of the role of UWAFT is to represent the University of Waterloo at various alternative fuels competitions around the world. Since its formation in 1996, UWAFT has led students in the ongoing quest to improve the environmental friendliness of motor vehicle emissions. Projects currently being worked on include Hybrid Powertrain Design, Emission Reduction, Engine Performance, and Computer Controller. For more information, visit the website at www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~uw_aft or e-mail uwaft@engmail.uwaterloo.ca. The UWSP are student volunteers with the FEDs Environment Commission running the UW Sustainability Project (UWSP) Office. The EC is organized and runs only on the efforts of students for the students. They are comprised of volunteers from

various programs, ranging from Environmental Studies, Engineering, Arts, and Science. The objectives of the UWSP are to increase environmental awareness on campus, build a network of people, contacts, and resources to support environmental pursuits on campus, and encourage active participation from the entire university community. There are many other student groups to get involved with on campus, so dont feel hesitant about becoming involved. Take a look around and join a team. It is a great way to get work experience, make new friends, and have fun! Editors Note: Much of the information in this article and a lot of futher information can be found on the websites of the sited student groups.

Janna Hickson

Whats Shaking With Gradcom?

was lots of free food at the stops on the crawl. Nachos were provided at the Bomber and McGuiness and an abundance of wings were served at Molly Blooms. If you didnt manage to make it out for the crawl, Id encourage you to come to the next one. The details will be announced soon. Did you not hear about the cub prawl? To hear about all the activities and meetings for the graduation committee, sign up on our email list by writing grads03-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Fundraising - The 2003 class has already had a good start on fundraising. Our offstream half raised a lot of money in the summer through Canada Day cookie sales, the Canada Day warmup party at Philthy McNastys, slave auction and, of course, pizza and t-shirt sales. All this money is going towards what could otherwise be a pretty expensive term in the winter with yearbook, graduation ball and the Iron Ring Stag. This term has started with a car wash and more t-shirt and pizza sales. Like the offstream group, we expect to have a slave auction and more pub crawls. There has been some talk about holding a Guelph road trip, a Halloween event and other things too. To all non-fourth years: keep an eye out for IRS security sign-ups. IRS security is a small group of non-fourth years selected to keep the forth years from hurting themselves at the Iron Ring Stag. All non-first years will likely know this as the day where the forth years dress up in tacky clothing and parade around the halls of engineering. This is your chance to see first hand what IRS is about.

4A Systems

ast Friday, the 2003 Graduating Committee held their wettest cub prawl yet. The exuberant group of engineering students were soaked in a downpour as they migrated between local establishments. Many of the more modest participants were glad that the organizers decided on dark t-shirts. The t-shirts did reap good rewards. There

Friday, September 27, 2002

11

WAY TO GO
VIA Rail salutes everyone who took part in the Drive the Future Tour.
We are pleased and proud that our sponsorship helped make possible this event in support of research on the use of solar energy in the transportation field.

UN BRAVO NERGIQUE !
VIA Rail Canada flicite les participants du Drive The Future Tour .
Nous sommes heureux et fiers davoir contribu la tenue de cet vnement titre de commanditaire et davoir appuy ainsi la recherche sur lutilisation de lnergie solaire dans le domaine du transport.

1 888 VIA Rail (1 888 842-7245) TTY/ATS 1 800 268-9503 (hearing impaired/malentendant)

12

Friday, September 27, 2002

Arts

The 27th Annual Toronto International Film Festival

Koteas, and Christopher Plummer. Pedro Almodvar. Gudiguian was born in 1953 in Marseille, France, where all of his feature films are set. He was raised in a Communist neighbourhood and became a militant at a young age. Despite his political background, his films are rarely overtly political. Gudiguian is known as a social realist with a strong humanitarian bent. Award for Best Canadian Short Film The jury was composed of three Canadian filmmakers: Elida Schogt, Sarah Polley, and Pierre Hbert. The award was presented to Ann Marie Flemings Blue Skies. Blue Skies is a personal response to the events of September 11, 2001. This film is brilliant for its subtle way of describing the complexity of human experience. Award For Best Canadian Feature Film David Cronenbergs Spider : This is a psychological thriller that visually translates the main characters interior mental state. The main character is a man (Fiennes) who has just been released from a mental institution. Trying to discover the truth about his past and the death of his mother, the man starts writing a journal about his life to piece it back together. Ralph Fiennes presents a brilliant acting that shows the characters struggle with his fragile sanity. FIPRESCI Prize FIPRESCI stands for the Fdration Internationale de la Presse Cinmatographique (the International Federation of Film Critics). This prize is annually presented to a feature film directed by an emerging filmmaker. At its eleventh year, the Fipresci Prize is awarded to Les Chemins de lOued directed by Gal Morel from France. Morels film is a bold political movie which portrays the extent to which war destroys humans identity and trust. Independant Award Film Channel Visions

Sophie Shahrokhi

2A Computer

he 27th Toronto International Film Festival had a truly international scope with 345 films from 50 countries. For those who are interested in the art of cinema and want to take a break from Hollywoods special effects, I have included a list of some of the award winning movies with a brief description. For those of you who are totally into blockbuster movies, you should give it a try and watch some of these movies. Im sure you will notice the presence of creativity and the wide variety of themes and outlooks. When we are exposed to new ideas and cultures, we can learn how to look at a subject from different angles. The international nature of the Film Festival also gives us a better understanding of the experiences people go through in different parts of the world which then makes us realize how mysterious we human beings are. Below are some of the interesting features at Torontos International Film Festival, followed by a few award winning films. The Opening

Ararat focuses on the 1915-1923 holocaust of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. This film is a story of the tragic events, fears, lies and facts besieging the lives of two Armenian families. Ararat is a powerful film that shows how the estranged Armenian families had to face Turkey and the worlds denial of the holocaust and their tragic past. National Cinema

National Cinema is an annual feature of the festival that introduces North America and the world to some of the most exciting works and artistic talents from around the globe. This years National Cinema Ralph Fiennes confronts his identity in Spider spotlights South Korea. South Korean cinema is now emerging as one of worlds strong cinemas with a wide variety of genres His latest film, Marie-Jo et ses 2 Amours from controversial drama to intense art (2002) is a touching story of a woman films. The 27th Toronto International Film caught between her husband and her lover. Festival featured four films from Korean Some of his other films are La Ville est Master, Im Kwon-Taek, and films by New Tranquille (2000), A lAttaque! (2000), A Wave directors, Park Kwang-Su, Hong La Place du Cur (1998), Marius et Sang-Soo, and Lee Myung-Se. Jeannette (1996), Dieu Vomit les Tides (1989). and his first film Dernier te Directors Spotlight (1980). Directors Spotlight presents a celebrated filmmaker whose work has not been fullly discovered by North American audiences and critics. This years Directors Spotlight was dedicated to the French filmmaker Robert Gudiguian . His most recent feature Marie-Jo et ses 2 Amours. Some previous Directors Spotlight filmmakers include Ulrich Seidl, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Nanni Moretti, Aki and Mika Kaurismki, Krzysztof Kie lowski, and Discovery Award The Magdalene Sisters, directed by Peter Mullan. The film is about four women who are wrongfully condemned to an asylum by their families and the Irish Catholic church. This movie portrays their nightmarish lives and suffers they have to endure.

The North American premiere of Ararat, the latest feature film from Canadian director Atom Egoyan, opened the 27th Toronto International Film Festival on September 5th. Atom Egoyan has previously directed the movies Exotica and Felicias Journey. Ararat stars David Alpay, Charles Aznavour, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver, Marie-Jose Croze, Bruce Greenwood, Arsine Khanjian, Elias

Russian Ark, Alexandr Sokurov: This film is technically dazzling as it moves through 33 rooms of Russias St. Petersburg Hermitage in a single camera shot lasting 96 minutes.

Iron Inquisition

the

Jonathan Fishbein, 2A Software

What have you done so far that would shame your parents?

Showed up to Grad (BC Prom) in a fuzzy leapord print cowboy hat. Bryan McLean - 1A Elec

Havent unwrapped our Calculus Books yet. Samir P. & Thaneshshan S. - 1A Comp

Cut my hair. Satinderjit Singh & Rahal Thakar - 1A Comp

Being a freak every day of my life. Monica Tsang - 2A Mech

Fell off a bridge into Laurel Creek. Perian Guo - 1A Software

Enrolled in Computer Engineering. Wehuns Tan - 3B Comp

Gave my friend a chocolate penis. Kristina Hotz - 3B Comp

Together? Jeff Smith & Ian Miller - 3B Civ

Friday, September 27, 2002

13

Feds

FEDs Councilor Report

Lawrence Lam
of programming languages to MSs C# in last meeting was a motion to lobby the ECE 150 and the mandatory ECE 050 City of Waterloo to eliminate a by-law course, also taught in C#. I found this deal which prevents rental houses from being distressing as it represents a violation of located 75 m from one another. What this the right of the school to independently does is force students to live further away determine its curriculum, something out- from campus since it restricts the amount side MSs area of compeof housing close to tency and authority. Also, campus. One resoluI would like your the public embarrassment tion in the motion is to thoughts about the proceeding from this deal not negotiate a isnt exactly something to $500,000 surplus from Universal Bus Pass be too proud of either. The until this by-law is the Health Insurance repealed, as it does not Open Forum has been very revealing as to the make sense to negotifees...technology details of the actual ate for a Bus Pass fund?Health events. Student Council which exists because Plan?Special Student students have to live passed a motion at the last meeting to make it a polifarther away. What are Projects? cy to uphold academic your thoughts on this? autonomy and integrity at this school and hold administrators to that. I would like your thoughts about the $500,000 surplus from the Health Another big motion that was passed at the Insurance fees... What would you like to see done with this money? Should it go into a technology fund? Or back into the Health Plan? Or into Special Student Projects? As you may know FEDS is responsible for overseeing campus clubs, services, and commissions. It is starting to appear that commissions are acting like services and services sometimes seem like clubs. The line dividing them is getting blurred. What are your thoughts on how they should be divided? Finally, FEDS is trying to raise awareness of the many ways you can get involved on campus. Check out the FEDS board for information on part-time Employment and Volunteer Opportunities. Dont hesitate to approach me with any questions, concerns or opinions any time. My email address is lawrence@feds.ca. I also invite you to visit our new beautifully designed website at http://www.feds.ca.

2B Computer

llow me to introduce myself. My name is Lawrence Lam. Along with Jay Liu, Geoff Rawle, and Piragash Vellumylum, I will be one of the FEDS Councillors representing the Engineering students this year. I am quite enthusiastic about my first time serving fellow students in this way. FEDS exists to address all concerns related to Student life. The term has barely begun, yet there is already campus controversy. Most of you probably know about Microsoft Canadas $2.3 M contribution to ECE which has raised eyebrows because of the switching

Bomber Patio Situation

Mike Kerrigan
that is what I set out to do. We decided Now as you try to figure out what hapexpanding the patio was the easiest and pened or pray I dont get into this (someleast expensive way to add the much-need- thing about a horse might apply here). All ed space. I contacted plant ops and as you I will say is I sent the application to the can see, the patio was built on time BUT, University in June, and it was up to them (and here is the reason I write) there was to dot the Is and cross the Ts and then more to it. You see we send the application in needed to apply for a to the AGCO (Alcohol permanent liquor license Gaming Im sure you know and extension so patrons Commission of there is more than 60 Ontario). The process could not only stand, but also drink in the new days between mid-June generally takes about 60 area. So what happened days, and Im sure you and the first you ask? know there is more than Wednesday of the Fall 60 days between midAs you have probably June and the first term. seen this term, the patio Wednesday of the Fall is HUGE! The volleyterm. And that is where ball court was saved and I will leave it. I am not there is ample room for everyone, and yet interested in going over what happened; you might have also noticed the new space who did what or why (you can find further is a strange sight to behold. It is unlike any stories in Imprint or on uwstudent.org). patio you may have ever seen, lacking The important W here is When? chairs, tables and of course most importantly, devoid of people. It would appear that the patio heaters bought in early August were a wise investment, as we are likely getting the license sometime in November, though Im sure only time will tell. I have been assured that this was a wise investment and not to worry about a term, these people are right of course. The patio will be there for another 30 years (the Bomber being almost 30 years old itself) and will be used by many patrons who will appreciate its immense area conducive to socializing and the like. That said, I still find myself kicking at the dirt in the schoolyard asking why cant I have it now? Grade school aside, I can assure you, the reader, the student and the ever important patron that your needs are being addressed by the Feds, whether they relate to business, service or otherwise. The problem that sometimes occurs has a great deal to do with a substance most engineers are fond of, only in this case this type is the color red.

Feds VP Internal
On the first and second Bomber Wednesdays of our very young term, you might have seen, been part of or had friends who complained to you about the massive line-ups at the Bomber. For most this is nothing new. Each year the middle of the week seems to send students to the Bomber in droves, for Shelter (or so Im told), from classes and the like. What might be surprising is the approach the Feds took this year in attempting to deal with the age-old problem of long line-ups and put simply, just not enough space. In late April, or early May, your Federation of Students had a grand plan. Make the Bomber bigger! Of course it was slightly more thought out than that, but in essence

Bomber Concert Series Rocks the SLC

Mike Kerrigan
show off the Bomber to people who otherwise wouldnt go. Thususka has tried to book a wide variety of acts to satisfy every taste. I dont expect to pack the place every Friday night, he explains, Not every band has a huge draw, but I guarantee that anyone that comes out for a concert is not going to leave disappointed by the music. One wildly successful act is Mudmen, who played this past Friday. Mudmens sound is made distinct by the two huge, former strongmen who play bagpipes along with the hard rock band. For those who are interested in checking out a show but dont know much about the local music scene, heres the lowdown on the upcoming bands: Thursday, September 26th I Mother Earth: Little explanation is needed about this band. They were interested in hitting a few small locations before starting their national tour, so the Bomber booked them for the lowest ticket price youll see anywhere for a venue this small. $14 Feds / $15 Others. Friday, September 27th Jomamma and Nero: This band is pure Jam all night. They will be playing a set for five-hours straight and audience members are invited to bring along instruments to jam with them. $4 Feds / $6 Others. is timed with the Rolling Stones tour and Homecoming Weekend. The Feds assume no responsibility for Cougar hunting injuries. $3 Feds / $5 Others. Friday, November 15th Pigeon Hole: This bands rock music has a lively and upbeat sound thats earned them a recent deal with a major record label. $5 Feds / $7 Others.

Feds VP Internal
If youve passed by the Bomber on a Friday night recently, you may have noticed that there is quite a bit more activity going on there then there was when you left for co-op in the winter. The Bomber manager, Marc Thususka, initiated the Bomber Concert Series on Friday nights at the beginning of the summer term to draw a crowd out on an otherwise slow night. Successful live music shows used to occur at the Bomber, and he felt the time was right to bring them back. The Bomber Concert Series also fits in with plans to diversify the Bomber programming for people who want more than a place to drink. Were pulling in a crowd that wouldnt normally go to Bomber on a Wednesday or Saturday, explains Thususka, Its a great opportunity to

Friday, October 4th K-OS: K...playing a set for OS is an Urban Friday, November 22nd Paul music artist five-hours straight and MacLeod: This solo guitarist is who has earned an extremely well known artist a reputation by audience members are who has done tons throughout pulling away invited to bring along the music industry. He is best from the described as a storyteller with instruments to jam bounce it, phenomenal voice singing to the with them. shake it, break audiences souls. $4 Feds / $6 it style thats Others. inundated the hip-hop scene. His crisp beats and Friday November 29th TBA: No band has thoughtful lyrics have quickly earned him been signed yet, but a couple of bands are a number a devoted fans. $6 Feds / $8 currently being looked ateither of which Others. will blow the socks off the audience on the last night of the term. Friday, November 1st The Midnight Ramblers: This Rolling Stones cover band

"There's an old saying in TennesseeI know it's in Texas, probably in Tennesseethat says, fool me once, shame onshame on you. Fool meyou can't get fooled again." George W Bush, Leader of the Free World, Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

14

Friday, September 27, 2002

Columns

DONT GET STUCK IN THE CO-OP RUT

Geoff Rawle 2B Systems Design
arrangements to take some time off for a previous commitment and the employer had agreed. My time included a family commitment and a week to volunteer as a camp counsellor at Camp Oochigeas, which is a summer camp for children with cancer. While I was disappointed with my job, I stuck with it. When I volunteered at the camp, I soon came to realize that any upcoming co-op opportunity would pale in comparison to that experience. As young coop students we all have dreams of going into a workplace, taking them by storm and impressing them with our superb comWhile meetings were a small portion of career, I want to use co-op to ensure I pick my work day at the office, I spent from the right career path. I see it not as a short 7:00 am to 1:30 pm daily either leading term investment in ensuring I earn a little kids through activities or promore in my twengramming (planning and ties, but a long term preparing upcoming events) ...the potential path one ensuring I am upon which I with my co-counsellors. satisfied with my Finally, I learned to mentor. I career decisions in thought my life am the youngest child in a fammy forties. I envy ily of three and thus have often would take has been the valuable job been the junior and the one to experience gained be profoundly look up to others; however, this by students outside changed... experience taught me how to be engineering who are a leader, a mentor and a guide volunteering at to a group of kids Trillium and other diversifying experiwho valued me and ences. I, too, want to gain those skills. whom I valued in return. In all seriousness, the potential path upon which I thought my life would take has While it was clearly been be profoundly changed by this expean Engineering rience. It may seem absurd to think that placement, I eventu- such a short time could have such a great ally left my co-op job impact, but I came to the realization that due to a lack of life is not about cubicles, circuit boards engaging work. I and, to a degree, not even money; rather, spent my unplanned about affecting the lives of other in as postime off volunteering itive a way as possible. If co-op is for the Trillium designed to awaken our minds to our own Childhood Cancer potential, then the potential that I thought I Support Centre. possessed has found new meaning in areas There I met students that I never thought were of interest to me. from other faculties To those in co-op, my advice is: do not from UW carrying necessarily pursue job placements in the out their co-op place- field in which you are studying because ments. In an instant I you will have your whole life to pursue would recommend that objective. We are young; we are inexthat placement to any perienced. Now is the time to take risks, engineer, in order to try to things and expand our horizons. learn what else is out there. Just as much I hope students select broad choices in the as I want to get a majority of their co-op placements, trust head start on my me, youll be the better for it.

ue to an abrupt job cancellation from an earlier hiring, I was successful in finding a position as a Business Consultant in the final round of the continuous phase last term. During this interview process, the employer explained to me the various aspects of this job opportunity. The employer in question went on to explain their series of new acquisitions whose computer programs needed to match those of their main business. They told me that they required a diagnosis of their new companies business needs as well as design an implementation of soluThis totally beats every cubicle, ever tions to meet these needs. I was excited to have what was ultimately petence and education; however, we all an IT architecture position out of the tech know this is often not the case. Contrarily sector, which was something of great inter- though, as a counsellor, I learned I love to est to me and it suited my career goals. work with young children and I saw the Since I had a term of coding and another of results my presence had on their lives. design, I was interested in learning a high- How many engineering jobs afford the opportunity to work with er level view. So, kids? Not many do, and like many engineer...I took the position before this summer, I would ing co-ops, I thought the position because of its relation not have even considered pursuing a career as a would enhance my to engineering, of teacher or a health care procareer prospects and fessional, but now these are which it had none... I gladly took the job. options to me. At I was soon to be dis...this rut was deep... appealing this point in my life I cannot appointed as I disimagine another experience covered that I had that would surpass the one that I had at fallen into the dreaded co-op rut. Camp Oochigeas, mainly because I was As sometimes happens with co-op jobs, able to make a difference to those campers upon starting, I soon realized that the job I and they had profoundly positive impact had accepted was not exactly the job that on me. had been advertised nor was it the same job that had been described to me during Due to some childrens need for continuthe interview. I was asked to draw dia- ous treatment, this camp had an on site medical facility grams of the complete with a paebusiness funcdiatric oncologist tions to be impleand three oncology mented. Input nurses. I learned into my various about the health care duties was field: what opportuaccepted, but nities there were for sometimes with nurses and doctors reticence. Sadly in Canada, some of though, my job the physics and biolbecame more ogy behind modern about data entry medical treatments, than IT architecthe equipment used ture, and I soon and the need for realized that I hospital administratook the position tors. I improved my interpersonal skills because of its relation to engineering, of and learned to feel really good about what which it had none, rather than a position I was doing. So often emphasis is placed that enhanced my broad life skills and eduon a salary or title but for me, it quickly cation. Indeed, this rut was deep. became about impacting the lives of kids When I had accepted the job, I made around me... and the impact upon myself.

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POINT VS. COUNTERPOINT

Is PACO Worth Having?

Dan Foong 3B Civil
The Provost Advisory Committee on Orientation (P.A.C.O.) is the governing body of Orientation (Frosh) Week. Five years ago they set out to make Frosh week more user-friendly and to make it appeal to more than the Gung-Ho Frosh. The steps that have been taken have been difficult and at times brought about serious controversy. Some Leaders understand the ideals of PACO do not yet agree with what PACO has set out to do. One must first understand that PACO is not evil. It is not hard to see that PACO is out there for the benefit of the majority. As a Federation Orientation Committee member this year, I had to conform to the ideals of PACO and plan a week based upon those principles. It was a daunting task, but was nonetheless something that I enjoyed doing immensely. The week would not simply be a heres-a-drink-now-run-in-circlestill-you-fall-down style. Without PACO, thats exactly what the week would consist of. Other Universities have not taken the same initiatives that UW has undertaken, and as a result the participation in their Frosh weeks is declining. As the double cohort comes in, a good handful of the first years will be underage, and drinking events wont make much sense. First, the events would be illegal, serving to minors is a criminal offence. Look it up if you dont believe me. Secondly, in the past years, since PACO was put into place the students that are now attending the University of Waterloo Engineering Program are of the opinion that they are here to study first, and have fun second. What does this all mean? Basically, it means that most of the students here are here to get a good education, which is what UW is renowned for. When I was a Frosh, I was the second year to pass through a PACO approved week, and I had one of the best weeks of my life, and I never did anything that was not approved by PACO. Although many of my leaders insisted that I was missing out on some of the things that were traditions, I still felt that I had had one of the best weeks of my life. What Leaders have to begin understanding is that as Frosh mentalities have changed. They dont consider what was once considered to be fun, as being fun. So what if I didnt get to run through a Mudpit, or engage in some other form of degradation in order to earn my hardhat. At least with the Principles of Engineering what I learned to earn my hardhat was more rewarding than running through mud. Most would say that the weeks are becoming tamer. Those people just dont realize what kind of fun that they are missing out on. Instead of seeing how many beers it takes before a Frosh falls down, we now see Frosh using their creative minds to construct wonderful mechanical devices. Getting trashed and running through mud, is something that can be done the week after Frosh Week is over, if Frosh are so inclined to participate in such an event. However, when do most people compete in an event like Junkyard Wars? Many would also say that Catherine Scott is trying to suck the fun out of Frosh Week. This is completely untrue and quite frankly an insult to her position as Orientation Chair. It is difficult to plan an entire week based on safety and fun. Yes at times the principles of PACO do seem like they take the fun out of the week, but it pushes the Orientation Week Committee to come up with more interesting and creative events. Catherine Scott is not out to make Frosh Week boring, she is there to ensure the safety of each and every First year student and their Leaders. In the past, prior to PACO, there have been many dangerous and sometimes life-threatening events being run. Take for example the time that a Frosh went missing for 8hours. Although the Frosh later turned up unharmed, their grief was enough for their parents to file a lawsuit against the University. An unsafe Frosh Week leads to lawsuits against the University and as a result an increase in your tuition (hey, they have to pay for these screw-ups somehow). Now that events are PACO-approved, there has yet to be a single incident where a Frosh is seriously injured as a direct result of an event being run. Basically this all means that a safe Frosh Week = a Happy Frosh Week, and a good beginning to a University Career.

Matthew Harper

2B Computer

learly, PACO does some exceptional work, promoting fun safe events that increase the involvement by the Frosh, in their week. However, PACOs draconian rules go way too far in legislating what is acceptable behaviour for the leaders to enact. Even worse, the leaders own freedom of speech is disenfranchised by PACO.

that if you got the joke, it probably meant you already understood what sex is. Nevermind that the article promoted safe sex and sexual diversity. Some Frosh might have blushed. Thats it, get the shredder running. What does it say about the mental capacity of PACO if they had a problem with that, but include condoms in the Frosh kits? PACO has also drafted many rules intended to make the Frosh feel safe and secure. These rules prohibit activities that could be potentially harmful to the Frosh. They also prohibit non-politically correct comments, all in the hope of making everyone feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. The question I have is this: what is this university like for the other 51 weeks of the year, when PACOs guiding hand does not cover our eyes and ears? This university is just as safe as any other public place in the world. How could this be?

PACO sets rules against their PACO-certified leaders making any comments to the Frosh that promote drinking. They are even forbidden from drinking, on their free time, in any establishment where are Frosh could see and recognize them. How can Oh yes thats right, PACO possibly justi...what is this university Canada has a fy this disregard for Criminal Code and a their leaders basic like for the other 51 weeks Charter of Rights rights and freedoms? of the year, when PACOs and Freedoms to Supposedly this is protect our rights all guiding hand does not intended to make the Frosh feel like drink- cover our eyes and ears? of the time. Even better, the Criminal ing is not a big part Code is constantly of university life, and being revised and augmented by the hard they dont need to drink to feel accepted. work of elected representatives in Excuse me? Can we please give the Parliament. Did any of us vote for the Frosh a little bit of respect? If a Frosh has not yet developed their identity and folks who developed PACO? Do we have independence to the point where they can any hope of voting them out of office? make their own decisions about drinking, So, PACO restricts the activities of ratiothey are in for a world of disaster and ill nal, free citizens. PACO determines what consequences. If they have not yet grown is considered acceptable and unacceptup when they arrive here, they will soon, able to talk about. PACO has rules that ensure safety that are totally redundant despite PACOs best efforts. with the Canadas Criminal Code. Why How many of us remember the entertain- do we so many people around campus ing insert included in the Frosh issue of blithely agree that PACO is good and Imprint, for Frosh Week 2001? It depict- right and true. ed fully clothed people in different sexual positions and situations. It was quite hilarious, really one of my favorite arti- Editors Note: Point vs. Counterpoint is cles from Imprint. To me it also seemed intended as a forum for objective and quite innocent, comicly describing cer- thought provoking debate on various tain sexual situations that the Frosh could issues. The views and opinions expressed potentially find themselves in. This here do not necessarily reflect those of spread was a very big problem for PACO, the author(s), the Iron Warrior, or the who had the insert removed from Imprint Engineering Society. copies in Village, as I recall. Nevermind

Ryan Bayne Computer 02

Mutant Dog Fun Comic Art

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