Waterloo - A recent $250,000 donation from several Toronto-based companies has brought the Wilfrid Laurier University school of business and economics a step closer to its target of raising $2.5 million for its brand communication program.

The goal of the program, supported by the Marketing Communication Education Trust, is to provide university-level training and foster marketing talent for companies in Canada.

In the United States, more than 200 universities grant degrees in advertising and integrated marketing communication but in Canada, the training has been almost exclusively at the community college level.

The trust was spearheaded by Rupert Brendon, the program's chair and trustee.

He kicked off the fundraising with $50,000 of his own money.

Unilever, Pepsi-Q.T.G. Canada, Molson, Cadbury Adams, Dare, Cossette Communications and Cara International are among the companies that have provided the financial support.
Copyright The Waterloo Record

BRANTFORD — A study by a journalism professor at Wilfrid Laurier University has found that Canadian national television news is virtually balanced in its positive and negative depictions of evangelical Christians, but the negative depictions are probably the ones being remembered.

The study, conducted by Dr. David Haskell, assistant professor of journalism at Laurier’s Brantford campus, is titled “Evangelical Christians in Canadian National Television News, 1994-2004: A Frame Analysis” and is published in the current issue of the Journal of Communication and Religion, available this week.

“The findings suggest that Canada’s national television journalists, in the main, strive to provide coverage that is objective,” said Haskell. “However, it seems journalists find it difficult to play the role of dispassionate, neutral observer when evangelicals’ words or deeds directly contradict their own beliefs about what is right.”

Polls of evangelical Christians in Canada show that this faith group believes the news media treats them unfairly. Haskell’s study sought to validate or negate the evangelicals’ claim of media bias by empirically examining reports of national television news.

All reports featuring evangelical Christians and airing between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 2004, on the nightly, national television news programs of Global, CBC, and CTV television networks were subjected to frame analysis (a form of content analysis). In total, 119 reports featuring evangelical Christians were broadcast over the 11-year period.

Major Findings:

1) The positive and neutral frames (portrayals) were almost equal to the number of negative frames (portrayals) used in the news reports and in that regard the coverage was balanced. However, the positive frames that were used tended to be dissimilar, depicting evangelicals in many different ways. On the other hand, the negative frames were more uniform, focusing on just a few key unflattering stereotypes. Evangelicals were depicted as intolerant in 25 per cent of all reports, as criminally-minded in just over 13 per cent of reports, and as un-Canadian in over eight per cent of reports.

Other research has shown when an audience sees the same message repeatedly that it penetrates their consciousness; specifically, a correlation exists between repetitive viewing of specific, similar content on television and the holding of specific perceptions or beliefs about the world. Thus, in terms of audience perceptions, it could be said that the concentrated negative frames influenced viewers’ attitudes more than the numerically significant, yet thematically disparate, collection of positive and balanced frames.

Coverage was most slanted against evangelicals in situations where their words or deeds conflicted with the heart-felt convictions of the journalists themselves. For example, other research has shown that national journalists are strong supporters of homosexual rights. In this study, reports that pitted homosexuals or gay rights activists against evangelicals evidenced the greatest signs of anti-evangelical bias.

2) Broken down by network, the news reports that aired on CBC TV depicted evangelicals most negatively (i.e., employed the most negative frames); theirs was the only news coverage to not achieve a rating of “balanced overall.”

3) Regarding the topic or focus of the reports, evangelicals were most often featured in stories related to politics. About 30 per cent of stories showed evangelical politicians or evangelical citizens involved in politics mostly at the federal level. After politics: 17 per cent of stories featured evangelicals in criminal or immoral activity; 14 per cent showed them involved in social action or protest; 14 per cent focused on involvement in religious observance or theological discussion; about 8.5 per cent focused on evangelicals involved in legal actions or issues; about 7 per cent showed evangelicals involved in educational issues; 2.5 per cent focused on evangelicals involved in church business or governance; likewise, 2.5 per cent of reports focused on evangelicals involved in charity or volunteer work.

Theoretical Background:

Who are evangelicals?

Evangelical Christians comprise 12 per cent of Canada’s population but they are not a coherent or unified religious group. While there are certain Protestant denominations known for their large evangelical populations— Adventist; Baptist; Christian and Missionary Alliance; Christian Reformed; Mennonite; Nazarenes; Pentecostal; Salvation Army—almost all of Canada’s Protestant denominations have evangelical members. It is what one believes, and not where one worships, that makes one an evangelical Christian.

Put most simply, evangelicals believe in the main historical doctrines of the Christian church; they practice a very traditional or conservative form of Christianity. In fact, the moniker “conservative Protestants” can be used interchangeably with the term evangelicals. The four defining traits of modern evangelicals are a high regard for scripture, a personal relationship with/commitment to God, a belief that through His death and resurrection Jesus forgives sins and grants eternal life, a desire to advanced God’s kingdom through charity and volunteer work and telling others about Jesus.

What is Framing/Frame Analysis?

When they create a news story journalists must use interpretive judgment; that is, they must select and emphasize some facts and leave others out. Communication theorists call a journalist’s process of information selection and emphasis “framing.” A news story’s frame (the end result of the process of framing) selects certain aspects of an issue or event and draws attention to them through inclusion and exclusion of information and language use.

To the best of their ability, we expect journalists to construct neutral frames. A neutral frame relays to the audience the ideas that the subjects—that is, the people the story is about—are putting forward as they intend those ideas to be understood; the ideas of the subjects are not interpreted or filtered by the reporter according to his/her personal worldview. A neutral frame will also place events in perspective by providing relevant background and will allow those who are criticized in the body of the report to respond fully to the accusations of their critics. Finally, in cases where opinion, and not fact, is relayed, a neutral frame clearly distinguished it as opinion. A non-neutral frame (be it negative or positive) would be influenced by the journalist’s own opinions and would show evidence (in the selection of information and language usage) of promoting one side/perspective over another.

Frame analysis seeks to determine how journalists frame a particular event, issue, individual or group assessing whether the frames used are neutral, positive, or negative.

WATERLOO - A former manager of strategic planning for Hydro One will lead efforts at the University of Waterloo to identify and develop cost-effective energy options for Ontario and beyond.

Jatin Nathwani has been awarded a $3-million provincial research chair to integrate new technologies that can enhance energy efficiencies and promote renewable resources within a reliable power system. Beginning Sept. 1, he will be the inaugural holder of the Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy and Sustainable Energy Management.

Nathwani's efforts will focus on achieving a healthy energy equation, one that offers the best balance between known sources and those yet to be discovered. The research will look at sourcing, storage and distribution alternatives. The goal is to encourage research that explores alternative energies or improves management of existing resources.

"The University of Waterloo is truly proud to play a part in addressing Ontario's energy needs," says UW president David Johnston. "Dr. Jatin Nathwani brings clarity of vision to advance and promote multi-disciplinary research that is compelling and will play a key role in preserving Ontario's energy options. He will help develop a broader public understanding of the complexity of policy choices in the energy sector."

Nathwani has managed a broad range of issues in the energy sector, including corporate strategy and policy developments, evolution of industry structure, regulatory affairs and environmental policy as well as technology integration and business practices. He was manager for strategic planning at Hydro One (formerly Ontario Hydro). He also co-authored several books on risk management and co-created the widely used economic indicator known as the Life Quality Index.

Nathwani's combined academic background and business experience will help bridge the gap between the academy and industry. He has been a long-time promoter of innovation through strategic research and development. He will provide leadership to the dozens of Waterloo researchers currently working on various aspects of energy and energy policy, primarily by establishing a centre for energy advancement.

"Our goal is to stimulate high-impact multi-disciplinary research on societal problems of energy use and development of policies and tools for environmental sustainability and economic growth," says Nathwani. "Alternative energies and better resource management -- those will be UW's contribution to a balanced energy equation."

The work will draw upon the expertise of colleagues in UW's faculties of engineering, environmental studies and science. It will explore the cost-effectiveness of renewable and clean energy technologies and develop a comprehensive understanding of the effects of using those technologies.

Nathwani will focus UW's renewable energy technology development activity toward targeted innovations that are consistent with a sustainable energy plan for Ontario.

A key goal of the work will be to train a new generation of highly qualified researchers and professionals with a broad understanding of the existing systems for production, distribution and use of electricity and other forms of energy.

"The benefits of having the best research minds here in Waterloo region are evident in the new jobs and economic growth that have sprung from home-grown innovation," says John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre, on behalf of Chris Bentley, minister of training, colleges and universities. "The Ontario Research Chairs program makes it possible for us to attract new faculty of Dr. Nathwani's calibre and international reputation to our area."

The position, one of eight new endowed research chairs, is part of a $25-million Ontario government program established to address key public policy issues that affect the social and economic health of the province.

"Ontario universities recognize the importance of these public policy issues and are committed to attracting international scholars to advance our institutions and the province," says Paul Genest, president of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU).

COU administers the Ontario Research Chairs program.

WATERLOO - Established through Laurier's School of Business and Economics, Canada's first university chair and BBA/MBA degrees in Brand Communication, is now one step closer to achieving its target funding of $2.5 million, thanks to donations made by leading Toronto area organizations. Brad Davis, associate professor of marketing at Laurier, and Ginny Dybenko, dean of the School of Business & Economics, accepted a cheque on behalf of the Marketing Communication Education Trust (MCET) for $250,000 from Rupert Brendon, the program's chair and trustee.

The goal of the Laurier Brand Communication program is to foster marketing talent by providing university level marketing communications training. MCET chose Laurier's School of Business & Economics as their partner of choice because Laurier has the largest business school in Ontario and because most of Canada's top marketing firms recruit on their campus.

"The reception we have received from the Canadian business community has been remarkable," said Laurier professor of marketing and the driving force behind MCET, Brad Davis. "Now when we approach organizations they look at the fact that companies like Unilever, Pepsi-QTG, Molson, Cadbury Adams, Dare, Cossete and Cara International and about 20 other leaders in their fields have provided financial support. It validates what we are trying to build and provides incentive to jump on board and not be left behind."

Rupert Brendon created the Marketing Communications Education Trust by initially donating $50,000 of his own money to kick start the funding process.

"Rupert Brendon has done a remarkable job spearheading the fund raising for this initiative," said Laurier dean of business and economics, Ginny Dybenko. "Aside from nearly $2 million in pledges he has generated for the trust, he has probably generated twice that amount in positive relations for the school."

The MCET was created after growing frustration from Canada's brand building organizations signaled that there exists a lack of appreciation of the importance of brand and brand communications in building sustainable competitiveness amongst new recruits The United States has more than 200 Universities which grant degrees in Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communication. To date marketing communications training in Canada has been taught exclusively at community colleges, despite the fact that big business recruiting traditionally takes place at the University level.

Waterloo - Laurier Master of Social Work student Allison La Vigne will travel to Burundi this fall to help citizens rebuild after devastating floods and a 13-year civil war.



But instead of constructing buildings, La Vigne will be helping residents rebuild their emotional well-being and their capacity for community development.

It all became possible through a $10,000 grant from the Students for Development Program. Designed to help Canadian students work with partners in the developing world to promote good governance, the program will allow La Vigne to complete three months of her Master of Social Work internship in the African country.

“This is a project where healing is the cornerstone to rebuilding a community at all levels of its governance,” says La Vigne.

While in Burundi, La Vigne will partner with the African Great Lakes Initiative (AGLI), an organization that supports and promotes peace activities such as conflict management, peace building, trauma healing and reconciliation.

La Vigne will help in two key areas.

First, AGLI will train La Vigne in Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC) workshops. Through the workshops, La Vigne will help to foster post-traumatic growth and spread information about post-traumatic stress disorder to some of the poorest rural regions in the country. According to La Vigne, women and children are “some of the most deeply affected” by trauma. She hopes the workshops will “benefit women’s self-determination and the future generations of Burundi.”

Following her HROC training, La Vigne also wants to contribute to AGLI initiatives by developing templates for new Asset-Based Community Development workshops. These workshops will help empower citizens, especially women, “who are experts of their lived experiences, yet whose voices are marginalized when it comes to governing their own communities.” La Vigne sees the workshops as a tool for local and regional development that would allow citizens to conduct community asset mapping, and mobilize people to actively participate in society.

La Vigne will engage local women in focus groups to “find out about existing strengths within the communities and to collaboratively design new paradigms of thinking about development that come from their worldview and experiences.”

She is also expecting to learn something about herself.

“Allison is prepared to work hard at acknowledging her own privileged position and plans to find ways to openly work her own identity into a mutually respective process of capacity building with local women in Burundi,” says Peter Donahue, director of Laurier International.

The internship requirements stipulate that La Vigne not only challenge her own identity, but that she synthesize the practical learning from Burundi with theory when she returns to the classroom.

The Students for Development Program is designed and managed by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, and financially supported by the Canadian International Development Agency. A total of 138 students are selected every year to participate in these internships.

WATERLOO - Students in a third-year systems design engineering course at the University of Waterloo will display product designs to improve the quality of life for as many people as possible, including elderly people with disabling conditions.

Next week, 12 student groups will present an exhibition on universal design. The exhibition runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Monday, July 23, in room 1301 of the William G. Davis Computer Research Centre on the UW campus.

"Universal design is the design of products or environments to be usable by people of all ages and abilities, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design," says John Zelek, professor of systems design engineering and exhibit organizer.

"Universal design respects human diversity and promotes inclusion of all people."

Zelek adds that universal design aims to "simplify life for everyone by making products and environments more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost."

All the student projects adopt the key guiding principle of universal design. "They apply the principle that if you design for the elderly disabled, you will design for all," Zelek says.

"The average person in North America will spend close to 12 years of his or her life as a person with disabilities and the cost is more than 6.5 per cent of the gross national product," he says.

The student groups in Zelek's course, Systems Design 361, were each required to select a unique disabling condition, identify a design-problem objective and solicit needs from an associated demographic -- all to lay the groundwork for developing innovative concepts that are prototyped for display at next week's exhibit.

Designs range from solutions to universal problems such as kitchen safety, electrical outlet convenience, pill bottle use, remote distress buttons, entertainment for the mobile challenged and sleep disorders.

As well, they tackle disability special issues such as mobility for Parkinson sufferers, hygiene reminders for people with Alzheimer's, grocery shopping for people who are visually impaired, safety for walker users to foot monitoring for sufferers of neuropathy.

The course and theme meet several engineering design learning objectives. It also exposes the students to rehabilitation design, which may lead to cost effective solutions, and motivates them. Finally, it demonstrates that engineering has a crucial role in society, improving the quality of life for all and providing a unique service to the community.

Prof. Chris Whitfield, chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada is the country’s oldest and most prestigious scholarly organization, and fellowship in the society is considered Canada’s senior academic accolade. Scholars selected for the honour are those the society believes have had a profound impact on sciences and humanities in Canada.

"I am delighted and honoured to be elected a Fellow," said Whitfield, who is currently in Australia, where he has been invited to speak at some conferences. "Although this award recognizes the individual, now more than ever, science is a team sport. I have been fortunate to have supervised some outstanding students and post-docs, and we have benefited from an excellent network of collaborators and colleagues here and overseas. Each of them has made an important contribution to the body of work that has led to this fellowship, and I am grateful to them all."

Whitfield’s research focuses on the nature and assembly of bacterial surfaces. He is interested in fundamental research problems concerning the functions of bacteria, as well as exploiting this knowledge to identify new targets for therapies against bacterial infections.

The Royal Society cited Whitfield for his authority on the assembly of glycoconjugates (complex carbohydrates) on surfaces of pathogenic bacteria. It said his work has provided broad insight into how these large molecules move through bacterial cell walls and their potential as targets for antimicrobial therapy.

"Chris Whitfield is a remarkable role model for us all," said College of Biological Science dean Michael Emes. "He has won major teaching awards, carries an immense role in service as chair of one of the largest departments on campus, and now has received the highest recognition possible for his outstanding record in research. He embodies everything that is best about academic life and is a tremendous ambassador for the University in all that he does. It is a privilege to have him as a colleague."

Whitfield joined the University in 1984 as a faculty member in the then Department of Microbiology. He has held a CIHR Senior Investigator Award and was awarded one of the University’s first Canada Research Chairs in 2001. He has also received the CMS/Roche Award from the Canadian Society of Microbiologists and last year was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

"Chris Whitfield is well-deserving of this prestigious honour," said Maureen Mancuso, provost and vice-president (academic). “He is a highly respected professor and researcher, and the entire University community is delighted he has been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada."

WATERLOO - Students in a third-year systems design engineering course at the University of Waterloo will display product designs to improve the quality of life for as many people as possible, including elderly people with disabling conditions.

Next week, 12 student groups will present an exhibition on universal design. The exhibition runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Monday, July 23, in room 1301 of the William G. Davis Computer Research Centre on the UW campus.

"Universal design is the design of products or environments to be usable by people of all ages and abilities, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design," says John Zelek, professor of systems design engineering and exhibit organizer.

"Universal design respects human diversity and promotes inclusion of all people."

Zelek adds that universal design aims to "simplify life for everyone by making products and environments more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost."

All the student projects adopt the key guiding principle of universal design. "They apply the principle that if you design for the elderly disabled, you will design for all," Zelek says.

"The average person in North America will spend close to 12 years of his or her life as a person with disabilities and the cost is more than 6.5 per cent of the gross national product," he says.

The student groups in Zelek's course, Systems Design 361, were each required to select a unique disabling condition, identify a design-problem objective and solicit needs from an associated demographic -- all to lay the groundwork for developing innovative concepts that are prototyped for display at next week's exhibit.

Designs range from solutions to universal problems such as kitchen safety, electrical outlet convenience, pill bottle use, remote distress buttons, entertainment for the mobile challenged and sleep disorders.

As well, they tackle disability special issues such as mobility for Parkinson sufferers, hygiene reminders for people with Alzheimer's, grocery shopping for people who are visually impaired, safety for walker users to foot monitoring for sufferers of neuropathy.

The course and theme meet several engineering design learning objectives. It also exposes the students to rehabilitation design, which may lead to cost effective solutions, and motivates them. Finally, it demonstrates that engineering has a crucial role in society, improving the quality of life for all and providing a unique service to the community.

Waterloo - On June 21, 2007, Laurier’s Board of Governor’s officially approved the 2007-2008 Accessibility Plan. This annual plan and the public notification are required by all publicly funded institutions in Ontario under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2001). Faculty, staff, students and the greater Waterloo community are welcome to review the plan detailing the initiatives and improvements that will be undertaken between September 2007 and August 2008.

View the PDF version of the 2007-2008 Accessibility Plan.

WATERLOO - Students attending the University of Waterloo for the first time this fall and their parents will gather on campus Saturday to explore their brave new world, far away from home.

They will participate in Student Life 101, an all-day orientation program designed by students for students. Now in its 11th year, it helps families begin the transition to university life before the fast-paced weeks of classes starting in the fall.

Cora Dupuis, UW's student life co-ordinator for first-year experience, said the event will give incoming students "a sneak peak at university life" before their arrival on campus. She organizes the event, with the help of more than 200 student volunteers, including five Student Life 101 directors.

The summer-time orientation event was created "to relieve student and parent anxiety and reassure them that UW is a warm and friendly place," she says. "We want to let them know that there are a lot of people and services here to help them and to make their years here fun."

A key presentation -- Student Life at UW! -- provides students with information about the diverse services and resources available to help them throughout their university career. The morning event will be held from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m. in the physical activities complex.

Students will also have an opportunity to discover the services available on campus and talk to the people running them.

Participating departments include: athletics and recreational services, co-operative education and career services, counselling services, distance and continuing education, student life office, food services, housing and residences, information systems and technology, library services, office for persons with disabilities, Walksafe, retail services (bookstore, computer store and UW shop), finance and student awards (loans and scholarships).

Afterward, students and their parents can visit the student life centre -- known as the living room of the university -- and learn about the federation of students, academic rights advisers and off-campus dons, as well as clubs and student associations.

Among other presentations at various locations on campus are:

* Campus leaders -- to introduce student campus leaders and gain a student perspective of life at Waterloo.

* Co-operative education -- to inform students about the co-op system.

* Career services -- to outline the resources and services available for students to become career activists and plan for the future.

* Getting off on the right foot -- to give advice on how to combine academics and extracurricular activities.

* Making the transition -- to discuss how to ease the move from home to campus life.

* Show me the money -- to learn how to receive government loans and assistance this September.

* So, you're living off campus -- to find out how to search for accommodation in the local community, plus tips on being an off-campus student.

In addition, each faculty will host a presentation for incoming students on academic support available to them during first year.

During the day, students can also visit UW's federated and affiliated institutions: St. Jerome's University, Conrad Grebel University College, St. Paul's United College and Renison College.

Student Life 101 will offer podcasts on its website of many of the large cross-faculty sessions for those students and parents unable to come to campus, along with information materials used at the sessions throughout the day.

WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo is once again among the top three universities to receive scholarships from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

NSERC is awarding more than $4.5 million to UW student researchers in departments across the university. The research covers topics ranging from how children develop an understanding of ownership to the next generation of wireless technology.

The 2007-2008 results place UW in third for the most awards received for the second consecutive year. UW earned 131 postgraduate and Canada graduate awards, up from 125 last year. The number of postdoctoral fellowships climbed to 11 from six.

UW was also honoured with two out of 24 Julie Payette-NSERC Research Scholarships.

"We continue to be proud of our results in NSERC's awards programs," said Ranjana Bird, UW's dean of graduate studies. "These various awards are a testimonial of the strengths of our students as well as the professors who prepare them to compete and be successful."

Karen Neary, who is now finishing her master's degree in psychology at UW and will start her PhD in September, said her NSERC scholarship will allow her to spend more time on her research. She is receiving an NSERC postgraduate scholarship worth $63,000 for three years.

Interested in theory of mind and executive functioning in children, Neary is investigating what cues children use to infer ownership.

"Without an ability to understand ownership, children have difficulty in many social interactions," she explains. "Many times, this creates a high number of disputes."

NSERC funding to UW students include Canada graduate scholarships and postgraduate scholarships, ranging in value from $17,300 for one year and to $105,000 over three years. The postdoctoral fellowships are worth as much as $80,000 over two years.

With the goal to promote discovery and innovation, NSERC invests each year in basic research, university-industry linked projects and the training of future scientists and engineers across Canada.

The funding is a crucial component of UW plans to triple graduate studies. Its new strategic plan, entitled Pursuing Global Excellence: Seizing Opportunities for Canada, has graduate enrolment growing from 2,500 candidates to 8,000 by 2017.

UW provides a president's graduate scholarship valued at up to $10,000 per year to recipients of NSERC, as well as to recipients of other competitively awarded national and Ontario graduate scholarships. It also honours award recipients at a reception held each January.

Guelph - The United Kingdom's University and College Union (UCU) congress has passed a motion requiring the union to debate whether to support a Palestinian call for an international boycott of Israeli academic institutions as a way of contributing to the struggle to end Israel’s occupation.

A boycott would entail refraining from participating in any form of academic and cultural cooperation, collaboration or joint projects and suspending all forms of funding and subsidies to these institutions.

In response to this motion, President Alastair Summerlee has issued the following statement.

Statement From U of G President Alastair Summerlee

Civil discourse irrespective of political, religious, moral or ethical views is an absolutely fundamental tenet of universities and university education. It is unacceptable when any group of scholars seeks to suppress the opinions of another. Such action would be an attack on the very principles of universities and must be condemned.

The threatened boycott of Israeli universities by Britain’s University and College Union is an inappropriate and unacceptable challenge to the fundamental value of academic freedom. There can be no justification for this proposed demonstration of intolerance.

It is vital that universities should be the moral and social conscience of society. The only way this can be achieved is by maintaining a commitment to open, effective dialogue and respectful debate and civil discourse. In a world that is increasingly expressing intolerance in so many ways, it is disgraceful that any institution or collection of institutions would wish to betray the nature of universities worldwide. The proposed action strikes at the core of our deliberate and precious democratic purpose.

WATERLOO - A University of Waterloo student has produced a study that challenges the myth that the risk of developing disordered eating habits is higher among models than non-models.

Jennifer McWhirter, a health studies student and a model with a Toronto agency, produced the Model and Undergraduate Self-Esteem (MUSE) study for an honours thesis supervised by professor Kelly Anthony.

While some models might have eating disorders, the MUSE study concludes that they represent a small minority within the population. Most models surveyed reported considerable happiness and satisfaction with themselves, their appearance and the industry.

"Models are often perceived as malnourished and abusive toward their bodies," says McWhirter. "According to my results, however, those in the modelling industry are not any more likely to develop eating disorders than those who are not."

McWhirter conducted an online survey that contained questions based on body image, self-esteem, eating habits and exercise behaviours. The 339 participants consisted of female models and non-models in their early- to mid-twenties. Models were recruited from Toronto and Montreal agencies, and more than half had international modelling experience. Non-models were made up of a sample of UW undergraduate students.

The deaths of models Luisel Ramos and Ana Carolina Reston in 2006 sparked global controversy and initiated an ongoing skinny-model debate. Since both died as a result of eating disorders, many people jumped to the conclusion that the pressures of modelling had sparked their behaviour.

Officials in Madrid, Spain have since issued minimum age and body mass index (BMI, which measures the ratio height-to-weight ratio) requirements to models. Other countries, such as Italy and France, followed suit to varying degrees.

Despite constant media coverage and debate regarding the physical appearance of models, however, few people have heard from the models. In fact, no academic research has sought to ask Canadian models how they feel about their bodies.

Low self-esteem is often a key contributor to disordered eating habits but, according to the MUSE study, models have higher self-esteem than non-models. As they are more likely to be satisfied with their appearance, models were significantly more comfortable referring to themselves as beautiful.

Furthermore, an overwhelming 93 per cent of models reported that modelling was a positive contributor to their overall lives rather than a stressful factor leading to unhealthy behaviours.

So why are models so thin?

Although the BMI of the MUSE study models classified them as underweight, with an average score of 17.4, their eating and exercising habits did not differ from those of the non-models who averaged a normal BMI of 22.7. In fact, more than 80 per cent of both groups scored well within the normal, healthy range for eating behaviours.

With 74 per cent claiming they did not have to lose any weight to begin their career in modelling, McWhirter's results suggest models are thin naturally and likely don't attain their physiques through extreme and unhealthy habits.

"This is an impressive bit of scholarship, well above what's expected from an undergraduate student and much more in-line with what we see at the graduate level," says Anthony, a member of the faculty of applied health sciences. "This is the first significant study done in Canada on this important issue."

The MUSE study findings, that models have higher self-esteem but not higher rates of disordered eating behaviour, suggest that minimum BMI requirement set out by some model bans may not accurately measure a model's health. "Possessing a certain body type cannot and should not be equated with having an eating disorder," says McWhirter.

Guelph - Providing access to training, setting professional standards and increasing wages for early childhood education workers are essential to improving Ontario’s early learning and child care system, according to an advisory panel chaired by U of G Prof. Donna Lero.

The province announced $142.5 million in additional child care funding on Thursday partly in response to recommendations from two expert panels on the province’s current and future plans for a co-ordinated approach to child care as part of Ontario’s Best Start plan.

Lero, who is a lead researcher at the Centre for Families Work and Well-being and a professor in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, chaired the 20-member expert panel on quality and human resources.

The panel’s report recommends increasing educational qualifications for early childhood educators, directors and supervisors; developing a recruitment and retention strategy that includes significant wage increases; and establishing policy changes and community-based supports to help centres and regulated home child care providers improve high quality and inclusive services.

As part of the additional funding announced last week, the province will be allocating $24.8 million to provide a wage increase of approximately three per cent to 33,500 child care practitioners across Ontario.

The province has also committed $12 million towards creating the first-ever College for Early Childhood Educators in Canada. The college will set professional standards to help ensure that children who are attending early learning and care programs are being cared for by qualified professionals, said Lero.

“A regulatory college is a provincial mechanism that will help ensure that people entrusted to care for young children are early child care educators who are responsible for meeting professional qualifications and standards,” she said. “Having a regulatory college is an important step towards recognizing early childhood educators as having the specific expertise, knowledge and skills required for an increasingly complex and demanding career.”

Lero said she is also pleased the province will be providing early child care educators at all levels of the profession the opportunity to upgrade their education and training.

“We still have a long way to go in Ontario and in Canada to ensure that all children have the opportunity to benefit from high quality and inclusive early childhood programs,” she said. “While increasing families’ access to affordable child care, we must also ensure that these programs are stimulating children’s learning and development and are providing excellent career opportunities for individuals committed to helping young children develop to their full potential.”

Guelph - High-profile corporate scandals have led to a majority of Canadian companies establishing ethical codes of conduct in an effort to restore investor confidence and business trust. But recent research by U of G professor Scott Colwell of the Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies has found these codes may have done little to improve corporate behaviour, especially when it comes to business relationships between buyer and supplier.

“There are ethical codes in place, but in many cases they don’t seem to be working,” he said. “My current thinking is that it might not be enough to have industry policing itself.”

Colwell, along with Michael Zyphur of the National University of Singapore, focused their research on the effectiveness of the codes of conduct established by supplier companies. To do this, they surveyed purchasing managers at 158 large Canadian corporations about the company’s relationship with its suppliers.

Forty-two per cent of the managers surveyed rated their suppliers as poor to moderate in terms of trustworthiness, said Colwell. And 34 per cent rated their suppliers as exhibiting moderate to high levels of opportunistic behaviours.

According to the Conference Board of Canada, more than 85 per cent of Canadian companies have ethical codes of conduct. But Colwell said he believes many suppliers may be establishing codes as a way of enticing business, rather than because they are legitimately concerned with acting ethically.

Although expensive to put in place, these codes are effective at attracting buyers because they signal that the supplier is a committed and trustworthy company, he said.

“Ethical codes of conduct may have become merely advertising tools. Building this trust is important to the supplier because the more a buyer trusts its supplier, the more likely the buyer is to increase its business commitment.”

The problem is that as the buyer’s commitment grows, so do the costs of switching to another supplier, said Colwell. So once a business relationship has been established, unethical conduct on the part of the supplier is often tolerated.

“The switching costs may force business relationships to continue regardless of the level of trust, which is one potential reason why we seem to still have ethical problems despite ethical codes of conduct being in place. In general, ethical codes seem to matter only at the beginning stages of the relationship when switching costs are low.”

In the end, unethical companies may not be penalized, and companies that fall victim to unethical treatment often feel they have little choice but to tolerate it, he said.

Colwell believes there needs to be more in place than simply relying on the corporate industry to solve the problem, but he suggests that additional research needs to be done to determine the appropriate mechanisms.

One option is for policy-makers to devise a credible system for conducting ethical audits of companies, he said. But companies themselves also need to invest in training employees and managers to live up to ethical codes.

“Just establishing ethical codes is not going to solve the problem.”

WATERLOO - Outstanding students with broad interests stand to benefit from a new University of Waterloo program where they will practise integrating knowledge from the humanities with the sciences.

They will learn to identify, explore and solve new problems showing up at the boundaries and intersections of traditional subjects.

The bachelor of knowledge integration program, to be offered beginning in September 2008, will graduate students comfortable with numeracy, hands-on experience of investigative science and a meaningful literacy in the humanities. The unusual degree designation is still awaiting provincial approval, but the program itself is already attracting attention.

"The goal of knowledge integration (KI) is to equip students of high potential and broad interests for thoughtful citizenship, ethical leadership and innovative scholarship," says Deep Saini, dean of the faculty of environmental studies, where the program will be based.

With a foundation spanning the humanities and sciences, KI is ideal for students who want to bridge disciplinary boundaries, join or lead interdisciplinary teams and integrate concerns for the economic, social and environmental context and consequences of their work.

KI will accommodate 80 to 90 students a year. They will all take courses in English, public speaking, critical thinking, ethics, computer science, mathematics and investigative sciences. In their upper years, each student will identify a specialty -- a discipline or topic at the intersection of two or more disciplines -- and pursue individual research projects.

KI builds on that foundation with design projects. "We know from UW's engineering programs, from fine arts, from architecture," says director Ed Jernigan, "that design demands strong fundamental knowledge, group skills, communication and imagination. Design is a powerful context in which to practise integrating disciplines."

For example, in the museum course, KI students will take a field trip to a major 'museum city' to study how and why exhibits are designed. Then they'll come back into the classroom, the workshop, the studio, and the lab to research, design and build museum exhibits of their own.

"Imagine exploring how to facilitate 'hands-on learning' by going behind-the-scenes at the Smithsonian in Washington," says Jernigan. "Or scouting for ideas on reaching multi-lingual visitors at the Uffizi in Florence, or researching conservation at the British Museum in London."

KI developed from the Waterloo Unlimited enrichment program for promising high school students (www.unlimited.uwaterloo.ca), also based in the faculty of environmental studies. Waterloo Unlimited offers students of high potential the learning skills to enhance their own educations, no matter which subjects interest them most.

It will be managed by a new administrative unit in the faculty of environmental studies, the Centre for Knowledge Integration.

Guelph - A renowned Michigan State University professor will be joining the faculty of the University of Guelph as the Premier’s Research Chair in Biomaterials and Transportation.

Prof. Amar Mohanty, an international leader in the field of biomaterials, was selected following an international search. He will assume his new position during Fall 2007.

U of G was awarded the $3-million Premier’s Research Chair as part of the Ontario Research Chairs program, which was established to create a culture of innovation and to strengthen Ontario’s economic advantage.

“We are absolutely delighted that Dr. Mohanty is joining the faculty of the University of Guelph,” said president Alastair Summerlee. “We are grateful to the province for endowing this chair, which will create a culture of innovation in this field both at Guelph and in the province, and strengthen Ontario’s economic advantage.”

Biomaterials is a fast-growing research area that focuses on revolutionizing the use of agricultural products to develop novel products for industrial uses, ranging from car parts and building materials to fuel.

Mohanty’s research focuses on developing biobased materials and biofuels, which he calls “the wave of the future,” to provide sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based resources. “This is an appropriate time for a ‘biobased economy’ to be explored in the context of depleting petroleum resources, global warming, green house gas emission, growing environmental threats and national security.

“Biobased materials, biobased chemicals and bioenergy are the major requirements to establish a bioeconomy," he said. Mohanty’s ultimate goal is to facilitate a transition to a biobased economy by providing a foundation of economic and environmental sustainability for the materials industries, especially the automotive sector.

Alan Wildeman, Guelph’s vice-president (research), said U of G is renowned in the agricultural and li