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IRON WARRIOR February 1986
ED ORS' PAGE
Tradition: An Excuse For Complacency?
Tradition is culturally important. It can
provide us with a sense of history or a
reminder of events which brought us to
our present situation. These past
remembrances give us some insight into
the way we live and the way we behave.
Tradition can, however, sometimes be
used as an excuse for stagnation.
Over the last year, several controversial
issues have arisen on campus only to
receive stale responses from the students.
These issues relate to women and seem to
predominantly involve the Engineering
faculty.
This first issue revolves around the
banning of Enginews from campus. In
the Iron Warrior, an informal survey was
f h ~
Fair Ball, or Foul?
Well, it's that time of year again - a
time when scruffy faces are shaven, new
dresses are bought or made, and dozens of
engineers bone up on the basics of
etiquette. And all of this having nothing
to do with job interviews! Yes, it's time
for another Engineering Grad Ball, to be
held at the Transylvania Club this year.
, e always found it interesting to watch
people at formal occasions. Their
behavior always seems to fall into one of
3 groups: there are those who overdo it
(those who seem to be doing their best
Queen Victoria impression), those who
appear natural (you can't tell his rented tux
is chafing the epidermis from his neck),
and those who sadly "underdo" it (the guy
with the undone pre-tied tie, drinking
directly from your wine bottle).
These occasions call for a set of
behavior rarely used in everyday life, and
ignorance of etiquette can lead to an
uncomfortable evening.
Today, men face a dilemma: IS It
proper to hold a door for one's female
companion, or is this an act of sexism?
Is one implying that one's date is not
capable of pulling out her own chair?
Hopefully, most people think as I do and
regard these actions as protocol. Tradition
can be innocenl I would not cherish an
evening with an individual who would
consider such acts as "chauvanistic," nor
would I appreciate someone who
considered them useless. 1 like manners.
I enjoy polite people. With this in mind,
I humbly submit these pointers to make
this year's Grad Fonnal an enjoyable and
memorable one for you and your date.
Let's start with dress. You've rented a
tuxedo now wear it properly. Most
rentals are adjustable in almost every
direction, but the hems of the panrs and
the sleeves have to be done by the pros.
Make sure they measure you (some will
try to do it by eye). Don't let them yank
your pants up to your chest when you try
them on, and tell you you're 9upposed to
wear them that way. Your voice may
never come back down again.
If you have a cumberbund with all the
pleats in the same direction, wear it so
conducted, soliciting opinions as to why
Enginews should or should not have been
discontinued. Several students in support
of Enginews maintained "tradition" as
their supporting argument and left it at
that. Why does the fact that something is
traditional make it good? Engineering has
always been viewed as a non traditional
field for women in North America ; does
that mean they should not be here?
More recently, the graduating class of
1986 voted, by a wide margin, to
maintain the tradition of having female
strippers entertain at the inappropriately
named Iron Ring Stag. This is hardly a
progressive step toward equality in a
faculty that has enough problems
recruiting women. Additionally, why
hasn't the name of the Iron Ring Stag
been changed? Obviously, the term "stag"
that the pleats open at the top. (To
remember, just imagine that this thing is
supposed to catch all your crumbs.) The
rest is up to you. Don't be afraid to ask
questions.
Don't wait until the last minute to order
a corsage, and don't pick it up a week
before the fonnal! Order it a few days in
advance, and pick it up the afternoon of
the formal. When you pick up your date,
you'll have to use your own discretion
about pinning it onto her dress yourself.
(Spaghetti straps can be tricky!)
Now come the manners. If you ask
me, you should always open a car door for
your date, unless you have a chauffeur to
do it. In any case, let her get in first.
When you arrive, open the door for her
and offer your hand to help her out. (We
all know she can do it on her own, but if
she does, you might be doing it on your
own next time. If your date surprises you
by protesting, quoting feminist slogans,
act offended. She is being very rude.)
Some other things to remember are to
pull out your date's cnair for her (but
IRON WARRIOR STAFF
Editors:
Artwork:
Steve Pitkanen
Rob Baldassare
Elias Moubayed (Dilector)
Grant Williamson
Tom Lee
Paul McKone
Brian Hamilton
Production:
Tom Lee (Director)
Tracey Renaud
Micholle Wahl
Shafeen Charania
Anna Wright
Rick Wesselman
Brian Hamihon
Greg Rae
Jamie Britton
Steve Dulhanty
Tim Kitigawa
Andre Roy
Dr. Barry Wills
WrIters:
Steve Prtkanen
Rob Baldassare
Elias Moubayed
Brian Hamilton
J. P. Hayashida
Tom Fuhon
Bill Jackes
Ste'/e Roach
Chris Tague
Josephine Sovran
Deb Moor
John Bechtel
Paul Lum
Timon LeDain
misrepresents the intention that both
males and females are equally invited.
But, more harmfully, the "stag" has
nothing to do with the Iron Ring
Ceremony at which the student is
presented with his/her ring. The
association between the two names and
the nature of the "stag" party only serve to
discredit the ceremony and detract from the
significance of wearing the ring.
Traditions such as these must be
questioned by individuals. Some traditions
will be challenged and remain intact,
while others will be altered or
discontinued. Unquestioned, however,
traditions lose their meaning and power
for insight. They should never be used as
a lazy-minded excuse for complacency.
make sure it's under her when she sits
down). Generally, a gentleman rises when
a lady either leaves the table or arrives.
This shouldn't happen too often, since
ladies usually "powder their noses" in
teams, and therefore all come and go at
once.
The most important rule, however, is
for you and your friends (your date can
actually be included in the friends
category) to have a lot of fun. So do il
Politely.
Niraj Bhargava
Frances Chow
Steve Smythe
Todd Crick
Peter H. Roe
'S'
Steve Galanakis
Andy Dempster
Ike
Michael J. Kinlin
Karen Speers
Bruce Matthews
Anne McGregor
Greg Rae
February 1986
ENGINEERING
BALL
On March 15, the year's most
spectacular event will take place. Yes,
ladies and gentlemen, I refer to none other
than the 1986 Engineering Ball. This
promises to be the most memorable of all
evenings for those romantic types out
there. The theme of this year's ball is
Casino Royale. You will dance to the
fabulous sounds of Nite Life. The tickets
are currently available in the Orifice for
the low, low price of sixty dollars per
couple (includes dinner and the
entertainment). There are also substanual
discounts on tuxedos and flowers for this
special black tie affair.
So grab yourself a date and dance the
night away. Hope to see you there!
IRON WARRIOR
From the Prez
ENGSOC
ELECTIONS
As you know, this term is a veritable
beehive of activity, culminating with the
Engsoc elections. The four positions that
will be open are : treasurer, secretary,
vice-president and president With all the
promise those positions hold, we are
expecting fine young ladies and gentlemen
in the Engineering faculty to come forth
to run for these positions.
The position of treasurer is currently
occupied by a fiscal-minded gentleman
with aspirations of becoming VP of
Finance of a major corporation in the very
near tu ture. The position is challenging
and offers the opportunity to work with
large amounts of cash and to become an
integral part of the Engsoc executive.
The po. ition of secretary i an ideal
wa) to participate in a wide variety of
engineering aCUvlttes. The principle
dutie, are to take the minutes of all
council meetings and to a sist in the
general running of the societ_ .
The Vice-pre-ident also plays a crucial
role in the ociery, assisting the president
in many of his/her duties and conducting
many special projects of his/her own.
aturally, the position of President is
the most glamorous and probably the
most work, but, the rewards are certainly
there for the individual who a sumes this
role. The job consists of overseeing all
the activities of the society, handling the
appeals and representing the society at
social and campus functions.
All of the executive positions offer
challenge and are ideal ways to meet
3
people and gain valuable managerial
skills. The incumbents have enjoyed their
terms in the Engineering society and hope
to see lots of participation in the
upcoming ejection.
From the Treasurer's Desk
L;Q Qf
2ff Q[f -W

The Iron 'Warrior is a forum for ideas
presented by the Engineering Societies of
the University of Waterloo. Views
expressed in the Iron Warrior other than
editorials, are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of the
editors or the Engineering Societies.
The Iron Warrior welcomes all
submissions from students, faculty, and
other members of the university
community. Articles, letters, and artwork
should reflect the concerns and intellectual
level of the University in general.
You have probably noticed a change in
yOUf pockets and purses this past week.
No longer can you walk away from the
C&D assured of only silver coins as your
change. Yes, the penny has once again
resurrected itself as a major monetary force
in the Engineering faculty.
Why the change? Well the Ontario
government has, in my view, recently
passed one of the most confusing and
irritating laws regarding the retail sale of
food products under $1.00 . This new law,
which actu ally took effect in early
January, does not take the vendors' point
of view into mind and seems to hassle the
public more than it benefits.
Briefly, the new system removes retail
sales tax on prepared food products that are
less than or equal to $1.00 . However, if
the total purchase of these items is greater
than $1.00, the entire amount is taxable.
You can no longer say that this item is
taxable or not, it will depend on what it is
purchased with! The real icing on this
upside-down cake is the special provision
made for soft drinks. If a pop is purchased
alone, it is taxable, but if it is purchased
with a prepared food for a total of less
than or equal to $1.00, it is tax free.
IRON WARRIOR
All submissions become the property of
the Iron Warrior which reserves the
right to refuse publication publication of
material which it deems unsuitable. The
Iron Warrior also reserves the right to
edit grammar, spelling, and portions of
text that do not meet University standards.
Authors will be contacted for any major
changes that may be required.
All submissions must be legible and must
include the author's name, class (if
applicable) and a phone number where
he/she may be reached.
Confectionary items such as ice cream and
chipwiches are always taxed.
With our current C&D prices, you
could go through and buy four donuts and
pay no tax. As soon as you want to buy
five though, you will have to pay 7% on
them aU. .
sure it will be done) is to go through the
line twice, buying four the first time and
onc the second for a totnl stt!al of five lax
free donuts!
The old days of tax-included pricing
seem to be over for the under $1 relailer.
This system much too convenient for
the vendor. He simply had to marlc up his
prices 7%, round off to a simple figure (to
avoid those useless pennies), and keep
track of his total sales. Then to remit his
tax, he would use a simple ratio to
calculate his tax included from his total
sales figure. The consumer gained with
this system since they knew the price
posted was the price they would pay,
regardJess of what it was bought with or
how many
The new system cannot be implemented
easily without the use of a cash register
and for this reason it took the C&D so
All submissions should be forwarded to:
The Engineering Society
CPH 1327
ext. 2323
All advertising enquires should be directed
to:
The Advertising Manager
c/o Engineering Society
CPH 1327
ext. 2323
long to switch over. This keeps NCR
happy but what about the poor vendor
who was just getting by with his rusting
cash drawer. Does the government realize
what is really involved in some of the
so-called tax saving measures?
There are a ew be eii
system. ObVIOUS y or sma purc ases
the consu mer will get a tax break ( as
noti red in the reduction of many of the
('&1) prkes ). Bul Wh:l! of the havoc it
plays on the vCMdms, "ashiers, lInd general
public; is it really worth if! No longer can
you ask, "Whitt is the price of a Coke?",
lind get a simpl' reply. 'nlC answer would
be, "f'orty three cents alon ; forty ccnL<; if
hought with a donut, a muffIn, Of a
cookie; forty three cents jf bought with an
ice cream; or forty three cents if bought
with anything else over sixty cents.".
Wouldn't it be easier just to state that all
prepared food products under $1.00 would
be tax exempt, regardless of how many or
what it was purchased with'! Would this
really hurt the government's coffers that
much compared to Ihis mixed up mess?
I feel the only positive aspect of this
new Jaw, is that it should keep the penny
collections all over Ontario thriving.
4
IRON WARRIOR
February 1986
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
My Discovery of the PAC
After an hour of playing squash, it is
common practice for me to take a shower.
After ten minutes of showering, I usually
put on some clean clothes, gather my
squash gear together and leave. This has
been a habit since r started attending UW
in 1981.
Saturday, February 1
On this particular day my ritual was
interrupted in an annoying manner. I
returned from the shower to find someone
else using my locker. The lock and all my
belongings were no longer there. A search
of the surrounding rows of lockers proved
futile. After sending a friend to the tote
desk to inquire about my clothes, r learned
about the new lock rule at the PAC: only
UW locks are allowed on the lockers.
Since I had not seen the signs entering
the locker room, and had not been
informed of the new rule at the tote desk, I
was set up for a rather embarassing
situation. During my shower, a PAC
employee sawed of my lock and removed
all of its contents from the locker room.
No message was left indicating where I
might recover the clothes if I wasn't
prepared to face the world naked. In
addition, the person who took everything
had left the building. Eventually, the girl
at the tote desk returned most of the items
which were taken. Subsequent pleading
resulted in the return of my clean
underwear and socks. After another delay, I
was reunited with my books.
The new PAC lock rule, although
unpopular, is justifiable from the
standpoint of raising needed funds.
However, this method of informing a
student of the rule, or enforcing it is
unacceptable. Running off with a person's
clothes would make a good practical joke,
but it is hardly the type of action one
would expect to be carried out by the
University. The situation should have
been anticipated and could have been
avoided with some insight from PAC
management. If it is anticipated, they are
responsible for a rather unseemly
violation of a person's privacy. Taking the
clothes was an action which merits civil
recourse. Unfortunately, this is financially
infeasible. Hence, the University can hide
behind its size, and through inaction
condone the classless power trips of one
of its departments.
Andy Dempster
4B Sytems Design
For Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
It's wonderful to read an article by
someone who obviously has the same
intense passion for a "barley sandwich" as
I do! ("Beer: Not just for Breakfast
Anymore", Jan, 1986). Beer aficionados
(often known as "hopheads") are not as
uncommon as one might think. A close
but very different cousin to the wine
snobs, the beer lovers in Canada are
rapidly growing in number. They are
demanding quality products and a greater
choice in beers. In 1984, Canada imported
$13 million worth of beer. In 1985, this
had increased to $28 million. The trend is
obvious. Canadians are becoming less
satisfied with the domestically available
beers. Many beer drinkers are beginning to
realize just how much we are influenced
by the "big three" breweries. A small
minority of people are controlling our
poor, bored taste buds and even our
lifestyles, with constant media messages.
Today's educated consumer is demanding a
change.
The group of people screaming the loudest
is an organization call Camra Canada.
Campaign for Real Ale is an international
organization which speaks out on behalf
of beer drinkers everywhere. Camra
Canada has over 3000 members in
Canada. It has been directly involved in
the legalization of "brew pubs" (in-pub
breweries) in many provinces. Camra's
bi-monthly newsletter, "What's Brewing"
features updates on alcohol legislation as
well as news of Camra activities across
the country. The goals of Camra are to
encourage alternatives to mass-produced
domestic beer, and to end the virtual
monopoly of beer production in Canada.
A strong lobby group, Camra has already
accomplished a great deal for beer lovers
in Canada, since it's inception in 1981.
More information can be obtained by
writing to Camra Canada, 5-190 Booth
St., Ottawa, KIR 7J4, or by picking up a
membership from Brewski's in Waterloo
Town Square and leafing through the
latest copy of "What's Brewing" there.
Donna Lamb
Carnra Representative
Kitchener-Waterloo Area
To the editor:
Money talks, Bullshit walks. You might
wonder why I bring this up in a letter, but
it really has a lot to do with the my
grudge with you. I have paid my
University of Waterloo fee, but am
currently spending the school term in
France. Does that mean that I'm not
entitled to my free copy of the Iron
Warrior? How can you simply forget
about me? It really doesn't put you out of
too much money to mail me a copy. I
expect some sort of an official apology
and my copy of the Iron Warrior.
Joe Sovran
Editors note: Joe ,we were overjoyed to
hear of your concern about not receiving
the Iron Warrior.
Hopefully it reflects the esteem in which
you hold us. Your free copy has been sent
by surface mail.
Technology Put to Good Use ...
by Tom Lee
Iron Warrior Production Director
If you've ever been instrumental in
producing a newspaper such as the Iron
Warrior, you're familiar with the kind of
hassles that one faces. With the lack of
resources and personnel, the layout
process can be a monumental task.
Traditionally, the Iron Warrior is bound
by the whims of typesetters and other
graphics services. This means high costs
and the inability to make last minute
changes. Essentially, this means several
rnigrains for the editors.
With the aquisition of new computer
equipment by the Faculty of Engineering,
all this has changed. With the help of the
Engineering Education Research Centre
and the Department of Psychology, we are
able to 'typeset' and output print quality
text using Apple MacIntoshes and the
Apple Laser Writer. The result is a
considerable savings for Eng Soc as well
as a significant increase in the quality of
the paper.
At this point we would like to thank
the staff of the Engineering Enducation
Research Centre for their invaluable
assistance as well as Mr. Richard Crispin
and the Dept. of Psychology for the use of
their equipment. We hope the readers
appreciate the efforts of these people as
well as all those who participated in the
production of the Iron Warrior,
February 1986 IRON WARRIOR
Cheating on Exams and Other Offenses
by Peter H. Roe
Chairman, Engineering Under-
graduate Advisory Committee on
Academic Discipline
I am often asked what happens when
people are caught cheating on exams or
other things. Since this seems to be
interesting to numerous people, the
following is a short synopsis of the
University's position.
The University has established a set of
regulations that deal with a variety of
academic offences, which include such
things as cheating on exams, tests,
assignments, or work reports,
impersonating other students or allowing
oneself to be impersonated, plagerism,
theft of exam papers or other material,
falsifying academic records, submitting
false medical certificates, submitting work
for one course which has been submitted
for another without expressed permission,
behaviour in a laboratory which endangers
oneself or other students.
This catalogue of offences can lead to
very serious consequences. The penalties
for those found guilty of an academic
offence range from an official
"Reprimand", through submission of a
failing grade in an examination, test,
course, or term, to "Probation",
Suspension from the University for up to
three years, and ultimately Expulsion.
This undergraduate committee is chaired
by the Associate Dean for undergraduate
studies, and has the Associate Chairman
of each department as Faculty members.
There are also two students named by the
Dean.
Most cases are settled informally.
Informal settlement can result in no worse
penal ties than su bmission of failing
grades (perhaps a term). Almost every
term, there are cases of alleged cheating.
For example, there were two cases last
term in which students all received official
Reprimands and grades of ZERO on the
exams in question. The effect of the
Reprimand is that any slight offence by
the student at a later date will result in a
We have not, in this Faculty, proven
cases of impersonation in exams. In other
Facul ties, this offence has led to
Suspension from the University for three
years. During that time, it is' virtually
impossible for the students in question to
enroll in another university, since their
transcripts indicate that they are under
suspension. In one case, involving
plagerism, the student was expelled from
the University of Waterloo.
All members of the University
community: facuIty students and staff,
have a resposibiJity to uphold the
integrity of the University's activities,
including the evaluation of the student's
knowledge, competence and preparation
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5
This Faculty has a special
Undergraduate Advisory Committee on
Academic Discipline. When a case arises,
it must be reported to the Chairman of
this committee who conducts an inquiry.
The case is then settled either

the committee chairman, or through a
meeting of the complete committee.
There is also a Graduate Advisory
Committee on Academic Discipline that
deals with academic offences involving
Graduate students.
Reports. Invariably, when detected, this
leads to a failed work term, and has in the
past, led to more severe penalties.
Records of all cases are kept in a
confidential file until the students
concerned graduate or leave the university.
How often have you heard,
"It's not what you know,
its who you know?"
Careers Night 1986
... an excellent opportunity to meet with
various representatives from major industries
FIBERG LAS CANADA
GANDALF DATA SYSTEMS
ONTARIO HYDRO
PROCTOR & GAMBLE
SAFTRONICS
WESTINGHOUSE
BELL CANADA
... others to be announced
Wednesday March 5, 1986
Festival Room, South Campus Hall
7:30 pm
Organized by the Le.e.e stooent branch 'A
i.e.e.e. members $0.00, others $1.00
academic offence. Cheating, plagerism,
etc. are dishonest, unethical and illegal.
Fspecially in Enginecrin or Hny other
program which is a preparation for a
professional career in which the public has
the right to expect legal, honest and
ethical behaviour, it is important to treat
academic offences as gravely as possible.
Open Door Policy?
by Michael J. Kinlin
Many students have had to put up with
the annoyance of trudging all the way
around to CPH to enter our buildings on
weekend hours which, surely, would rather
have been spent outside these confines.
We are all aware of rising entrance
qualifications, but should these be taken
so literally as to make it this difficult to
get into engineering at U of W (or, at
least, the buildings?). Have U of W
security guards established themselves as a
new breed of admissions officers with a
very definite closed door policy ? It's
really quite puzzling why all but one door
is locked. If anyone truly desired to wreak
havoc, they could enter through the main
foyer in CPH. Besides, some resourceful
engineering student,> inevitably prop the
doors open while our precious tuition
money bums to heat the bike racks
outside.
The question remains: Why are the
doors closed to the members of a society
which call its office the orifice (ie. The
Opening)?
Open 7 days a week
Take Out and neliv)
StHT\Ul.INC
IN
SIlU'UAN I<I'IXlN"
Tel: (51918855230
31 Unlv."lw Ave. E.
WSlorloo. Onl. N2J 2V9
THE W#RRP "STAU",,"T
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CLOSED SUNO,f,VS
6
IRON WARRIOR February 1986
Engineering Students Illiterate???
by J.P Hayashida
38 Systems Design
How often have you heard some people
comment that engineers have -(atroshus?),
(atroucis?), (attrocius?) - terrible spelling,
poor grammar and a general lack of
writing ability. Indeed, one might expect
that they wouldn't know what a dictionary
is for. This is, of course, completely
false. Presented herein is an in-depth and
comprehensive evaluation of the mytns
surrounding the controversial issue of
engineering illiteracy.
i1-lit-er-ate:
Before feeling insulted or slighted by
those "literate" fellows, let us take a close
look at the meaning of the word
"illiterate". Opening our favorite
Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary,
(hearing the sharp crisp crack from the
back of the binding), we flip through the
"soiled" and "dog-eared" table worn pages.
Much to our dismay and devastation, we
find page 570 missing from our book.
Lost are the definitions of everything from
"idiot" to "ill-treated". Pathetic fallacy
perhaps?
No need for panic. Using superior
deduction, reasoning and contortion, we
shall derive the true definition of this
word, starting with its early Old
FrenchlLatin origins.
ill-liter I-ate :
it - abbrev. form the word "ill",
meaning sick or nauseated
liter - form the Old French "litiere",
meaning to scatter about in disorder
(r)ate - from the Latin "rata", meaning
"to enjoy special status or
privilege"
So now we may conclude that an
"illiterate" engineer is one who is sick of
garbled garbage verbage which is spewn
abou t by those of special status or
privilege. (Aside: Based on this definition
it should be possible to derive the
meaning for "literate".)
To begin our investigation, let's
consider pspelling. First of all, we should
put an end to the ugly rumour that
engineering students are a group who
couldn't apply for sycology because they
couldn't spell the word. It should be noted
that anyone willing to suffer the
frustration of search through five thousand
four hundred and thirty-one "s" 's in their
dictionary, just to apply for an arts course,
is in need of a sichiatrist. (Obviously
Webster is the only one who has heard of
"p".) This does not mean that
psychiatrists are superior spellers. Just ask
a psych student to spell

li
W
@@@l [L(ill[%

University of Windsor
Carleton University
University of Western Ontario
Queen's University
Laurentian University
University of Waterloo A Soc
University of Waterloo B Soc
pneu monoul tramicrocopocsilicovolanocon
isis, a word in every engineer's dictionary
(not missing page 840). Better yet, ask a
psych student to pronounce it.
This brings us to the wonderful world
of - (fonetics?) - phonetics, or the relation
of speech sounds to alphabetic symbols, a
skill needed by all engineering students.
Without phonetics, it would be
impossible to "srolve forced sorutions"
presented by your T.A.'s. (So much for
the English proficieny exam.)
As a final point, consider the
engineering "oddissy", not to be confussed
with the arts' "Odyssey". This great piece
of mythology, (rumoured to have been
created by Pythagoras as 400 B.C. "Before
Calculators"), suggests that engineering
students mask their inability to read and
write by using acronyms, Greek symbols
and other unrecognizable scribbles
(integrations?).
Four of the most common letters seen
on engineering papers are "d.w.r.t." .
Some might feel this is a perfect example
of the engineering oddissy. In actual fact,
these letters are not used to disguise the
illiterate nature of the author, but are
placed strategically to save the readers
greater hardships. These letters, often
misinterpreted as "differentiate with
respect to", are a short form for "don't
write ridiculous terminology". So by
placing "d.w.r.t." throughout your papers,
a great deal of the difficulty in
interpretation by the reader is saved.
In conclusion, we see that the student
engineer is faced with numerous
predjudices and biases when it comes to
his or her wriitng abilities. Their efforts
are misconstrude by many a reader. They
face countless - (dilemmas?), (dilecnnas?)-
problems, such as how to apply for arts
electives, or what to do if they need to
spell "idiosynchracies" without page 570
and no spell checker on their editor. A
final solution to the problem may be to
create the "Waterloo Engineering New
Collegiate Dictionary" complete with
acronyms, greek, Old French and Latin
terminology, and, of course, page 570.
For those students who take extra
courses in English, you may soon learn
that "Fowl is Fair, and Fare is Foul".
This phrase is easily uanslated as
meaning, "Homonyms is Homicide, and
Homicide is the reason for 'NEW' Webster
Collegiate Dictionaries". (Webster just
joined KAOS.) So the moral of the
phonetic spelling story is, "When the
going gets tuff, the tough start looking
for page 570."
"Don't fcrget to pick up c:IeIn lMerw.- 1l1he
Orifice,-
(l1Y81-yo.name Gn 180 you dGn1, la
February 1986 IRON WARRIOR
7
Enough About the
Engineering Stereotype
Let's Talk Architecture ...
by Tom Lee
3A Systems Design
I live with an urban planner and an
architect. And as with all groups on
campus, they have their own stereotypes
(a much overused word, in my opinion).
Environmental Studies students are
supposedly notorious for their outrageous
dress, unearthly music an an overall avant
garde way of life. Great, I thought -
maybe I'll pick up a few tips from this
rather motley pair. Well so far, it's been
one disappointment after another.
Paul, the planner is a laid back sort of
guy. Although he does have unique
musical tastes (I'll omit the names of
bands as I can't even pronounce them let
alone spell them), he absolutely adores
Kraft Dinners - so much for Paul. Alain,
the architect, is a bit more visually unique
- after all he does design and make his
own clothes, but then again, his favourite
piece of clothing is a burgundy Daniel
Hechter sweatshirt - for shame Alain! So
what makes Environmental Studies (E.S.
for those of us in the know) people the
cutting edge of student life?
After weeks of intensive observations
and controlled studies, a pattern began to
emerge, One day, I was rummaging
through the refrigerator and getting
depressed at the sight of empty shelves
when, in the distance, I spied a litre of
milk with a funny symbol on it. It was a
triangle (not too unlike a Greek upper case
delta). Odd, I thought Why would one of
my roommates put a delta on his milk?
Then it hit me! This milk was brought to
me by the letter 'A' which in this case
stood for Alain. This was my first
encounter with something that was
uniquely E.S. - their handwriting.
Was Alain just a freak of nature or had I
stumbled accross the Waterloo Rossetta
Stone? After stealing a glass of Alain's
milk, I went upstairs to Paul's room to
verify my findings. There, I forced Paul to
surrender a s3.l.Jlple of his hand writing and
sure enough, there it was - a myriad of
deltas, perfect in every respect gracing a
page of what turned out to be 'scrap'
paper. Then it was time to check out
Alain's 'handy work'. After some time
meticulously scrutinizing the two
compositions, the 'A'/deltas remained as
the dominant trait that is common to all
E.S. students.
Think of it - something as harmless as
a letter 'A' typifying an entire group of
people. Sounds silly? Of course it is but
so is every other kind of stereotyping.
Most of you are probably sick of the topic
by now, especially with attention that
this topic is getting in the imprint and
other media on campus. It's my opinion
that this is a problem that cannot be
underemphasized. We're all offended when
we are classed as something that we are
not. It's sad that we, of the ivory tower,
who are supposed to have escaped this
darkness are still plagued.
The disease is universal. We all know
very' well about the Engineering
stereotype as well as the Arts stereotype
(and the list goes on and on). Even those
that crusade for the elimination of such
classifications are guilty of it by attacking
what they believe are the sources of these
problems and in the process, alienating
those that are sympathetic to the cause. It
is often said that it is easier to win over
someone with hone than with vinegar.
This statement, 1 tie feve has some
validity. A positive action by everyone in
the university community is needed.
Taking such an action does not require sit
ins and militant protests. If we all work
on the assumption that we, a members of
the Waterloo network of people,
(including students, faculty and staff) are
reasonable, intelligent and sincere (which
is probably not a gross overstatement),
and work on and with these positive
allributes, a more concrete and effective
bol ',' !"or dealing with the various crises
that Waterloo faces these days will
emerge.
tro 'f' /5 rot

lLI
Classes Cancelled For Protest
March Against Underfunding
By Steve Pitkanen
Every week, it seems, there is more and
more talk about government underfunding.
It's a problem that affects students'
pocketbooks and the quality of education
at this university. But, what can students
do, individually, to voice their concerns
about underfunding? Next month, the
entire university community will be
provided with a unique opportunity to
pIa h a little cold water on the face of the
government.
All classes will be cancelled for 3 hours
on Wednesday, March 12 to protest
government underfunding. University
employees are being encourage to give up
the day's pay and donate it to the Watfund
as a display of concern. There will be no
classes between 10:30 - I :30 so that
students, faculty, staff and administration
can unite in a demonstration of solidarity
to the community and to the government.
This demonstration will begin at 10:30
outside the Dana Porter library where
everyone concerned will assemble. This
student/administration rally will then
proceed to march down University Ave. to
meet Wilfred Laurier students and
administration who will join the
demonstrators. The protest march will
continue down King St. to Waterloo
Square, where the group will be addressed
by prominent members of the K-W
conununity (to be announced).
The protest is designed "to make
university lobbying for more funds
effective", according to Ian Mitchell, one
the the chief organizers of the protest. It is
not a strike, bu t a pOsltlve
"action-oriented" event to "raise public
awareness of the problem of
underfunding" .
Other universities are being encouraged
to participate in similar protests across
Ontario, but, "we are by far the most
organized", says Mitchell.
Anyone interested in more information
or just helping out can contact Ian
Mitchell in the Federation of Students'
office at extension 4042.
An empty campus? It may come sooner than you think.
SulJmlsslon O#ad/lnll.
Monday, March 17th
8 IRON WARRIOR February 1986
CCES '86 - A Memora'ble
Trip to Newfoundland
hy Steve Smythe and Todd Crick
A Soc Representatives to CCES '86
I had the opportunity to participate in
the 18th annual conference of the
Congress of Canadian Engineering
Students held in St. John's Newfoundland
from January 8th to the 13th 1986. The
University of Waterloo was represented by
five delegates : Harald Bransch. the
president of Eng Soc B. served as head
delegate of B-Soc. The A-Soc delegation
consisted of Todd Crick, Dianne Myerson,
Lianne Magel, and myself with Todd
serving as the head deJegate, The theme
of this conference was "Engineering
Ethics and the Law", which was discussed
in the various speeches, workshops and
panel discussions that we attended.
The purpose of the CCES is to present
an opportunity for engineering students
from across the country to get together
and discuss issues that are pertinent to
every engineering university.
Upon our arrival in St. John's we were
greeted by the organizers of the conference
from Memorial University. They were
most hospitable throughout the weekend
and promptly set us up in our rooms in
the Holiday Inn. On the first night
every student at the conference
(approximately 90) became Honourary
Newfies, a ritual that rivals Kipling's.
The next day consisted of morning
speeches by Chris O'dea of Northern
Telecom and David North of Mobil Oil.
Mr. O'dea spoke on the challenge facing
Canadian engineers in terms of
expectations and performance. Mr North
spoke on the massive engineering t3sks
required for the Hibernia offshore oil
drilling platform. The afternoon consisted
of various workshops put on by different
universities. The fIrst one I attended was
chaired by Dianne Myerson of the
University of Waterloo. It focussed on
the formation of a national executive for
the CCES to allow for a smooth
transition between host universities from
year to year. Much debating went on
with little concrete accomplishments other
than the fact that it seemed unanimous
that a national executive was required.
The second workshop I attended
consisted of a series of ethical questions
regarding the engi neering profession.
The discussion was chaired by Gilbert
Bennet of Memorial University. Many of
the cases were rather interesting and made
you think about what you would do in a
difficult real world situation. Other
workshops which went on imultaneously
were regarding constitution changes to
Project Magazine and employment
opportunities for engineers. The evening
consisted of a visit to the Sundance
Engineering Week
-- --.
Saloon, which surprisingly could rival
any place in the K-W area. Actually my
entire perception of St. 10hn's changed
after this conference. Rather than St.
John's being a simple fishing village, I
realized it was a modem prospering city
with a substantial night life.
The next morning we were treated to
short speeches by John Scott from
Cambridge England, Ron Cole from the
Department of Justice, Captain Peter
Child of the Naval Engineering unit in
Halifax, and Sean Rafferty P.Eng. They
all discussed practical problems they have
run into concerning ethical issues. That
afternoon we were given guided tours of
the new Institute of Marine Dynamics at
Memorial University. Since the facility
was so new, it was not operational yet.
That evening we were entertained at the
Aquarama Pool where we participated in
events such as log-rolling and canoe
jousting. A very good time was had by
all.
The next day consisted of the plenary
session, the most important day of the
conference. It is at this session where all
motions are brought forth to be passed or
discarded. The highlight of the plenary
session was the passing of a motion to
create a national executive to "uphold the
aims and goals of the Congress." This
Monday, 10
11 :30 Tug-ot-War
12:30 Pentathalon
Event #1
Tuesday, 11
11 :30 Prof Trike Race
12:30 Pentathalon
Event #2
1 :30 Cu rli ng
Wednesday, 12
11 :30 Star Trek Trivia
12:30 Pentathalon
Event #3
1 :30 Chariot Race
Thursday, 13
11 :30 Tobacco Spit
12:30 Pentathalon
Event #4
executive would consist of four
vice-chairmen, one of each from the four
regions of Canada corresponding to the
CEDC format. The four vice-chairmen
would be elected at the CCES for the
following year. Since we are the official
head office for the CCES and the
University of Waterloo keeps track of all
the post- publications and other
of the CCES, we felt
Obligated to provide one of the four
vice-chairmen. Lianne Magel, of 3A
Chern, volunteered for this position
which she will hold until next .T anuary.
That evening an impressive banquet
was held with guest speaker Neil Windsor,
president of the treasury board. He
delivered a humourous speech which was
the perfect way to end the conference,
All in all, the conference was a huge
success, and I feel I gained a great deal of
insight into other engineering schools and
their students. I would like to thank the
Dean of Engineering from all of the
delegates for giving us the chance to
participate in the conference. Also I
would like to encourage everyone who
would be interested in going to CCES '87
to apply to your various societies in the
fal l. The next conference is in Winnipeg
at the University of Manitoba in early
January. I hope that others can enjoy
these conferences as much as I have.
Thursday
Hawaiin - Tourist Day
Wear your wakiest shorts!
Sunglasses, Lais, etc
8:00 Chalk Circle Pub
Friday, 14
11 :30 6-legged Race
12:30 Pentathalon
Event #5
Nautical Event
(3B CIV)
Saturday, 15
All Night 8roomball
Sunday, 16
Bowling (48 SYS)
February 1986
IRON WARRIOR
Tobogg n Fails To each
Calgary, But Waterloo
Still Reigns Supreme!
by Ike
4B Civil
The much awaited Great Northern
Concrete Toboggan Race (G.N.C.T.R.)
fInally took place on the weekend of Feb.
1317 in Calgary, Alberta. For the three
teams representing Waterloo, the
competition culminated 6 months of hard
work - building toboggans, raising
money, and failing midterms. As it turned
out, however, the weekend turned out to
be a very frustrating and somewhat
disappointing ope for the Waterloo
Tobagganors.
Thursday, Feb. 13, Departure Day - the
weekend began on a high note as CBC
Calgary phoned Team Gouratz for a live
interview on the 6 o'clock news. BCIT
and U of C were also involved in the
interview.
Friday, Feb. 14, Judging Day - After
waking up with mild hangovers all
around, the teams found out the news that
really made their wee:k;end. Inter City
Trucking, the company responsible for
shipping the toboggans, happily informed
the teams that the toboggans would be
safely arriving ... on Monday or Tuesday,
and at the present time, the toboggans
were on a train somewhere between
Thunder Bay and Winnipeg. Needless to
say, all nineteen team members were
thoroughly delighted to fInd out that all
their efforts and their $10,000 investment
had just gone down the drain in the space
of a five minute phone call. Since legal
action may be pending with the transport
company, I won't go into details about
what happened, except that the toboggans
were turned over to Inter-City a full ten
days before the competition, and full
payment was made before the tobogganers
departed for Calgary. Special thanks
should be given to a few people who tried
in vain to speed up the shipping process:
Professor Sam Yagar of the University of
Waterloo and his buddies at the University
of Calgary, as well as some high ranking
officials at Eatons who spent all day
Friday on the phone trying to get results
from some very wishy-washy Inter-City
employees.
After the initial euphoria had subsided,
the teams set out to do something to
improve their predicament The tears over
the loss of their beloved Rosebud were not
even dry when the Gouratzes jumped into
their van and headed for the nearest
concrete company, in search of parking lot
blocks that could double as toboggan skis.
With the help of two companies, Key
Concrete(who provided and cut three
sections of parking lot blocks), and A&C
Ornamental(who built a steel frame and
bolted it onto the blocks), Rosebud II was
born in 4 short hours. The toboggan was
then raced to the U of C for preliminary
judging, but it arrived minutes late as
other toboggans were just packing up. In
the meantime, the other two teams,
Charlie Orange's Tangerine Dream(who
would have easily won any awards for
presentation with their video display and 4
ft x 4 ft team picture) and Rhythm in Blue
were still trying to get the toboggans to
Calgary by Saturday morning, in time for
the actual race. Finally, realizing that their
efforts were futile, the two teams
borrowed a toboggan from last year's U of
C team and spent half of Friday night
making brakes for the toboggan.
Still feeling the wonders of the
previous night's festivities, the teams
headed out to the hill with their makeshift
sleds. The weather was the coldest Calgary
had all winter - minus 40 degrees in the
shade, with tons of snow. Afetr spending
close to an hour pulling Rosebud II up the
hill, team Gouratz found out that took
almost that much time to race it back
down again. Other teams were hurtling
down the hill at top speeds of 50 kmlh,
followed up by some of the most
spectacular spills this side of the Indy
500. It should be noted here that, in this
reporter's eyes, Charlie Orange's Tangerine
Dream and Rhythm in Blue would easily
have been right up their with the fastest
teams.
Saturday night brought the much
awaited awards banqueL The first award,
for Best Team Uniforms, was shared by
all three Waterloo teams with their bright,
colour-coordinated coveralls. But the
awards were not to stop there. The
Longshot Award, presemed to the
toboggan least likely to go anywhere was
won by team Gouratz, riding Rosebud II,
an amazing accompliShment considering it
was thrown together in a mere 4 hours.
But these two awards were but a warmup
to what team Gouratz won next - the
illustrious, most sought after , Team
Spirit Award - bringing it back to
Waterloo where it truly belongs. All in
all, a stupendous underdog achievement by
the Waterloo engineers - three awards (out
of a possible nine) with no toboggans!
The Southern Alberta Institute of
Technology (SAlT) won the overall
trophy and the British Columbia Instirure
of Technology (BClT) won the
Engineering Beauty and Design (Waterloo
won it last year).
In retrospect, the weekend was one of
many highs and lows. All three teams,
however, vow to return next year, this
time with their toboggans, to see just
how well they will perform.
At this point, the Waterloo Concrete
Toboggan Committee would like to thank
all their sponsors that helped immensely
with their donations of money and
materials:
Ricki Jo's
Labatts
B & B Concrete
Dufferin Construction
CP Air
Eaton's
Eaton's Travel
Mark's Work Warehouse
Traugott Construction
Riordons
Ruby's
McGuinness
Bell Canada
SL Mary's Cement
Conestoga Rovers
Sheffield & Schorn
Swam & Rupnow
Black & McDonald
Nantucket Rebar
K-W Blair
Rainbow Concrete
F.1. Reinders
ErbsviJ1e Kartway
Key Concrete (Calrary)
A & C Ornamental (Calgary)
Civil Engineering Office
El1gilleerillg
Week
by Bill Jackes
3AEE
9
The chance of a lifetime (well at least
this term) is approaching quickly; the
chance to participate in Engineering
Week, March 7 thru 15. Many records are
just waiting to be broken in the events
that are listed in the Schedule. 3B Dance
tells me they are ready to stretch their
record to nine wins in the Nautical Event.
So get out their and start practising, get
wasted and stop this so-called" dynasty".
Plans for a big Havenger Scunt are
under way and more articles are on the list
than even your grandfather and neighbours
could save in three years work. All-in-all,
there is enough happening to let yc
forget that Pattern Rec. assignment at
give you an excuse to hand it in late (wi
a few bucks stapled to it).
So come on out and enjoy!
Ellgilleering
Bus PUSll
b)' Chris 'I
2,\ System
Well. . . iI'S almost springtjmc.;t ain,
lime to get in shape for thost.:
months of shOl ts and bl.'w.:hes. What bl.!tter
W;lY to kick -otf your fitness program than
to help pull, push, drag or othclwise
move a hus from Ring Road to
Kitchcncr's Market Squ;lrc! llere is your
chance to get inVOlved in the annual
Engint!cring Bus Push.
The nus Push will take place Saturday,
March 8th starting at JO:30 am. (It's a
great way to start off your day) It will be
followed by a reception at the YWCA.
The Engineers - that's us - will push the
bus while various local dignitaries ride
inside. Pledges will be gathered both
before and during the event to aid Big
Sisters.
This year's goal is to raise $6000 for
Big Sisters. Pledge sheets will be
available after Feb. 21St in the Orifice.
Pick one up and start canvassing your
friends, neighbours, family and
Joe-the-drunk at your favourite bar.
Besides helping to support Big Sisters,
you could win the grand prize awarded to
the engineer who accumulates the most
pledges. (2nd and 3rd prizes are also
available) P
H
5 points are, of course,
awarded for pledges as well.
The Bus Push last year raised over
$6000 and was successful in all respects.
This year's is only weeks away. It's time
to get those 'Pledges for the Plummer'.
10
POINT
by Francis Chow
4B Systems Design
Man dominates the surface of
planet because he is a superb maker of
tools. From the very birth of our
on African grasslands over four million
years ago, we have needed tools to
survive.
Tool making. or technology. is
essentially a cultural endeavor. Great
inventions do not spontaneously appear in
the minds of Edison ... or Einsteins out of a
formless void, but are products of the
steadily accumulating store of human
knowledge. Isaac Newton articulated this
beautifully in his famous phrase, "If I
have seen farther. it was by standing on
the shoulders of giants."

IRON WARRIOR
February 1986
Technology

In the
When people today ta.lk about how
unjust it is for the advanced nations of
the world to share their technology with
less developed nations, allegedly because
such technology isl inappropriate and can
only "do more harm then good", I can
only shake my head in bewilderment.
Such an attitude shows a
.nlsunderstanding of the very forces which
have made some nations I.echnologically
advanced and others technOlOgically
impoverished.
History shows us that technological
advances are frequent for nations at the
geographical crossroads where interfaces
between different cultures are generated. In
the distant past such a region was the
Middle East, as were the maritime
nations of the Mediterranean in a later
period, and lOday's own North American
melting pot. Those areas where
technological development proceeded more
slowly were always the isolated areas of
tht> world: Africa, the Americas, and the
jungles of the tropics.
It is the mingling of one culture with
another that produces the cross
fertilization of ideas which generates
inventions and drives progress. To be
sure, some technology useful in one
culture will sometimes prove to be
entirely useless in another. and there is no
hard and fast rule for determining which
particular bit of technology taken from the
"other side" a particular culture will find it
the most useful to adopt.
There are many examples of seemingly
inconsequential bits of technology from
one culture making a big impact on
another. The German adoption of color
dye chemistry from the British in the late
1800's which enabled them to become an
industrial giant, the adoption of the birth
control "pill" by our own culture from a
t:ribe in the South American rainforest, the
African adoption of potatoes and yams
introduced by European slave traders in
the early 1800's (which caused an increase
in the continent's population an order of
magnitude greater than the population lost
to slavery), etc.
Yet whenever the topic of technology
transfers to the third world comes up,
someone invariably states that something
must be done to ensure the third world's
isolation. Some people claim that much
of our technology is inappropriate and can
only do more damage to the people of the
third world than good, others claim that
many technology transfers are controlled
by unscrupulous multinational
corporations who are only out to make a
profit.
My answer to the first claim is that the
easiest and cheapest way to find out what
is appropriate and what is not is to go
ahead and try it out.
The second claim is more a politicaJ
statement than anything else. Every
industrial nation has industrialized under
the umbrella of men with capital seeking
a profit; it worked for Europe; it worked
for Europe; it worked for Japan. Should
the third world be denied its opportunity?
Studying In Germany ... A Chance to See,
by Timon LeDain
3H Systems Design
It was two years ago, during the winter
2A term, when a crazy idea hit me. I had
this urge to do someth.ing completely
different. r liked the program I was in, so
it was not a question of changing that, but
I just needed a year of Something new ..
The idea began to grow, and it gave rise to
the trip described in this article.
I had worked the summer before
university for a German electrical
company (Siemens A.G. in Munich) and
wanted to return. After discussing it with
the chairman of the department, and
getting his approval, all that was left to
do was to register at the Munich
university which I had planned to attend.
This proved to be the toughest part of all.
I was fortunate enough to have a friend
over there who looked after the paperwork
for me, but even then it took over nine
months to get everything sorted out. A
word of caution: start a year ahead of time
if you are interested in trying something
similar.
When I arrived, my knowledge of the
German language was put to the test
before I was finally accepted. This took
the form of a three hour exam. After
writing the exam, I was convinced that I
was going to be flying home the next day.
I was finally admitted to the university
after taking a second oral exam which was
gi ven if your written exam did not go
well. A second word of caution: make sure
you know your language capabilities
before you go. With that behind me, it
was smooth sailing for the rest of the
year.
The city of Munich (population 1.6
million) ioS located in the southern part of
Germany called Bavaria. It is centred at the
"heart" of Europe, just a few hours drive
from Austria, Switzerland, France or Italy.
It is fondly called, by both Germans and
visitors, "die Stadt mit lIerz" (the city
with heart) because of its warm and
welcoming atmosphere. Many a visitor,
on their first encounter with the city, h<lS
commented on its cleanliness. Its spotless
subway lmd immaculate streets which
reflect a "just" scrubbed appearance.
Munich has something to offer every
student. Those interested in the arts, can
browse through one of the city's many
museums and galleries, take in a play at
one of the theatres or attend a concert
conducted by a world renowned conductor.
For the sports minded, the 1972 Olympic
site is open to students, offering tennis,
swimming, rowing and other activities.
For the cyclist, the bicycle paths provide
safe transportation around the city, as well
as scenic routes for weekend excursions.
The sailing enthusiast can rent boats on
one of the surrounding lakes, with the
most popular one lying 20 minutes from
downtown Munich on one of the public
transit routes. Last, but not at all least,
skiers of all abilities will find slopes
which are challenging, yet within a few
hours drive. Snow conditions are best in
the spring, with a few feet of powder
snow to greet you in the morning. For
those of you planning to go in the
summer, do not be dismayed; many
iesorts are open 365 days of the year.
The Technish Universitaet Muenchen
(TUM) is one of the largest technical
universities in Europe, with a total of
25,000 students enrolled. The campus
itself is much smaller than that of
Waterloo and is located in the centre of
town in the student district of Schwabing.
All of my courses were from the
Electrical Engineering Program, for which
TUM is best noted for. Lecture halls for
the core courses are usually filled with
over 500 students (the stragglers often
having to share the steps). The size of the
class was quite intimidating at first, but
you get used to it. The professor used a
, microphone, and notes were written on
motorized blackboards or displayed on
cinema sized screens, so even from the
back row, the lecture was understandable.
The computer facilities were not as
advanced as those at UW, but the lab and
project facilities were up to date. Lab
courses ran like clockwork, with one
teaching assistant per group of three
students. The interest that German
industry has in university students is made
clear during the project courses, or
workshops. The projects are usually
sponsored by one of the large German
companies and are on topics that are
relevant to industry needs:A report that
caught my eye was one written by a third
year mechanical engineer for the Bavarian
Motor Works (BMW), which outlined a
solution to a current manufacturing
problem the company was having. Many
of the ideas from these projects are
implemented by the companies, often
with positive results (as was the case with
this one). The student, in tum, is rewarded
with the saitisfaction of seeing his work
put into action (not to mention the
contacts made in the process).
The assignments for the courses are
handed out in one pile at the start of term,
February 1986
Third World
By Niraj Bhargava
4B Systems Design
Rushing the latest technologies to
underdeveloped countries does not
necessarily benefit them. Throughout
history, it has been human nature to
assume that the newly developed items
that prove to be beneficial to one culture
would help others. Modern life is
characterized by a great outpouring of
energy on the part of some people who
strive to "better the lives" of others.
However, the administrator of a
program of technological change carries a
heavy responsibility. Whenever a
technology seeks to alter people's way of
life, it is not dealing with one individual,
but with the well-being and happiness of
generations of men and women. According
to Professor E. H. Spicer of the
University of Arizona, "If the
administrator's skill is poor and his
judgement bad, he can destroy cooperative
human relations and create hatreds that
will affect uncountable numbers of
people."
An occurance in history which
exemplifies this is the introduction of the
steel axe to aboriginals in Australia. The
shift from stone to steel axes provided no
major technological difficulties. While the
aboriginals themselves could not
manufacture steel axe heads, a steady
supply was available from the outside. It
did some jobs better, and could be used
longer without breakage; and these factors
wt'.re sufficient to make it of value to the
native.
However, the white man's assumptions
were that his axe was more efficient, that
it would save time, and that it therefore
represented technological 'progress'
tuwards goals which he had set for the
native.
The steel axe was the root of
psychological stress among the tribes. It
destroyed the cultural system of the tribe,
as the stone axe originally symbolized
leadership. The most disturbing effects of
the steel axe developed in the realm of
traditional ideas, sentiments and values.
This resulted in a mental and moral void
which foreshadowed the collapse and
destruction of the culture.
II
COUNTERPOINT
It is easy, once again, in modem
society to assume that improvement in
our culture should be shared with those
less fortunate. But it has to be realized
that implementing technologies into a
society that has not evolved can have
adverse effects.
There are numerous examples of selling
fertilizer to third world farmers or digging
wells to aid the drought-stricken areas that
have resulted in a hort term gain but long
term problem .
Technology evolves in our society. The
western world understands its needs and
conducts research and development
appropriately. Western industrial nations
cannot assume that its needs are paralleled
in other pa.rts of the world. For a culture
to readily adopt a technology, it must
evolve from within.
American companies readily send
military and technological aid to third
world countries. Under the false premise
of aiding the less fortunate, a tractor
company can clear its back inventory by
taking advantage of the under-developed
countries or else donating and claiming
tax exemptions.
The argument that they will learn from
their mistakes is true. However, a simple
preliminary analysis of their situation will
allow the third world countries to foresee
possible adverse effects of the technology.
Technological aid to under-developed
countries by Western countries focuses in
on a narrow section of the problem areas.
Instead of understanding the overall
environmental system and applying the
technology appropriately, a small aspect
of the problem is usually remedied. The
effects to the rest of the system, more
often than not, are neglected.
The argument that without modem
technology, the third world countries will
not survive is partially true. However, the
current methods of offering technology to
these countries often results in the 'rich
get richer - poor get poorer' problem. The
influential and powerful people of these
countries will undoubtedly benefit; but the
problems of the undernourished and poor
will continue.
Technological advancements can aid all
people. But, haphazardly sending it to
under-developed countries will probably
cause more harm than good. Extensi ve
research and an understanding of their
system and values is imperative before
any successful developments will occur jn
having technology in the third world.
Hear, Feel and Live European Culture
to be completed some time before finals.
They are never marked, but you quicldy
learn to do every single one of them if
you are to have a hope of passing the
100% final. There is a two month
"holiday" between every four month
semester, but the last semester is devoted
to writing the finals. This has the
advantage of giving you ample time to
. learn the material, but makes for a lousy
holiday. This should not scare those
interested in trying it though. The lack of
compulsory assignments makes for a very
relaxing term, and awesome weekends.
Although I was extremely impressed
with the level of education overseas, it
was nN the highlight of the year. This
honour goes to the people r met during
my stay. I found the European students
incredibly open-minded, with many
interests outside their fields of study.
Their hospitality and support throughout
the year made for the best academic terms
I have had to date.
European students are much more aware
of the world around them and are
concerned with doing their share to
improve it. Apathy is not a word found in
uleir vocabulary. Groups of students wiU
often hold slide show presentations of
third world countries they have visited,
with the money generated from these
presentations, gain to charitable
organizations serving those countries.
Their thirst for knowledge is almost
insatiable. They love to talk about current
issues, and just ab. orb stories about your
own experiences abroad. The size of their
country forces them to meet new people
and explore new worlds, and their own
stories are a joy to listen to as well.
Their sense of adventure is addictive and
1 found myself doing things J would not
have considered doing here. I drove on
3000 kilometre road trips, I was taken on
mountain climbing trips that] still have
nightmares about, and went down
tobbaggan runs that rivaled the
Hahnenkamp (the infamous ski slope in
Austria, nick named the 'widow maker'!).
Although we view Europe as Western
culture, we should remember that there are
significant differences. What may appear
to us as one thing could mean something
completely different to a European. On a
number of occasions, I suffered from
culture shock in often embarassing
situations. Do not be surprised if the date
you have taken out for the first time asks
you to accompany her for some skinny
dipping in the middle of the park. There,
it is perfectly normal! There is no cause
for alarm if your best friend's girlfriend
invites you over for dinner and the two of
you are alone. Europe is free of the social
hangups we have in North America. It
just takes a little time to get used to
them. .
It is this openness that makes
Europeans so easy to like. They reveal
themselves completely, which may
embarass you initially, but makes for
solid relationships in the long run.
I f any of this hilS spIked your interest,
then I strong,ly SUgg'lit you follow it up.
The University of W:ucrloo offer a
number of exchange programs, but if they
do not oller what you <Ire I()oking for,
register ;It a university of your own
choice. If you discuss it beforehand with
your department, you should have no
problems with the transfer credits when
you return, Everyone I have met, who has
gone overseas for a study term, has agreed
that it WliS the most rewarding experience
of their academic career.
February 1986 IRON WARRIOR
Thoughts on Exchanges
By Elias Moubayed
3B Systems Design
After the Second World War many
European countries encouraged youth
exchange programs, which took place at
many levels and for various lengths of
time over the year. One of the reasons for
this initiative was to instill, from an early
age, tolerance and international
understanding among the new European
generation. It was hoped that in the future
there would develop a close association
and cooperation between nation-states,
which would find the strength to sustain a
common purpose by pooling some of
their resources. Although the idea of a
Europe, united under one Government and
with one currency has never quite
materialized, the EEC shows the practical
outcome of some of these ideals. Some of
the success can be attributed to all the
contacts made across national boundaries
by vacationers, students, business people
and politicians.
Trave1ling though is easier simply
because countries are smaller and closer
together. This is the main deterrent to
more travel across the Atlantic. There are
however a fair number of high school
students that carry out exchanges with
their counterparts in France, Germany and
other countries, and this carries on into
university, but to a lesser degree. The
Architects, for example, spend a term in
Rome, a Mecca of sorts for them and
most language departments have similar
opportunities. Sadly, closer ties among
engineering faculties at the undergraduate
level, across countries, is lack.i:lg.
The Universite de Technologie de
Compiegne only has around 1000
undergraduates and yet has exchanges with
most Europoean countries, the U.S and
Canada (Waterloo, Sherbrooke and Laval
among others). The present exchange
stipulates for contact at the graduate and
the undergraduate lev'e1 (they have over
1200 graduates from all over the world and
have a very good name in some areas of
research; specifically in their
bio-enginering and petroleum engineering
labs).
At the moment there are twO Waterloo
students there, whereas they sent the full
number agreed upon (five students).
Somehow, when an excellent opportunity
such as an exchange comes along, they
don't have to be asked twice to go.
Language and cultural problems are hard
to overcome at first, and the discomfort of
being so far from home can be unnerving,
but after some time (and it takes time)
anyone can adapt (unless of course
someone still does your laundry for you).
So what is it that prevents a more
enthusiastic response from our students?
Is it money? The French students come up
with it and on average only get paid about
$600 a month on their work terms (one
enterprising Waterloo student gave
English lessons over there to pay her
way). Maybe their priorities are different
from ours. Probably the biggest deterrent
is that it isn't a "sure thing". If it were an
eXChange along the lines of a guided tour
with everything written in black and white
and with someone to hold your hand,
people would flock to it. But it isn't, and
it shouldn't be, because no one holds your
hand upon graduation.
So what if you have to make up a
couple of courses when you get back?
You just have to work a bit harder. If your
life at this point is so well scheduled that
it doesn't allow for some rescheduling
when such an opportunity comes along,
then you've probably estimated the time it
will take you to become the general
manager at such and such a company. The
closer to graduation you get, the more
structured and rooted your life becomes;
and then doing anything outside your
"home-turf" becomes increasingly
difficult
It really is worth your. while to spend
the time doing things like that now,
otherwise you'll definitely regret it
somewhere down the line. Delay the
inevitable, for as many Eastern Europeans
are told before they come over to the West
" ... over here you are a prisoner of the
Government., over there you are a prisoner
of the Corporation".
12
What Are You Doing Here?
by Urian Hamilton
3D Systems Design
Did you ever stop to think that by
pursuing an engineering career you're
contributing to world famine? Don't be
an a!>s, you say. I'm gaining the
knowledge to become a productive
member of society, adding to the world's
wealth, creating order where before there
was none. Fine, but where are you
going? What wealth are you creating, and
for whom? The more education you stay
at university for, the more specialised
your skills become. You have a vested
interest in promoting the high-tech answer
for problems, because that's what you've
paid to learn. Now who benefits from
that approach? Certainly not that
proportion of the worlds population that
are undernourished and in dismal poverty.
We're learning to produce wealth by
manufacturing more, selling more, and
doing it all faster and better than last year.
It's not the only way, as you may know if
you've been fortunate enough to spend
some time outside the North American
continent. Living on a peaceful island in
Greece, or at the foot of a mountain in
Tibet people go through life never
anxious that they haven't acquired the
latest stereo or microwave oven.
But thats totally irrelevant and
ridiculous! These people have simply
never had our advantages, so they don't
miss them. We're ahead of them, making
progress! Right, and we go home and
watch ganle shows on Lv where some
lucky winne[ selects a vacuum cleaner and
a garbage disposal unit (with touch tone
drawer-opening) out of the lovely
selection of appliances. And that's the
greatest thing that has happened to them
for years.
I'm not of course suggesting that we
all drop out and move to Paradise Island.
We're right to be doing what we are
doing, if that's what we are good at - it's
true that not to study would in many ways
waste our intellect, but then again
consider the following.
When you choose your job after
graduation because of the salary, or maybe
the location, keep in mind all the things
you've chosen not to do. You have a
responsibility to find something better
than a run of the mill job. Experience has
often shown that if you want to work at
something out of the ordinary - looking
for solutions to problems of scarcity of
resources in a developing country for
example, all it takes is initiative and
imagination. Is your function in the next
ten years something that you will be
proud of? By sitting and allowing job
offers from all so many average
companies to arrive and then choosing
one, you're making a big decision.
While we all are hypocritical by nature
and yet most are generally fine citizens
despite that, too many act on issues of
huge importance (one's career direction is
just one example) without the lateral
thinking that can be so helpful in taking
advantage of one's potential.
Our favourite music is all saying the
same thing, though maybe we don't think
about the words when we sing along.
Sting didn't write "The Russians love
their children too" so that people who are
designing military weapon systems can
tap their feet and relax after a hard days
work, the lyrics bouncing off the walls.
February 1986
IRON WARRIOR
Remember When?
~ e o f photos from-
the 900d. o[d, days
13
14 IRON WARRIOR
Should We Celebrate
With a Stag?
by Brian Hamilton and Karen
Speers
For many of us, one of the important
symbols of having completed our degree
and earned the right to become
professionals in the business world is the
Iron Ring. The awarding of the Ring is a
long-standing tradition unique to Canada,
and is a deserving symbol of pride.
Many members of the engineering faculty,
however, are not at all proud of the way in
which graduates traditionally celebrate
receiving their ring - they get together, get
drunk and watch strippers. The latest Iron
Ring Stag took place just a few days ago,
on February 20th, in much the same way
as it it has each year for decades, despite
objections from a number of students that
it made them ashamed of their faculty.
Times are changing. Attitudes are
changing. In a recent informal poll
conducted in one engineering class, 75%
of students polled indicated a desire to
change the nature of the Iron Ring Party,
while comments supporting the status quo
ranged from "Tradition is good" to "Keep
strippers in one area - you don't h.a.Y.e. to
watch them".
We're not of course pretending that the
poll is a quantative indication of the
amount of support that the Stag has, and
recognising that some students responded
in fun (e.g. "forget the strippers - let's all
get naked!"), the results are nonetheless
meaningful. People weren't kidding when
they wrote comments such as: "have no
desire to watch strippers or watch a mass
of males get their rocks off ogling naked
females"; "distasteful and disgusting", and
February 1986
so on. Our faculty is 11% women, and
many complain that this figure is too
low; but how can we expect women to be
attracted to this profession if we put
forward as the goal to strive for, after five
years of education, the Iron Ring with the
Stag associated with it? It is simply not
compatible with the image that the
profession needs today.
The feeling of distaste for this tradition is
not unique to women engineering
students. The mediocre attendance for the
WBS each term demonstrates that a
limited number of male students want to
attend such an event. Why alienate so
many by celebrating this most important
event with a stag?
As many people pointed out in the
survey, if strippers were in one room
during the party this would allow
"everyone to enjoy their evening". But
why have strippers at all at this particular
event?
We propose that the party be modified to
reflect the achievement associated with the
Iron Rings and to remove any reason for
graduates to feel intimidated about
attending.
A stag could be offered at another time
during the term, or simply in parallel with
another EngSoc-sponsored party. A good
measure of whether the theme behind the
Stag has stood the test of time is whether
it would be supported given an alternative
event.
If you have an opinion on this issue,
write to the Iron Warrior.
Professionalism and the Engineering Student
by Bruce G. Mathews
3B Systems Design
The Association of Professional
Engineers of Ontario's Code of Ethics is
more than just a set of guidelines for
professional behaviour - it is the law. Any
engineer found to be in violation could
face penalties or the loss of his or her
license. This applies to all APEO
regulations including the new section
regarding professional misconduct. This
information came to me via the GEN E
412 course "Ethics and the Engineering
Profession" .
The class contains mostly engineering
students, many of whom (let's say 50%
for sake of argument) plan on getting their
P. Eng sometime after graduation and
hence will be subject to the code. Will
someone please tell me why these
students cheat on Quizzes in that course,
and vandalize the new furniture (which
Imperial Oil paid $300,000 to put in)
during lectures? When I say vandalism]
do not just mean writing on the desks - I
include the removal of bolLS which hold
the chair to a post. Granted, the vandals
are just one or two egotistic neanderthals
who get a high from the feeling of power
they get when they destroy something,
but the ones who cheat (and candidly
admit to it) are a substantial percentage
(20% perhaps) of the class.
Such behaviour is not tolerated in the
"rp.al world" - why should it be tolerated
here? Perhaps a 'Stu'ient Code of Ethics' is
needed. Something everyone can rally
around and support in spirit and in action.
Another behavioural pattern of concern is
attitude and approach to assignments and
projects. All too often the "do" date is
usually the day before the "due" date. In
the working world this attitude will result
in low quality work, employer
dissatisfacuon, and if it contmues - Slow
advancement (if any). While on the topic
of deadlines - a student pointed out to me
that the T.A.'s in a certain course can
detect late assignments by placing a
specially marked sheet of paper into the
assignment box at the appropriate time
and then walk away. All assignments on
top of the sheet are late. A student with a
late assignment may see that there are
still papers in the box, submit the
assignment and think that they are getting
away with it. The student who mentioned
this to me felt that the T.A.'s were being
underhanded in this practise - especially
without informing the class that this
would be done. I say a deadline is a
deadline. The T.A. is being clever - and
fair to those who made a point of meeting
the deadline. It is the student who
attempts to hand in late assignments and
get away with it who is being
underhanded.
Where does all this lead? It appears that
many of us will have to make some
modifications to our attitudes and
behaviours when we make the transition
from university to the working world. I
believe that the co-op experience assists in
that transition, but it is not nearly
enough. I would recommend to anyone in
any year who is even thinking of getting
their P. Eng to read the current APEO
regulations - especially the Code of Ethics
and the Professional Misconduct sections -
and see what you are up against.
Remember that it is law - not just a
guideline, and in this highly competitive
world, there will likely be someone
watChing when you violate the code.
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February 1986 IRON WARRIOR
15
"The New Fee Statement"
by Steve Roach
2A Systems Design
Don't you hate it when you are on a
worktenn and you think that you have
saved enough money for the following
school tenn, and then you receive your fee
statement in the mail which reads:
"BEFORE JAN 06 PLEASE PAY THIS
AMOUNT => $1007.40" ? Let's play
around with a few figures from the fee
statement. plug them into a University
computer (might as well get our
$IOO/term worth) and find out exactly
where our hard-earned money goes.
A breakdown reveals that 65.5% of
your money is allotted towards tuition.
That's what pays for other little tj1ings
such as Profs, T.A.'s, and general upkeep
of the University. The next reduction to
your wallet (or purse) is the co-op fee.
This portion goes to the Department of
Co-ordination and Placement with the
hopes of fmdng you a job. It is, after all,
co-op which gives UW the edge (known
as "experience") over those other
engineering schools. So far, on our
academic shopping spree we have spent
80.4% of our total fee. '
The next cut of the fee pie is the
controversial computer fee. The
University takes about $70 and
Engineering nips off another $30. That's a
helluva lot of money to pay every tenn in
order to become aggravated by
WATSTAR.
THE FEE PIE-
No matter how you slice it
It comes out of your pocket.
Computer F"ee

Stuff (9.7l1t)
Co-op
F"ee (14.9")
The final slice of the pie, which my
incredible vocabulary has enabled me to
name "Stuff', includes incidental fees.
Some are compulsory, some are not.
Student Health Insurance Plan - was
requested by the student body. It may be
Tuition (BS.Sllt)
waived if proof of equal or superior
coverage is presented.
Recreational Fee - is needed to pay for
the construction of the Columbia Icefield.
It is compulsory.
Federation Hall Fee - someone has to
pay for our Beer Palace. Compulsory.
Intercollegiate Athletics - Be an athlete
or an athletic supporter. Compulsory.
Federation of Students - Do you wish
to be a Fed? Refundable.
Engineering Society - If you don't like
fun then you can have your money back.
Sanford Flemming Foundation -
dedicated to the development of co-op
engineering education. Refundable.
Waterloo Public Interest Research
Group - environmental and research group.
Refundable.
Radio Waterloo - on-campus radio
station. Refundable.
Imprint - "the other paper". Refundable.
Now before you get too excited about
getting all of your refunds, here are a
couple of comments:
1) Ethics - don't get a refund if you use
the service.
2) You're too late. All refunds must be
made within 3 weeks after the start of
lectures. C'est la vie.
Now that you know where your money
is going, do you feel more comfortable?
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We 4eHver.
- the Story Behind the Scene
By Steve Galanakis
p .... S Director
Many have asked me questions on the
allocations of P*"'S points. Questions
such as "What do you give the most
points for?" and "Why is my class doing
so badly?" are becoming more common as
the race for the top heats up, so I figured
I'd give you all some information on this
topic. This article with not go into
excruciating depth on the breakdown of the
points but I will tell you how the top
classes got to be where they are.
First, up to date standing are posted in
front of the orifice and hopefully will be
updated weekly. The top four classes as of
February lOth are as follows:
1 - 3B Civil - 177 pts.
1- 3B Elec - 177 pts.
3 - 4B SD - 143 pts.
4 - 3A Elec - 124 pts.
In first place is Civil Whore which
took a strong lead right after the
Engineering Weekend. This was a result
of "Event Flooding" - they had nearly
half the class in such events as the Dart
Tourney. If you add a few victory points
and some organizing points, you're well
on you're way to having Eng Soc supply
the refreshements for your end of term
party.
Tied with them in first, is a class that
couldn't even think up a real name the no
name Engeneric. They were comfortably
in second after Eng Weekend with their
biggest points coming from running the
Bmlt Racing competition.
Moving recently iOlO third place is
Nemesys who are the reigning B Soc
p ... S champs. Many of their points were
racked up from participation in the
production of the Iron Warrior.
Substantial contributions were also made
by the Ski Race and the women's victory
in Boat Racing.
Fourth place is held by Shadrikameg
Boombras (all articles must be legible
Steve! - Ed.). No single factor has put
them where they are, but many second
and third place placlngs with above
average participation in Eng Weekend
The bottom Hne? Participation and
floodin? Can't hurt, right? Winning? Gets
you points not to mention glory and
prizes. But, organizing, running or
helping out with events probably is the
biggest and easiest source of points there
is. At the very least. you should strive to
do better than Math Soc! Good luck
everyone and hope to see you au t during
Engineering Week!
..,...
16
IRON WARRIOR
S.F.F. Awards and Grants
by P. Lum
Established in 1976, the Sandford
Fleming Foundation was set up by a
group of senior faculty members and
students of the Faculty of Engineering at
the University of Waterloo, the first
co-operative engineering school in
Canada. With the success of the basic
co-operative programme firmly
established, they saw the potential
benefits of enhancing this unique
programme and thus the Foundation was
created.
Since then, the foundation has extended
its involvement to other campus in
Canada, notably the University of
Sherbrooke in Quebec and Memorial
University in Newfoundland, both
co-operative engineering schools.
The Foundation's primary objective is
to encourage co-operation between
industry and universities in the training of
engineering students. It has attempted to
achieve this objective by developing new
modes of interaction between industry and
the educational institute and by rewarding
excellence in co-operative programme
activities.
The Foundation'S major student-oriented
achievements consist of an extensive
Student Awards and Grants Programme,
an Industrial Visitors Programme, and the
Sandford Educational Press. The Student
Awards and Grants Programme is
elaborated upon below.
The Waterloo Campus Committee of
the Sandfrod Fleming Foundation
maintains an active awards programme for
the faculty of Engineering. Funds to
support the programme arise from student
and faculty donations and endorsement
fund earnings. Each term, every
co-operative engineering student is
assessed $2.50 for the Sandford Fleming
Foundation. The value of awards during
the 1984/85 academic year exceeded
$13,000.
The following is a description of each
of the awards and grants provided by the
Foundation to the undergraduate students
at the University of Waterloo.
* Silver Medal for Academic
Achievement
Awarded to graduating students for
outstanding academic achievement in each
department accompanied by a certificate.
* Silver Medal for Co-operative
Programme Proficiency
Awarded to graduating engineering
students for outstanding overall
performance in work term industrial
experience and academic programme
accompanied by a Certificate.
The Sandford Fleming Foundation
Waterloo Chapter
Recipients or the 1985 S.S.F. Awards
February 1986
* Work Term Report Awards
Awarded each term to the author of the
most outstanding work term report in each
engineering class. Approximately 30 of
these $100 work term awards are given
each term
* Student Debate Awards
Awarded to the winners and runners up
of the Sandford FLeming Debates each
academic term. Prizes are $100 each for
the winners and $50 each for the runners
up.
* Undergraduate Travel Grants
In order to encourage undergraduates to
present papers at technical conferences on
research done during their course of study,
the Foundation provides travel grants in
amounts up to $500.
* Awards for Teaching Assistantship
Excellence
Awarded each year in recognition of
excellence as a Teaching Assistant. Each
recipient is nominated by undergraduate
students and receives a certificate plus
$300.
* Emergency Loan Fund
The Foundation administers an
emergency student loan fund utilizing
some of the Foundation's funds a well as
monies donated specifically for such a
purpose. This facet of the Awards and
Grants Programme provides short-term,
interest free loans to students in financial
need.
Graduate Awards include:
* Graduate Tuition Grants
* The Donald J_ Clough Memorial
Award
All students are eUigible and may be
considered for Work Term Report Awards
and medals. Debate Awards are available
to all students. Application must be made
for Travel Grants and emergency loans.
For more information contact:
T. Renaud
Eng. Soc. 'A'
x 2323
P.Lum
885-6378
V. Grieve
x 4008
G. Farquhar
x 3989
February 1986 IRON WARRIOR
17
Engineering and the Aesthetic
Experience
by Tom Lee
3A Systems Design
Thomas Aquinas defined an object of
beauty as that having of the following
qualities: integrity (completeness of
being), proportion (unity) and effulgence
(in his words, ciaTitas, which does not
have a direct English translation but is
similar to a quality which 'flows' out). All
this may sound cryptic and totally
irrelevant to engineering, but there is a
common ground. Inarguably, integrity and
proportion is integral to an engineering
design but is effulgence neccessary, or in
other words, must this design be
neccessarily beautiful? Aquinas seems to
think so. Although he rarely mentions
microprocessors or Fourier Transforms in
his works, he seems to delegate a very
personal role for the appreciation of
beauty. The cliche "beauty is in the eye of
the beholder" comes to. mind. This is
where the connection with engineering
lies.
We aU appreciate beauty and most of us
are willing to accept that something that
does not seem pleasing to us may be to
others. In one extreme, we can claim that
since beauty is personal in nature,
anything that we, as engineers, design is
beautiful. This, however, is a very selfish
viewpoint. If we can all recognize and be
moved by beauty, why then can our
designs not reflect more of this
appreciation?
/
Architecture is a profession where the
aesthetic is of a primary concern. There is
another profession, however, although not
as celebrated, is gaining more public
atttention - the profession of Industrial
Design. As the name suggests, LD. is a
very practical profession not too . unlike
engineering. The critical difference lies in
the actual philosophy of design.
Engineers are taught that a design
problem will have a best solution and by
using sound, rational and proven
principles; one can, in theory, achieve this
solution. Prof. Don McKay of UW
School of Architecture, points out that
I.D. design philosophy differs in the fact
that one cannot assume that there is a best accredited undergraduate programs in I.D.
solution, just a viable one. This is a in English in Canada: Carleton University
solution that is achieved through in Ottawa and the Ontario College of Art
compromises. In other words a solution is in Toronto. In the sixties, there was
a procedure or product which works, another school which offered a graduate
which means that a product must be program - the University of Waterloo. The
functional, efficient and attractive in order school of Design at UW was eventually
to succeed in the market. Although the phased out (in the early 70's) and replaced
difference in design philosophies between with the department of Systems Design.
engineering and ID. seems &N&Ie ..... .. iJon Of AA to
theory, industry as well as the educational provide a broad base of knowledge and
institutions have imposed a very experiences in order to achieve workab\y
restrictive character on the engineer and human solutions. This base included
the industrial designer. We all know what fundamentals in the maths, sciences,
engineers are supposed to be - practical, ergonomiCS and aesthetics. Indumial
sensible, etc. And as well, industrial design programs tend to empahsize the
designers are supposed to be very creative, aesthetics but also utilize techniques in
artistic, etc. marketing, materials, human factors and
manufacturing processes.
It seems evident that UW has the
potential for a excellent program in LD ..
When one considers the calibre of its
engineering program (which can provide
the Thomic integrity and proportion)' and
its architecture (which can provide the
effulgence). Even without a full fledged
school of l.D., it is a shame that many of
l!S will miss out on a chance to be
exposed to o;,her design philosophies and
techniques o:1iy because of a lack of
information, On a personal level, I was,
during my conversation with Prof.
McKay, ama'.ed to see just how similar
the design philosphies were between LD.
and engineering (or at least his impression
of the LD. philosophy).
It is encouraging, however, that more
and more students seem to be interested in
LD. or at least other aspects of design in
gel)eral. This may be from the explosion
of new sexy products that are currently on
the market. Everything from cars to
computers to hair dryers are now sleek,
colourful and even seem aerodynamic even
if aerodynalT'ics have nothing to do with
the product. This may also be from the
greater diversity of people entering
engineering - people with a variety of
interests and concerns that would rival any
fine arts department.
The opportunity is now pounding on
the door. Even for the most pragmatic
engineer, there is a wealth to be gained by
the of aesthetics in the design
pr< ess. Furthermore, because the general
public is now more awar or Ilsed to
lttlracLivc products, a design thaI i. only
runclional and cost efficient cannot hope
10 survive in the market.
Why is there such a discrepency

such similar end results? Part of the
answer seems to be in the high level of
that is occuring in every
profession; which may tend to narrow the
scope of our design abilities (in both
engineering and I.D.). This is evident in
the lad. of LD. programs at
post-secondary institutions. Currently,
the r<:: are only two schools that offer
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Visit Brewski's at Waterloo Town Square or
phone Donna at 885-4060 for more information
18
by Deb Moor
4B Economics
Scott Forrest was elected President of
the Federation of Students with 40 percent
of the student vote on February 12th.
Sonny Flanagan, the incumbent, received
28%, followed by David Bray with 18%,
and Diane Myerson with 11 percent.
Carol Goulette was elected
Vice-President, Operations and Finance,
and Matt Erickson will take the position
of Vice-President, University Affairs.
This year's election was precedent
setting in more ways than one. It marked
the first time that the V-P UA position
has been elected as part of the presidential
elections. It was also the first time that all
three positions have been elected
separately. (In the past, the presidential
and VPOF candidates ran as teams.) The
voter turnout, at 29% was the highest
since 1970.
IRON WARRIOR
A New
Beginning
'S' and Scot( seem to sense a new spirit of co-operation in the coming rrwnths.
February 1986
Forrest sites underfunding and the
quality of student life as the issues he will
concentrate on when his term begins in
April. As the present Vice-President,
University Affairs, he has had a lot of
exposure to these problems and how they
affect students.
Issues such as student fees, athletic fees
and the releasing of assault statistics are
only symptoms of these larger problems,
Forrest says. "I will deal with these issues
as they come up".
In the planning stages right now is a
conference on underfunding for all Ontario
uni versities to be held at UW this
summer.
Elections for Students' council were
held concurrently with the presidential
elections. Acclaimed as Engineering
Counsellors for next year are: Dave Clark,
Michelle Dundas and Steve Pitkanen.
CFNY Sponsors Engineers
by Tom Fulton
4B Mech Eng
"A 45?" was my reaction when Art
Gresham approached me at the start of the
lerm. Anyone who knows Art knows he's
a genius with guitars. Twelve string,
bass, or lead, the creativity that flows
from his fingertips would freeze Medeusa.
But last Friday we hit the recording
studio, and now that I've heard the
incredible vocals of Don Pettit and Janice
Gladstone, my reaction is "A 45!" Janice
says her inspiration has been Joni
Mitchell, but anyone who's heard Joni in
concert lately knows that her vocal range
is deteriorating. Janice's is growing.
The musical talenLc; of these and many
other members of the graduating
engineering class of '86 are being unveiled
as part of the fund-raising drive for the
graduating class' gift to the handicapped
on campus. A great shot in the arm for
the project is the sponsorship of CFNY.
Says CFNY's Dave Marsden, "1 am
thrilled that CFNY could be involved as
the sponsor of worthwhile project.
We at CFNY would like to thank
everyone who supports this project, and
ex tend wishes for success to the
graduating class."
The group hopes to raise $3000
through sales of the 45 on campus, all
proceeds are being added to other amounts
raised through raffles and pubs put on by
the Grad Committee. Past gifts by
graduating classes include the handicapped
persons' lift in the PAC pool, and several
ramps around campus to improve
wheelchair access. This year's gift has not
been chosen yet, but the Grad Committee
is checking with local organizations to see
what is most needed.
"After 5 years here, everyone in the
graduating class would like to leave
behind a little piece of their heart," says
John Stephenson, Eng Soc's Prez. "Not
only will each person who buys a copy of
the 45 be making a donation to fight the
physical oppression of education, but the
musical value makes it a double bonus.
You should hear the bass lines in these
songs; they're great!"
The 45 will be released on campus in
the first week of March, and will be
available through both the engineering
society's office in CPR and the record
store in the Campus Centre for $3.25.
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February 1986
IRON WARRIOR
19
Irish Exchange
by Anne McGregor
The mist hung glistening and grey in
the January morning air. Large gulls and
varieties of black and white birds took
flight, crying alarmingly at me as I
climbed over the smooth, black rocks
along Belfast Lough. Armed with a
raincoat and a rucksack, I was on my way
to the nearest shopping centre three miles
away (there is a bus; but I'd rather walk).
Having time to collect my thoughts and
review the past four months, I am able to
conclude that, yes, I did enjoy life as a
Canadian exchange student at the
University of Ulster. From the constantly
changing weather blowing in from the
Atlantic across this damp green Isle, to
the quilt-like fields of rolling farmland
leading up to the misty basalt cliffs of the
Antrim coast, the beauty of Norhtern
Ireland is overwhelming. Although the
lack of snow pulls at my alpine heart, the
humid air is very mild, much like that of
a Canadian March.
Academically, I have found the
University to be a source of useful,
practical knowledge. The concerned
lecturers are more than willing to spend
their time with students (whom they
know by name).
Socially, the people of Northern Ireland
have yet to be infected by the rat race.

,;;
Time is not less important, just spent
differently. People go out of their way to
be especially kind and helpful to a
foreigner, such as myself. Whether they
are helping me load groceries ;nto my
rucksack or explaining the bus schedule, it
is always done with genuine concern and
without something expected in return.
. The nightlife of a foreign student
(living in the Halls of residence) tends to
centre around the Students Union. Folk
night is usually packed with people
clapping and dancing to the music of Irish
folk groups. By the time you have
learned the words to a few songs, you find
yourself up dancing, arm in arm with a
big circle of friendly students.
Because the University has about one
tenth the number of students that U of W
has, the atmosphere tends to be more
intimate and more relaxed, less
competitive and much less tense.
Although fitness hasn't reached the
'mania' proportions of North America,
there are exvellent facilities for swimming,
squash and weight lifting. There are
many clubs to join (1 am a member of the
mountaineering club), and I would
recommend joining the ramblers and/or
canoe club as well, for maximum
'Reggae Porn
by Greg Rae .Jc "
3B Mech and Iron Warrior Film
Critic
Featured at the Princess Theatre last
\t'eekend were three films in a three-part
reggae festival. The event, long promoted
by the University of Waterloo's own radio
CKMS as the premier reggae spectacular
Qi the year, proved somewhat
disappointing.
The first experience, "BABYLON", was
a depiction of a the black Jamaican man's
struggle in Brixton, England. Brixton
was the setting of an adequate portrayal of
. prejudice manifesting itself in the
social and economic development of the
young man in his quest for identity via
the reggae music industry. Rastafarian
high priests, cully weed, police and
thieves spiced up the set Silly sub-titles
and a spanky sound track rounded out the
film.
"CHILDREN OF BABYLON" was a
that found its way out of the alley
behind the Kent into the theatre under
guise, of reggae. This r.ollection of
meaningless perversions was definitely tfle
low point of the festival, and many people
just laughed it off. No more can be said
about such trash which was at best an
insult to the viewer's intelligence.
The next evening, after a repeat
screening of "BABYLON", "REGGAE
SUNSPLASH 1979" featuring Bob
Marley, Peter Tosh, Third World, Burning
Spear and others was presented. Why the
Princess did not run this concert
extravaganza instead of the porn the
previous evening is still a mystery and
quite a shame indeed, as we will not be
able to review it. Look for it in the next
issue of the Iron Warrior.
All in all, I was not impressed with
the so called 'festival'. r felt that it was
(especially 'BABYLON') a severe blow to
a vibrant and exciting part of OUI society a
a tremendous disappointment to a die-hard
reggae fan. What was even more sad was
the fact that in slammed the door in the
faces of those unfamiliar with the Rasta
culture who came to the theatre hoping to
experience a bit of it and perhaps,
permanently eliminating any amount of
initial interest that may have been present.
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coverage of Norhtern and Southern Ireland.
Politically I remain quiet and without
opinion. as it is [he healthie. t way to be
It would take years of living here to b
to understand the troubles
comment intelligently on them.
Christmas was spent with a fellow
exchange student exploring the sunny
landscapes of southern Spain and the
Sierra Nevada ( one hour drive from the
Mediterranean). We untanned on the'
almost desolate cliff-lined beaches of the
Algaive.
New Years was spent dancing in the
streets of Madrid with the Gypsies. Paris
filled our hearts with historic and cultural
wonders while exhibiting an air of
romantic composure.
Yes, it was difficult returning to
Northern Ireland; but when a good friend
met us at the airport and welcomed us
'home', I felt more than ever the warmth
and kindness of the Northern Irish people
and was glad to be back.
by Josephine Sovran
Thi. years F ASS production, perfonned
1,Ist week, was a musical horror called the
Scream Play.
fhe story was based around one night
at Miss Harrietlcckcl's house. ThiS retired
old lady (actually dead lady) was
'etebrating her one hundred and fir;l
birthda\. To commemorate thi. occa Ion
MISS Jekyll was honounng all household
guests. who spent the night in her manor,
with a percentage of her vast estate.
The hou, e as might be expected. was
not only inhabitated with corpse, but with
numerous suspect characters, among
them, mad scientists, cat", and of course
a dedicated butler.
ily some bizarre sequence of events at
least thirty people ended up at Miss
Jekyll's house for the birthday night. The
household guests were a typical group.
Soviet spies, Cujo t a history teacher
gone Rambo) , loud American tourists,
crooks, cultists, and of course beloved
relatives.
After an eventful night in which,
several bombs went off, the cats came
out, our mad scientist created life, and
umpteen people disappeared behind
revolving walls, the detectives were called
in.
The detectives were numerous and
famous including, Sherlock Holmes (now
accompanied by his nurse instead of
Watson), Remington Steele, the Hardy
Boys, and Humphrey Bogart (for those of
us present, we will always remember
Bogalt's IOcll.:<!ihh: ability to clangll' a
d larCII!! flOrn his lower lip) .
In short the play was fun . It was
obvious from both till' numher of studl'llls
involved, and the at' lual production, that
enthusiasm and effort ('crt:linly was no!
lacking.
A thousand praises f()r "1 Killed
The First Article for tl1e Irol1
Warrior Written by Me on the
Spur of tIle M0l11ent, Written
in Ink While There Might Have
Been a Full Moon
By John Bechtel
3D Systems Design
Could it be said that NASA has done
us an injustice? No, not by blowing up a
space shuttle. This is not an article about
explosions; this is an article that says
"Enough!" to statements such as "The
First Woman with Brown Hair to Fly in a
White Space Shuttle in a Month with the
Letter 'Y' while the Wind was Blowing
From the South West". Or when Casey
Kasem announces that Dionne Warwick
and Witney Houston are the only cousins
ever to both have number 1 singles (on
Tuesday, in February, when it's not
raining in Buffalo). Do I need to know
this?
Aren't we perhaps going a little
overboard in our quest for flrsts In tile
world. Has 20th century society become
so blase that the only first that the only
first that's really relevant is who can come
up with the most insignificant frrst?
What about the fellow who fmt spiUecj
his coffee while cutting a tJagel at the
C&D? Where is his plaque? Or getting
back to NASA, do we ever hear about the
2nd woman with brown hair etc. etc. ? Oh
no! because it will probably never happen
again. If she does, she will be the first.
Yes indeed, the fmt, to do so and be over
5' 8" taU, or with blue eyes and sandals,
or yes, even 6 toes on the left foot. Let's
leave frrsts for real frrsts such as landing
on the moon, or Mars ... oh yes and not
cutting your thumb while spilling your
coffee cutting a bagel at the C& D.
20

IRON WARRIOR
February 1986
NEWS BRIEFS
REFEREE-IN-CHlEF and
ASSISTANT REFEREE-iN-CHIEF
positions:
PROTEST MARCH
will be cancelled from 10:30 -
1:30 Wednesday, March 12 to protest
government underfunding. Students and
administration will assemble outside the
Dana Porter library at 10:30. This group
will be joined by WLU students and
faculty in a united march down to
Waterloo square. Everyone is encouraged
to participate!
EUROPE THIS SUMMER
If you're interested in a good rate for a
return ticket to Europe this summer, read
on. A number of students are purchasing
air tickets to Amsterdam as a group to
obtain a bargain price. Currently, open
return tickets are available for flights from
Toronto to Amsterdam at $509.
Departure dates are April 24 and June 3.
If you're interested in joining in, call Ni raj
at 746-0177 or x3871.
Jobs! J obs! Jobs!
Campus Recreation
- Job Opportunities -
RECREATION TEAM SPORT
COORDINATOR (1 student - $250
term)
- to organize and administer the
recreation team sports program.
TOURNAMENT COORDINATOR (2
students - $250 term)
- to organize and administer all
competitive tournaments .
PUBLICITY COORDINATOR (2
students - $250 term)
- to inform the students, staff, and
faculty through various means, including
the Imprint.
AQUATICS COORDINATOR (2
students - $250 term)
- to be responsible for the organization
and administration of instructional
swimming program. and the lifeguards.
FITNESS INSTRUCTIONAL
COORDINATOR (l student - $250
tem1)
- to be responsible for. staff selection
and traini fig, staff adminis tration, and the
fitness instructor's course.
COORDINATOR OF REFEREES (1
student - $500 term)
- to be responsible for ensuring that all
competitive leagues and tournaments are
properly staffed with trained perwnnel.
COORDINATOR OF CONVENORS
(l student - $500 term)
-to be responsible for coordinating the
convenors of all competitive leagues and
planning the following term's competitive
program.
FITNESS ADMINISTRATIVE
COORDINATOR (1 student - $250 term)
- to be responsible for the
administration of all house fitness
programs and the Fitness Comes to You
Program.
INSTRUCTIONAL COORDINATOR
(1 students - $500 term)
- to be responsible for coordinating all
instructional programs with the exception
of fitness and aquatic programs.
PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR (2
students - $250 term)
- to promote all aspects of the Campus
Recreation program through a variety of
promotional methods, and campus media.
CONVENORS are needed for the
following leagues:
Men's Soccer
Women's Basketball
Women's Flag Football
Women's Soccer
Men's Basket ball
Men's Flag Football
Men's Hockey
Men's Ball. Hockey
Men's Volleyball
Women's Volleyball
Duties: to organize and schedule league
play, standings, and playoffs. ($40 -
$120 term)
Basketaball
Volleyball
Hockey
Ball Hockey
(A.R.I.e. needed only for Soccer)
Duties: to be responsible for training
referees, evaluating performance, and issue
payment ($40 - $120 term)
** Application forms are available from
the PAC receptionists.
DUE DATE: Febuary 28,1986.
Juried Art Show
of Local Artists
The University of Waterloo Art Gallery
will present an exhibition of works of art
by members of the Kitchener-Waterloo
Society of Artists (KWSA) . The
exhibi t ion, opening on Thursday,
Febr uary 27, will feature works in a
variety of media including waterco!ours, -
oils and sculpture.
The KWSA exhibition wi ll run from
Thursday, February 27 to Sunday, April
13. There will an opening reception on .
Thursday, February 27 at 8:00 pm in the
Gallery. Gallery hours are Monday to
Friday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sundays
....-.
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. ";.<
For further information contact Robert
Monteith at ext. 2126.
Barbara Brendemuehl. R_M. T_
Registered Massage Therapist
I1l.D 11-11 D
'Wmn<WfJ
00 IPlIISlmD
tel. 746 - 4741
(fornonnelion tWld apoHmen)
Headaches' Bectethes' SpOlb hillies' Be.
UWGrouphsWWlCe offers coverage to atudnsend employees
lton UlattiOf 1111
Submission Deadline:
Monday, March 17th
The Sandford Fleming Foundation
Waterloo Chapter
The 'Waterloo Campus Awards Committee is pleased to announce
the winners of the Teaching Assistantship Awards for the 1984/85
academic year. They are:
Stanley Snopek - Chemical Engineering
Rob Surtees - Ci vil Engineering
Ian Nadas - Fi rst Year Engineering
A . Sankaranarayanan - Electrical Engineering
,
Kevin Negus - Mechanial Engineering
Mitali De - Systems Design Engineering
There were 19 nominations received over the three terms F / 84;
W /85 and S/85. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of f e
Engineering Society in distributing the Teaching Assistantship
Awards information (description and nomination forms) each tenn
with t he course critiques.
For more intonnation about the Foundation
or any of its programmes, please contact:
The Sandford F!eming Foundation
Room 4..'\32.
Carl Poftock HaU
88&-4008 or 885-2011 Ext. 4008
Registered Charitable Organization ino.
0462275-21-15)